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Hungary
Physical. Hungary is located in Central Europe, northwest of Russia. It
covers an area slightly smaller than Indiana. The climate is temperate with
cold, cloudy, humid winters and warm summers. The terrain is mostly flat to
rolling plains with hills and low mountains on the northern border. Natural
resources include bauxite, coal, natural gas and fertile soils.
People. Almost 10 million people live in Hungary. Hungarian is the
official language. Ethnically, the population is made up of Hungarians (92%),
Roma (2%) and others. The country's main religions are: Catholic (52%),
Calvinist (16%), Lutheran (3%) and Greek Catholic (3%).
Government. The country is officially known as the Republic of Hungary
and has 19 counties, 20 urban counties, and one capital city (40 total
administrative regions). Its capital, Budapest, is located in the north-central
region of the country along the Danube River. Hungary, first unified in 1001,
was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until World War I. Its constitution was
put into effect on August 20, 1949, and has been revised three times since then.
It fell under communist rule in 1956 and regained independence with the fall of
the USSR in 1991. Hungary's president and prime minister are elected by the
National Assembly, while popular elections are held for the National Assembly
every four years.
Economy. Hungary continues to demonstrate strong economic growth and
is a member of the European Union (EU). The private sector accounts for over 80%
of GDP. Foreign ownership of and investment in Hungarian firms is widespread,
with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling more than $60 billion since
1989. Hungarian sovereign debt was upgraded in 2000 to the second-highest rating
among all the Central European transition economies. However, ratings agencies
are concerned over Hungary's unsustainable budget and current account deficits.
Current challenges include cutting the public sector deficit to 3% of GDP by
2008 and reducing interest rate reductions without causing capital outflows.
Inflation and unemployment have declined substantially.
Areas of Concern. Complying with European Union (EU) environmental
requirements is the nation's primary environmental concern. Upgrading Hungary's
standards in waste management, energy efficiency, and air, soil, and water
pollution to those requirements will require large investments.
For more information on Hungary, you may write to the chancery at 3910
Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008; check the U.S. State Department or
World Factbook country sites; or type in the country's name on the Internet
using a broad-based World Wide Web search engine.
Hungary statistics
Geography
Area: 93,030 sq km
Capital: Budapest (population 1.7 million)
Environmental concerns: upgrading Hungary's standards in waste management,
energy efficiency, and air, soil, and water pollution to meet EU requirements
Geographical features: mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on
the Slovakian border
Climate: temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers
People
9,981,000 (July 2006 est.) Hungarian (92%), Roma (2%), other or unknown (6%)
(2001 census)
Annual growth rate: -0.25% (2006 est.)
Major languages are Hungarian (94%), other or unspecified (6%) (2001 census)
Religions: Roman Catholic (52%), Calvinist (16%), Lutheran (3%), Greek Catholic
(3%), other other or unspecified (12%), unaffiliated (14%) (2001 census)
Health and social issues
Life expectancy: Men, 68 years; women, 77 years
Infant mortality: 8.39 deaths per 1000 live births
8.6% (1993 est.) of the population lives below the poverty line
1 physician per 280 people (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS Rate in Adults: 0.1% (2001 est.)
99.4% of adults are literate
Compulsory education (Ages): 6-16 years (2004 est.)
Communication and transportation
3.577 million (2004 est.) main telephone lines
3.05 million Internet users (2005)
159,568 km of roadways
7,937 km railroads
44 airfields
2,510,000 motor vehicles (2004)
Government
Hungary is a parliamentary democracy.
Laszlo Soloym, since 5 August 2005, has served as the chief of state while the
head of government since 29 September 2004 has been Prime Minister Ferenc
Gyurrcsany
Universal suffrage at 18
Military
Military expenditures are 1.75% (2002 est.) of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Current disputes: in 2004, Hungary extended special social and cultural
benefits—but not dual citizenship—to ethnic Hungarians living in neighboring
states, over those states’ objections; Slovakia is concerned over Hungary's
completion of its portion the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project
along the Danube; as a member of the EU, Hungary must implement the strict
Schengen border rules
Economy
Currency: forint
Per capita GDP: $16,300 (2005 est.)
GDP: $162.6 billion (2005 est.)
GDP growth rate: 4.1% (2005 est.)
Inflation rate: 3.7% (2005 est.)
Labor force: agriculture (6%), industry (27%). services (67%) (2002)
Resources and industry
Natural resources: bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land
Agriculture: wheat, corn, sunflower seed, potatoes, sugar beets; pigs, cattle,
poultry, dairy products
Industry: mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods, textiles,
chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles
Exports: $61.75 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports: $64.83 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Suggested web sites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungary
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/hutoc.html
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