Hungarian Autonomous Province was autonomous region in the Romanian Peoples' Republic between 1952 and 1968. It comprised ten districts of the territory inhabited by a compact population of Szekely Hungarians. The total population of this Province was, according to the 1956 census, composed of: Hungarians (77.3%), Romanians (20.1%), Gypsies (1.5%), Germans (0.4%) and Jews (0.4%). Official languages of the province were Hungarian and Romanian and provincial administrative centre was Tîrgu Mureş.

In December 1960 a governmental decree modified the boundaries of the Hungarian Autonomous Province. Its southern part was attached to Stalin Province, which has latter been renamed into Braşov. In place of this, several districts were joined to it from the southwest. The Province was no longer called the Hungarian Autonomous Province but the Mureş-Hungarian Autonomous Province, after the River Mureş. The ratio of Hungarians is reduced from 77.3 percent to 62 percent.

In 1968, Romanian government put an end to the administrative division of the country into regions and re-introduced the county system, still used today. This also automatically eliminated the Mureş-Hungarian Autonomous Province and replaced it with counties that are not identified with any nationality. Three new counties formed on the majority of the territory of former Hungarian Autonomous Province are: Mureş, Harghita and Covasna.

Today, in two of these counties, Harghita and Covasna, Hungarians form the majority of inhabitants. The official languages are no longer set by county, and the minority rights are set by municipality (city or commune). In the municipalities in which a certain minority forms more than 20% of the population, the local administration must allow the minority members to use their native tongue in dealing with the administration and the state shall provide education in that language.

See also

• Hungarian minority in Romania
• Szekely
• Ethnic clashes of Târgu Mureş
• Northern Transylvania
• Transylvania

External links

• Map
• Map
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