Alföld

Alföld

Alföld (ôlˈföld), Hun. Nagy-Alföld [Great Alföld], great central plain of Hungary extending into Serbia and W Romania. The level region is drained by the Tisza and Danube rivers. Formerly wooded, the Alföld gradually became a steppe region as the Magyar and then the Mongol invaders (13th cent.) cut down many trees, exposing the soil to dry winds. Grasslands covered most of the Alföld until the late 19th cent., when extensive irrigation and drainage projects transformed parts of it into fertile farmland; grains, vegetables, feed crops, and livestock are now raised. The Alföld, on a primary invasion route to Europe, has been the scene of many major battles. The Little Alföld (Hun. Kis-Alföld) is located in NW Hungary and extends into S Slovakia and Austria.

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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Alföld

 

(from Hungarian alfold, lowland), lowlands in Hungary, leading into the middle Danube Valley. In the broad sense an alföld is a valley with fertile soil suitable for growing grain (as opposed to puszta, which are pasturelands).

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.