Göcsej

Göcsej is a geographic and ethnic region within Zala County, Hungary. thumb|300px|Göcsej (in red) as one of microregions within physical subdivisions of Hungary

==Geography and climate== Göcsej is a region of steep hills, bordered by the Zala, Kerka, and Válicka rivers; however, its ethnic boundary does not exactly align with these geographic boundaries. Göcsej has a sub-alpine climate and vegetation. Although it gets the most precipitation in Hungary, the soil is barely suitable for crop production. As late as the beginning of the 19th century, the hills were covered by huge oaks, European Beech, and Scots Pines. The slopes and hilltops have yellowish-red, clayey soil and the valleys, before drainages projects started in the 20th century, used to have boggy marshlands. As the valleys flooded at snow melting or after heavy rains, the original settlers built mostly on the slopes, less often on the ridges or crests of hills.