Hungary, is an independent, democratic state located in Central-Europe. The capital of the Hungarian Republic is Budapest. The country lies roughly in the centre of Europe in the Carpathian Basin. It is nearly equidistant from the Atlantic Ocean, the Ural Mountains, the Mediterranean Sea and the North Sea. Hungary does not have a coast, but does contain the biggest lake in Central-Europe, Lake Balaton, which represents a dominant tourism attraction in the region.


The territory of Hungary is 93 036 square kilometres, making it a middle-sized country in world terms. The border of the country is 2217 km long.

Hungary is mostly a flat country, with no great differences in altitude; the lowest spot is south of Szeged, on Gyálarét, just 78 metres above sea level; and the highest point is on the top of Mátra hill, Kékes-tető, 1015 metres.


Almost the whole area of the Carpathian Basin belongs to the watershed of the Danube. Hungary is rich in natural springs, both freshwater and thermal, and is actually the richest area in thermal springs in Europe. The thermal waters that contain numerous minerals often exceed 70 °C.

The country lies on the border of three climate zones, and so the weather is affected by the Eastern wet continental, the Western oceanic and the South-South-Western Mediterranean climate zones. The average yearly middle temperature is +8-12°C. The lowest temperature is -2-4°C in January and the highest is in July, 23-25°C. Half of the yearly moisture falls during the winter as snow.


Location:
Central Europe, northwest of Romania

Climate:
temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Legal system:
rule of law based on Western model; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Facts, details

Area: 93 030 km2
Population: 10 067 000 inhabitant (2006. november forehand, source: HCSO)
Popularity: 108 inhabitant/km2
Time-zone: central-european time: GMT + 1 hour
Summer-time: march-september + 1 hour
Formal language: hungarian
State: republic
Currency: forint (HUF or Ft)
Coins: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 Ft
Bank notes: 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10 000, 20 000 Ft
Household power: 220/230 V
Geographical location: Hungary is located in central-europe, lies in the Carpathian Basin bordering 7 countries: (Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria)
Frontiers length: 2246 km
Main rivers: Duna (Danube) 417 km, Tisza 597 km
Climate: continental
International dial number of Hungary: 36, Budapest: 1
International call: 00 + dial number of country + telephone number
Home call: 06 + regional dial number + local telephone number
Patrol services:
Public emergency: 112
Ambulance: 104
Police: 107
Fire department: 105
Information bureau: 198
International information bureau: 199
Special information bureau:: 197

Telephone numbers of Budapest are seven-digit, countryside numbers are six-digit. Public telephones work with 10, 20, 50, 100 Ft coins or phonecard.