Hungary
is located in Central Eastern Europe, with
a land area of 93,036 sq km. It is a landlocked
country, bordered by Austria, Slovakia,
Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia.
Hungary
has three major geographic regions: the
Great Alföld, the Transdanubia, and
the Northern Hills. The highest point is
Kékes (1,014m) in the Mátra
Mountains. The lowest point is near Szeged
(77.6m), in the south of Hungary.
The
climate in Hungary is continental, with
hot summers and cold winters. The average
temperature in the summer is 27 to 35 °C,
and in the winter it is 0 to -15 °C.
The
capital is Budapest, and the major rivers
are the Danube and Tisza.
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Hungary History, Population, Language and
Culture
Hungary
was established as a Christian kingdom in
1000 AD. The kingdom was part of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire, which collapsed at the end of World
War I. After World War I Hungary lost 70%
of its territory. Following World War II,
the country fell under a communist regime
until 1956, when an anti-communist revolution
broke out in Budapest. In 1989 Hungary was
declared a republic and in 1990 Soviet troops
left the country.
Hungary
is a member of the OECD (1996), NATO (1999)
and the European Union (2004). In 2007, Hungary
became a full member of the Schengen area.
The
population was estimated at just below 10
million in 2010. More than 92% people are
ethnic Hungarian, and the official language
is Hungarian.
Hungary
was the birthplace of many famous classical
music performers including Ferenc Liszt, Bela
Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly. Hungary is one of
the most popular tourist destinations in the
world, and has many UNESCO World Heritage
Sites.
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Hungary Government
Hungary is a parliamentary republic. The President
is the head of state; he is elected by popular
vote for a five-year term; Laszlo Solyom has
held the post since June 2005. The head of
government is the Prime Minister, appointed
by the president on the approval of parliament;
this has been Viktor Orban since 29 May, 2010.
The executive power is exercised by the government,
and the legislative power is vested in both
the government and parliament. The judiciary
is independent of the executive and the legislature.
The
unicameral National Assembly has 386 members.
176 of the members are elected from local
constituencies, 120 on a proportional basis
from county lists, and the remaining 90 are
elected from national lists drawn up by the
competing parties.
Hungary
has a civil law system, and the supreme law
of Hungary is the Constitution.
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Hungary
Economy and Currency
Hungary’s
geographic position in Central Europe and
access to EU markets makes it a strategic
centre in the region.
Total
GDP is USD186bn, and fell by an estimated
6.3% in 2009. GDP per capita at USD18,800
(2009 IMF est.) is nearly two-thirds that
of the EU average.
The
current account balance is USD1.507bn (2009
est.), which places Hungary 50th in the world.
Imports totalled USD75.93bn (2009 est.), and
exports totalled USD82.49bn (2009 est.). Germany,
Italy, Austria, Russia, and the United States
are the main purchasers of Hungary's exports.
In
2009, the rate of inflation was 4.2%, and
the level of unemployment was 10.8%.
The
Hungarian forint (HUF) has been convertible
for all business transactions since 1996.
Hungary plans to adopt the Euro by 2014.
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