Hungary was part of the polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under Communist rule following World War II. In 1956, a revolt and announced withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact were met with a massive military intervention by Moscow. Under the leadership of Janos KADAR in 1968, Hungary began liberalizing its economy, introducing so-called "Goulash Communism." Hungary held its first multiparty elections in 1990 and initiated a free market economy. It joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004.

Central Europe, northwest of Romania

47 00 N, 20 00 E

total: 93,030 sq km
land: 92,340 sq km
water: 690 sq km

total: 2,171 km
border countries: Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia and Montenegro 151 km, Slovakia 677 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border

lowest point: Tisza River 78 m
highest point: Kekes 1,014 m

bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land

arable land: 49.58%
permanent crops: 2.06%
other: 48.36% (2005)

2,300 sq km (2003)

the upgrading of Hungary's standards in waste management, energy efficiency, and air, soil, and water pollution to meet EU requirements will require large investments

landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between Ukraine and Mediterranean basin; the north-south flowing Duna (Danube) and Tisza Rivers divide the country into three large regions

9,981,334 (July 2006 est.)

0-14 years: 15.6% (male 799,163/female 755,389)
15-64 years: 69.2% (male 3,403,375/female 3,505,640)
65 years and over: 15.2% (male 550,297/female 967,470) (2006 est.)

total: 38.7 years
male: 36.3 years
female: 41.4 years (2006 est.)

-0.25% (2006 est.)

9.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

13.11 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female
total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

total: 8.39 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.09 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

total population: 72.66 years
male: 68.45 years
female: 77.14 years (2006 est.)

1.32 children born/woman (2006 est.)

0.1% (2001 est.)

2,800 (2001 est.)

less than 100 (2001 est.)

noun: Hungarian(s)
adjective: Hungarian

Hungarian 92.3%, Roma 1.9%, other or unknown 5.8% (2001 census)

Roman Catholic 51.9%, Calvinist 15.9%, Lutheran 3%, Greek Catholic 2.6%, other Christian 1%, other or unspecified 11.1%, unaffiliated 14.5% (2001 census)

Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4%
male: 99.5%
female: 99.3% (2003 est.)

conventional long form: Republic of Hungary
conventional short form: Hungary
local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag
local short form: Magyarorszag

parliamentary democracy

Budapest

19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 20 urban counties (singular - megyei varos), and 1 capital city (fovaros)
counties: Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Csongrad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala
urban counties: Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Gyor, Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg
capital city: Budapest

1001 (unification by King Stephen I)

Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August

18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949; revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997 amendment streamlined the judicial system

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

18 years of age; universal

unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (386 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional and direct representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 9 and 23 April 2006 (next to be held April 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote required for parliamentary representation in the first round) - MSzP 43.2%, Fidesz 42%, SzDSz 6.5%, MDF 5%, other 3.3%; seats by party - MSzP 190, Fidesz 164, SzDSz 20, MDF 11, independent 1

Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms)

Hungary has made the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy, with a per capita income one-half that of the Big Four European nations. Hungary continues to demonstrate strong economic growth and acceded to the EU in May 2004. The private sector accounts for over 80% of GDP. Foreign ownership of and investment in Hungarian firms are widespread, with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling more than $60 billion since 1989. Hungarian sovereign debt was upgraded in 2000 and together with the Czech Republic holds the highest rating among the Central European transition economies; however, ratings agencies have expressed concerns over Hungary's unsustainable budget and current account deficits. Inflation has declined from 14% in 1998 to 3.7% in 2005. Unemployment has persisted around the 6% level, but Hungary's labor force participation rate of 57% is one of the lowest in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Germany is by far Hungary's largest economic partner. Policy challenges include cutting the public sector deficit to 3% of GDP by 2008, from about 6.5% in 2005, and orchestrating an orderly interest rate reduction without sparking capital outflows.

$161 billion (2005 est.)

$104.5 billion (2005 est.)

3.9% (2005 est.)

$16,100 (2005 est.)

agriculture: 3.9%
industry: 30.9%
services: 65.3% (2005 est.)

4.18 million (2005 est.)

agriculture: 6.2%
industry: 27.1%
services: 66.7% (2002)

7.1% (2005 est.)

8.6% (1993 est.)

lowest 10%: 4.1%
highest 10%: 20.5% (1998)

24.4 (1999)

3.7% (2005 est.)

23.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

revenues: $51.4 billion
expenditures: $58.34 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)

60.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

wheat, corn, sunflower seed, potatoes, sugar beets; pigs, cattle, poultry, dairy products

mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles

7.5% (2005 est.)

32.21 billion kWh (2003)

36.96 billion kWh (2003)

7.1 billion kWh (2003)

14.1 billion kWh (2003)

43,920 bbl/day (2003 est.)

134,100 bbl/day (2003 est.)

47,180 bbl/day (2001)

136,600 bbl/day (2001)

110.7 million bbl (1 January 2002)

2.94 billion cu m (2003 est.)

14.58 billion cu m (2003 est.)

4 million cu m (2001 est.)

9.587 billion cu m (2001 est.)

34.26 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

-$8.667 billion (2005 est.)

$61.75 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

machinery and equipment 61.1%, other manufactures 28.7%, food products 6.5%, raw materials 2%, fuels and electricity 1.6% (2003)

Germany 31.4%, Austria 6.8%, France 5.7%, Italy 5.6%, UK 5.1% (2004)

$64.83 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

machinery and equipment 51.6%, other manufactures 35.7%, fuels and electricity 7.7%, food products 3.1%, raw materials 2.0% (2003)

Germany 29.2%, Austria 8.3%, Russia 5.7%, Italy 5.5%, Netherlands 4.9%, China 4.8%, France 4.7% (2004)

$18.49 billion (2005 est.)

$76.23 billion (30 June 2005 est.)

$4.2 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06)

forint (HUF)

calendar year

3,577,300 (2004)

8,727,200 (2004)

general assessment: the telephone system has been modernized and is capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunication service
domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was initiated in 1996; heavy use is made of mobile cellular telephones
international: country code - 36; Hungary has fiber-optic cable connections with all neighboring countries; the international switch is in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals

AM 17, FM 57, shortwave 3 (1998)

35 (plus 161 low-power repeaters) (1995)

.hu

261,294 (2005)

3.05 million (2005)

44 (2005)

total: 19
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2005)

total: 25
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 9 (2005)

5 (2005)

gas 4,397 km; oil 990 km; refined products 335 km (2004)

total: 7,937 km
broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge: 7,682 km 1.435-m gauge (2,628 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 219 km 0.760-m gauge (2004)

total: 159,568 km
paved: 70,050 km (including 527 km of expressways)
unpaved: 89,518 km (2002)

1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2006)

Budapest, Dunaujvaros, Gyor-Gonyu, Csepel, Baja, Mohacs (2003)

Ground Forces, Air Forces

in 2004, Hungary amended the status law extending special social and cultural benefits - and voted down a referendum to extend dual citizenship - to ethnic Hungarians living in neighboring states, which have objected to such measures; consultations continue between Slovakia and Hungary over Hungary's completion of its portion the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Hungary must implement the strict Schengen border rules

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and cannabis and for South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; limited producer of precursor chemicals, particularly for amphetamine and methamphetamine; improving, but remains vulnerable to money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking