County Vas settles on the west part of the country, in West-Transdanubia. Its area takes 3337 quadratkilometres, with it it’s the smallest county of the country after counties Komárom-Esztergom and Nógrád. County Vas lies between É. sz. 46ş44’-47ş28’ and K.h. 16ş05’-17ş18’, we can find here the westest point of Hungary, Felsőszölnök. The distance of the county town from Budapest is 240 km, from Vienna, Bratislava and Zagreb it’s 150 km, from Ljubljana it’s 180 km, from Graz it takes 130 km. It has borders with Austria (Burgenland) in the west, with Slovenia in the south-west, with county Zala in the south, with county Veszprém in the east and with county Győr-Moson-Sopron in the north.

The relative geografical position of the county has become much more valuable since the demolition of the Iron Curtain and the economic and social transformation, and so the county can be characterized as the centre of the west-pannon region, West-Transdanubia, as one of the most important western gates of our country. Its connections – which are multilateral and deep with Austria and Slovenia because of the more centuries long traditions – became more and more intensive recently, particularly with province Burgenland. Especially the bordercrossing economic connections, the mutual tourism, the cultural and civil connections, the Interreg II-PHARE CBC cooperations and the outlining potential EU-region Graz-Maribor-Zalaegerszeg-Szombathely prove it. It’s connected with Austria by five road and one railway crossing points, with Slovenia by two road crossing points, which will be completed with the railway crossing point in Bajánsenye and with the road checkpoint inPinkamindszent. In Szeptember of 1998 Burgenland, county Győr-Moson-Sopron and county Vas established the West-Pannon-EU-Region.

The regional cooperation with counties Győr-Moson-Sopron and Zala takes form better and better in West-Transdanubia. This is strengthened by the Transdanubian Regional Development Council established in May of 1997, in which framework three counties enlarge and strengthen its connections primarily on the fields of regional development, PHARE CBC, regional infrastructures and communal investments and economy.

County Vas is one of the most diversified territories of Hungary on the basis of its natural fundamentals. West part of it is mountain range of medium height, this is the periphery of West-Hungary with two medium height territories: the Hungarian Foothills of Alpok and the Bottom of Alpok. The south-western territory of the county is part of the Transdanubian Hilly Country, we can find here its medium height territory – the hilly country of Zala. Nearly half of the territory of the county is plain, part of the Small Plain with three medium height territories: Kemeneshát, plain of Sopron-Vas county and basin of Marcal.

The climate of county Vas is a bit cooler, but more balanced than it of our country generally because of its western position and stronger presence of the atlantic effects. The yearly medium temperature is 8,5-9 oC, the number of sunny weather hours is limited (1750-1800), the precipitation is 600-700 mm generally, but in the mountains of Kőszeg it reaches 800-900 mm. The subalpine climate with the clear, good quality air is impotant attractive force of the tourism.

County Vas is rich in waters below and above the surface. Watercollector of our surface waters is the river Rába, which collects the waterflows of the Foothill of Alpok primarily (Pinka, Sorok, Perint, Gyöngyös, Répce). The river Zala has its source in Őrség, which is the watercollector of the southern territories of the county. We can find a lot of small, in the most part artifical lakes in the county (in Szajk, in Bajánsenye, in Máriaújfalu, in Döröske, in Gersekarát, lake Vadása, etc.), which are the main targetterritories of people longing to take a rest, to angle.

The natural flora and fauna of the county can be found among undisturbed conditions in more places – particularly along the one-time borderland, and the elements of pannpn and alpine flora and fauna interbreed in it. The most important natural values of the county are the forest- and lawnassociations defining the biogeographical character of the living world of the territory, including boreo-alpine flora and form elements. The variable and richly coloured flora of the forests covering 27% of the county’s territory ensure good living opportunities for the games.

The county is not too rich in mineral resources usable in the industry. The thermal and medical water mainly with alkali carbonats represents the most important value, which constitutes the basis of the medical and thermal tourism and further developments. The natural carbon dioxide, the river pebble and sand, the talkum, the green slate have large importance.