Introduction
Hungary is located in Central Europe. Set in the Carpathian Basin, or Pannonian Basin, the country is fairly flat and experiences a mostly mild and rainy climate. It is also located in the part of Europe known as the "Shatter Belt," which is influenced by both the eastern and western nations.
Hungary used to control the entire Carpathian Basin, but after the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, they were forced to give up over half of the land to neighboring countries, creating the silhouette we are familiar with today. This also caused about a third of all Hungarian speakers to be located outside of their homeland. Today, Transkomar in Slovakia, Transylvania in Romania, and the northern part of Serbia have a population that is dominated by Hungarians.
Hungary used to control the entire Carpathian Basin, but after the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, they were forced to give up over half of the land to neighboring countries, creating the silhouette we are familiar with today. This also caused about a third of all Hungarian speakers to be located outside of their homeland. Today, Transkomar in Slovakia, Transylvania in Romania, and the northern part of Serbia have a population that is dominated by Hungarians.
Hungary is landlocked between seven countries and is about the size of the US state Indiana. Budapest is the capital of Hungary and is made up of two cities, known as Buda and Pest, which are separated by the Danube river. The highest point in Hungary is 1014m while the lowest point is 78m. Just over half of the land is dedicated to agriculture and about a quarter of the land is forest.
While English speaking countries know them as Hungarians, the people of Hungary refer to themselves as Magyars who speak the Magyar language. Hungarian is a Uralic, or Asian, language brought to Europe by the Magyar nomads. The current population of Hungary is about 9.85 million people, and it is dropping as birth rates continue to be slower than the death rate.
While English speaking countries know them as Hungarians, the people of Hungary refer to themselves as Magyars who speak the Magyar language. Hungarian is a Uralic, or Asian, language brought to Europe by the Magyar nomads. The current population of Hungary is about 9.85 million people, and it is dropping as birth rates continue to be slower than the death rate.
Of the population, 85.6 percent are Hungarian, followed by Romani (3.2 percent), German (1.9 percent), and unspecified (totaling 14.1 percent). A total of 99.6 percent of the people in Hungary speak Hungarian while 16 percent speak English, 11.2 percent speak German, 1.6 percent speak Russian, 1.3 percent speak Romanian, 1.2 percent speak French, and 4.2 percent speak an unlisted language. Of all the people who speak Hungarian, 98.9 percent learned it as their first language.
Over a third of the country is Roman Catholic while just under a fifth of the population does not have a religion. About a quarter of the country has an unspecified religion and just under 12 percent are Calvinist. At about two percent or less each are Lutheran, Greek Catholic, and unlisted religions. |
Hungary is a fairly poor country in the EU as it was hit hard by the 2008 recession. In 2013, 4.2 percent of Hungary's GDP was being spent on education. Currently, 99.1 percent of the citizens over the age of 15 are literate.
Hungary is under a parliamentary republic type of government. Among its many parties are the Fidesz-Hungarian Civil Alliance, Hungarian Socialist Party, Movement for a Better Hungary, and Politics Can Be Different.
Hungary is under a parliamentary republic type of government. Among its many parties are the Fidesz-Hungarian Civil Alliance, Hungarian Socialist Party, Movement for a Better Hungary, and Politics Can Be Different.
Europe is set in a lateral orientation and all of the countries are very close together. This causes a variety of materials to be found in each country and has historically forced Europe to work together since they rely on each other for different natural resources. This reliance on each other also forces the countries to find a common language, or languages, to speak in order to conduct business.
Hungary joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1999 and the European Union (EU) in 2004; it is also part of the United Nations (UN), among other organizations.
Hungary joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1999 and the European Union (EU) in 2004; it is also part of the United Nations (UN), among other organizations.