Hungary Geography: A Comprehensive Overview of Location and Physical Features

Geography of Hungary Browse the article Geography of Hungary

Introduction to Geography of Hungary

Hungary, or Republic of Hungary, a country in eastern Europe. It is bordered by Ukraine, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, and Slovakia. Hungary's area is 35,919 square miles (93,030 km2), about the same as that of Indiana. Maximum dimensions are about 275 miles (445 km) east-west and 165 miles (265 km) north-south.

Physical Geography

Hungary is a country in the middle of Europe.Land

Hungary occupies part of the Pannonian Basin, which lies between the Alps, Dinaric Alps, and Carpathian Mountains, and is largely a land of plains and rolling terrain. The largest region is the Great Alföld, a plain covering most of eastern Hungary and extending into Serbia and Montenegro, Romania, and Ukraine. Nearly everywhere the Great Alföld is a flat, largely treeless area with productive soils.

West of the Danube River, in the southwest, the plain gives way to an upland often called Transdanubia. It is rolling land occasionally broken by hilly areas, largest of which is the Mecsek Hills, northwest of Pécs. Overlooking Lake Balaton are the Bakony Hills.

Low, rounded mountains—the foothills of the Carpathians—form a band across most of northeastern Hungary. Found here are the Mátra and Bükk mountains. The country's highest peak is 3,330-foot (1,015-m) Kékes, in the Mátra Mountains.

Northwestern Hungary is spanned by the Little Alföld, which is smaller and receives more rainfall than the Great Alföld but otherwise is similar.

Water

The chief river is the Danube (Duna in Hungarian), which flows eastward along the Slovak-Hungarian border and then southward past Budapest, the capital and largest city. The second most important river is the Tisza, in the east. Both are subject to periodic flooding and in some places are bordered by poorly drained, marshy areas. Lake Balaton, on the southern flank of the Bakony Hills, is the only large lake.

Climate

Hungary's climate is transitional between the European continental and maritime climates. Winters bring cold northerly winds, snow, and low temperatures. Summers are dominated by westerly winds and vary from warm to hot. Often they bring severe droughts. In Budapest the average July temperature is about 70° F. (21° C.); the January average is 28° F. (-2° C.).

Precipitation is usually most abundant in spring and early summer. In general, total amounts of precipitation decrease from west to east and range from roughly 20 to 30 inches (510 to 760 mm).

Economy

During 1949-89, virtually all enterprises in Hungary, except for a few small businesses, were owned and operated by the government. After major economic reforms in the mid 20th century, economic decision-making in Hungary was largely decentralized and emphasis was placed on profits, private initiative, and efficiency. Following the collapse of Hungary's Communist government during 1989-90, programs were begun to privatize many industries.

Manufacturing and agriculture are the mainstays of the economy. Mining is of modest importance; bauxite, coal, iron ore, natural gas, and petroleum are produced, but large amounts of mineral imports are required. The country therefore imports additional supplies. Forestry and fishing are of minor significance.

Hungary's basic currency unit is the forint.

Natural Resources

of Hungary include its fertile soils and its favorable climate, which are a great boost to agriculture.. 65 per cent of the land is covered by farms and nearly 20 per cent of land is forested. Hence, the country imports large amounts of timber.

The country has limited deposits of minerals, such as coal, iron ore, manganese, natural gas, and oil. Bauxite, which is the source of aluminum, is the chief mineral mined in the country. Additional supplies of minerals have to be imported.

Uranium is the country’s main source of nuclear energy, and was discovered in the Mecsek Mountains near Pecs in the early 20th century. Soviet Union assisted Hungary in developing its uranium mines. Extra electrical power is imported as the country does not produce enough electric power to meet its needs. Nuclear reactors have been constructed since the late 20th century, which have hence helped in diminishing the country’s dependence on imported oil and coal.

Service industries employ nearly two-thirds of the workers and are singularly important. The industries that fall under the category of the service industries include activities like education, engineering, finance, health care, and trade. There are also a number of commercial banks in Hungary, as well as a national securities exchange, and a stock exchange in Budapest.

Engineering holds an important place in the economy of the country, having modernized the factories of the country and its manufactured products. Retail and wholesale trade are also important, employing a number of people in the main cities. Exporting farm products and importing mineral products constitute the important wholesale trade activities.

Manufacturing

Before World War II, Hungary had little manufacturing except for the processing of food. In 1949 the newly established Communist government nationalized all but the smallest manufacturing companies and began a program of rapid industrialization. It emphasized development of heavy industries—those producing such products as iron and steel, aluminum, petroleum products, fertilizer, chemicals, cement, machinery, motor vehicles, and tractors. Although heavy industries remain important, increasing emphasis has been placed on the production of consumer goods.

Food processing, including flour milling, sugar refining, and meat packing, has long been an important industry. Also significant are the electrical, textile, garment, and leather products industries. Budapest is the principal manufacturing center. Other important industrial centers include Miskolc, Debrecen, Szeged, and Pécs.

Agriculture

Hungary's richest natural resource is its fertile soil. Roughly 70 per cent of the total area is farmland, three-fourths of which is used for crops.

Facts in brief about HungaryCapital: Budapest.Official language: Magyar (Hungarian).Official name: Magyar Koztarsasag (Republic of Hungary).Area: 35,920 mi2 (93,032 km2). Greatest distances—east-west, 312 mi (502 km); north-south, 193 mi (311 km).Elevation: Highest—Mount Kekes, 3,330 ft (1,015 m) above sea level. Lowest—near Szeged, 259 ft (79 m) above sea level.Population: Current estimate—10,020,000; density, 279 per mi2 (108 per km2); distribution, 66 percent urban, 34 percent rural. 2001 census—10,198,315.Chief products: Agriculture—wheat, corn, hogs, milk, potatoes, grapes, chickens and eggs, sugar beets. Manufacturing—steel, buses and railroad equipment, electrical and electronic goods, food products, pharmaceuticals, medical and scientific equipment, textiles. Mining—bauxite.Flag and coat of arms: Hungary's flag, adopted in 1957, has three horizontal stripes of red, white, and green (top to bottom). The colors represent the country's traditional national colors. The coat of arms, adopted in 1990, has a crown above a shield of red and white stripes on the left and a cross on the right. Money: Basic unit—forint.

For centuries most of the land was held by large private estates and tilled by peasants. After World War II and Communist seizure of political power, farming was drastically changed. Estates were broken up into state farms or cooperatives. After Hungary's Communist government collapsed during 1989-90, the new government began to transfer ownership of farms from the state to private groups or individuals.

The chief crops are grains. Corn and wheat are by far the most important; barley, rye, oats, and rice are grown in much smaller amounts. Sugar beets, sunflowers, turnips, and potatoes are extensively produced. Paprika, used in Hungarian goulash, is a notable specialty crop. The hill region around Tokaj, in the northeast, is known for its grapes and excellent Tokay wines.

Pigs, sheep, cattle, and poultry make up most of the livestock which accounts for around 40 per cent of Hungary’s farm output. Chickens and hogs are raised by the farmers. They also raise dairy cattle, sheep, beef, and turkeys.

International Trade

contributes much to the economy of Hungary. Hungary is the main exporter of goods like alumina, electronic equipment, fruits and vegetables, meat, pharmaceuticals, steel, transportation equipment, and wine. Hungary also imports a number of products such as advanced machinery, automobiles, chemicals, electric power, iron ore, livestock feed, natural gas, paper, and petroleum. Trading takes place with European countries like, Austria, Italy, Germany and Russia. Russia supplies Hungary with huge amounts of petroleum and natural gas.

Transportation

Railways and highways extend outward from Budapest and link most of the country's large cities. There are around 4,800 miles (7,800 kilometers) of railways, 115,000 miles (185,000 kilometers) of roads, and 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) of navigable waterways. Most of the river traffic is on the Danube. Ferihegy Airport, near Budapest, is the focus of international air service. Other than Budapest, there are international airports near Siofok on Lake Balaton. MALÉV is the national airline which is jointly owned by the government and private investors..

Nearly 30 newspapers are circulated in the country, Nepszabadsag (People's Freedom) being the most important.

The People

About 96 per cent of the people are Hungarians, or Magyars. Gypsies are the largest minority group. Other minorities include Slovaks, Germans, Serbs and Croats, and Romanians.

Population

In 2000 the population of Hungary was 10,043,224. The density was about 279 persons per square mile (108 per km2). About 60 per cent of the people live in cities; the rest reside mainly in farm villages and towns.

Language and Religion

Magyar, a Finno-Ugric tongue, is spoken by the vast majority of the people. It is related to Finnish, Estonian, and Lapp but not to any other European tongue. Magyar is written in Latin characters and contains numerous Turkish, Slavic, French, Latin, and German words.

Roman Catholics make up about two-thirds of the population. Most of the rest who profess a religion are Calvinists, Lutherans, Jews, or members of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Education

is free and compulsory for children 6 to 16 years of age. Most continue their education beyond 16. Nearly all the people are literate. Although some institutions of higher education provide a general liberal arts or technical program, most specialize. There are universities or colleges for medicine, horticulture, forestry, heavy industry, chemical engineering, finance, and foreign trade.

Culture

Hungary has produced a number of major figures in the arts. Hungarian musical tradition, one of the richest in the world, includes the work of composers Franz Liszt, Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály, Ernö Dohnányi, and Franz Lehár. Budapest is home to the Hungarian National Philharmonia, the Budapest Philharmonia, and the Budapest Academy of Music, the internationally acclaimed musical school founded by Liszt. Sir Georg Sold won fame as an orchestral conductor.

Notable Hungarian authors include Sándor Petöfi, József Katona, Ferenc Molnár, and Maurus Jókai. The Museum of Fine Arts and the Hungarian National Gallery, both in Budapest, house two of Europe's great art collections. Among the Hungarian painters exhibited at these museums are Mihály von Munkácsy and László Moholy-Nagy.

Government

Under the constitution of 1949, a Communist government was established in Hungary. In 1989 the constitution was revised and a democratic system of government was established. Amendments abolished the monopoly on political power that had been guaranteed to the Communist party in the constitution.

Hungary's government has three independent branches—executive, legislative, and judicial. Legislative power is held by the National Assembly, a unicameral body of 386 members, elected to four-year terms. The president, elected by the Assembly to a five-year term, is the head of state and the most powerful government official. His main duties are to authorize elections, serve as the parliament when the Assembly is not in session, and to act as the commander in chief of the armed forces. The prime minister, also elected by the Assembly, is the head of government and the head of the Council of Ministers.

There are 19 counties and 6 cities in Hungary, which also includes Budapest, each with an individual council with members elected popularly for four years.

The major political parties of Hungary include the Alliance of Free Democrats, the Federation of Young Democrats-Hungarian Civic Party, the Hungarian Socialist Party, and the Independent Smallholders' and Peasants' Party. Apart from these, there are the Christian Democratic People's Party, the Hungarian Democratic Forum, and the Hungarian Workers' Party.

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. It reviews, on appeal, the decisions of lower courts. There are two types of lower courts—district and county. In addition there are military courts as well.