Hungary Population: 9,905,596
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| Background | |
| Hungary became a Christian kingdom in A.D. 1000 and for many centuries served as a bulwark against Ottoman Turkish expansion in Europe. The kingdom eventually became 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 an 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. |
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| Geography | |
| 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 | |
| Location: | Central Europe, northwest of Romania |
| Geographic coordinates: | 47 00 N, 20 00 E |
| Area: |
total: 93,028 sq km
land:
89,608 sq km
water:
3,420 sq km
Size comparison: slightly smaller than Indiana |
| Land Boundaries: | total: 2,185 km border countries: Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia 166 km, Slovakia 676 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km |
| Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims: | none (landlocked) |
| Climate: | temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers |
| Terrain: | mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Tisza River 78 m highest point: Kekes 1,014 m |
| Natural resources: | bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land |
| Land use: | arable land: 49.58% permanent crops: 2.06% other: 48.36% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 2,300 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | |
| Current Environment Issues: | 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 |
| International Environment Agreements: | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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| People | |
| Population: | 9,905,596 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 82 |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 15% (male 763,553/female 720,112) 15-64 years: 69.3% (male 3,384,961/female 3,475,135) 65 years and over: 15.8% (male 566,067/female 995,768) (2009 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 39.4 years male: 37.1 years female: 42 years (2009 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | -0.257% (2009 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 9.51 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) |
| Death rate: | 12.94 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | 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 (2009 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 7.86 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.57 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 73.44 years male: 69.27 years female: 77.87 years (2009 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.35 children born/woman (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.1% (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 3,300 (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | fewer than 100 (2001 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Hungarian(s) adjective: Hungarian |
| Ethnic groups: | Hungarian 92.3%, Roma 1.9%, other or unknown 5.8% (2001 census) |
| Religions: | 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) |
| Languages: | Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.4% male: 99.5% female: 99.3% (2003 est.) |
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| Government | |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Hungary conventional short form: Hungary local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag local short form: Magyarorszag |
| Government type: | parliamentary democracy |
| Capital: | name: Budapest geographic coordinates: 47 30 N, 19 05 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
| Administrative divisions: | 19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 23 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, Erd, Gyor, Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Salgotarjan, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szekszard, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg capital city: Budapest |
| Independence: | 25 December 1000 (crowning of King STEPHEN I, traditional founding date) |
| National holiday: | Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August |
| Constitution: | 18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949; revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989; and 1997 note: 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 |
| Legal system: | based on the German-Austrian legal system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Laszlo SOLYOM (since 5 August 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Gordon BAJNAI (since 20 April 2009) cabinet: Council of Ministers prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; other ministers proposed by the prime minister and appointed and relieved of their duties by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 6-7 June 2005 (next to be held by June 2010); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; election last held 14 April 2009 election results: Laszlo SOLYOM elected president by a simple majority in the third round of voting, 185 to 182; Gordon BAJNAI elected prime minister; result of legislative vote - 204 to 0 note: to be elected, the president must win two-thirds of legislative vote in the first two rounds or a simple majority in the third round |
| Legislative branch: | 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 in 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-KDNP 42%, SzDSz 6.5%, MDF 5%, other 3.3%; seats by party - MSzP 190, Fidesz-KDNP 164, SzDSz 20, MDF 11, independent 1; seats by party as of January 2009 - MSzP 190, Fidesz-KDNP 161, SzDSz 19, MDF 10, independent 5, vacant 1 |
| Judicial branch: | Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms) |
| Political parties and leaders: | Alliance of Free Democrats or SzDSz [Attila RETKES]; Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP [Semjen ZSOLT]; Hungarian Civic Union or Fidesz [Viktor ORBAN, chairman]; Hungarian Democratic Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSzP [Ildiko LENDVAI] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Air Work Group (works to reduce air pollution in towns and cities); Company For Freedom Rights (Tarsasag a Szabadsagjogokert) or TASZ (personal data protection); Danube Circle (protests the building of the Gabchikovo-Nagymaros dam); Green Future (protests the impact of lead contamination of local factory on health of the people); environmentalists: Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society (Magyar Madartani Egyesulet)or MME; Green Alternative (Zold Alternativa) |
| International organization participation: | Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Bela SZOMBATI chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 362-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 966-8135 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jeffrey D. LEVINE embassy: Szabadsag ter 12, H-1054 Budapest mailing address: pouch: American Embassy Budapest, 5270 Budapest Place, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5270 telephone: [36] (1) 475-4400 FAX: [36] (1) 475-4764 |
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| Economy | |
| Hungary has made the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy, with a per capita income nearly two-thirds that of the EU-25 average. The private sector accounts for more than 80% of GDP. Foreign ownership of and investment in Hungarian firms is widespread, with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling more than $200 billion since 1989. The government's austerity measures, imposed since late 2006, have reduced the budget deficit from over 9% of GDP in 2006 to 3.3% in 2008. Hungary's impending inability to service its short-term debt - brought on by the global financial crisis in late 2008 - led Budapest to seek and receive an IMF-arranged financial assistance package worth over $25 billion. The global economic downturn, declining exports, and low domestic consumption and fixed asset accumulation, dampened by government austerity measures, resulted in an economic contraction of almost 7% in 2009. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $186.3 billion (2009 est.) $199 billion (2008 est.) $197.8 billion (2007 est.) note: data are in 2009 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $124.2 billion (2009 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | -6.4% (2009 est.) 0.6% (2008 est.) 1.2% (2007 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $18,800 (2009 est.) $20,000 (2008 est.) $19,900 (2007 est.) note: data are in 2009 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 3.4% industry: 34.3% services: 62.4% (2009 est.) |
| Labor force: | 4.2 million (2009 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 5% industry: 32.4% services: 62.6% (2005) |
| Unemployment rate: | 11% (2009 est.) 7.8% (2008 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 8.6% (1993 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 3.5% highest 10%: 24.1% (2004) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 28 (2005) 24.4 (1998) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (2009 est.) 6.1% (2008 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 19% of GDP (2009 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $54.8 billion expenditures: $59.86 billion (2009 est.) |
| Public debt: | 72.4% of GDP (2009 est.) 67.7% of GDP (2008 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | wheat, corn, sunflower seed, potatoes, sugar beets; pigs, cattle, poultry, dairy products |
| Industries: | mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles |
| Industrial production growth rate: | -15% (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 37.74 billion kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 37.77 billion kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 8.871 billion kWh (2008 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 12.77 billion kWh (2008 est.) |
| Oil - production: | 37,830 bbl/day (2008 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 162,100 bbl/day (2008 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | 72,050 bbl/day (2008 est.) |
| Oil - imports: | 195,400 bbl/day (2008 est.) |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 20.18 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 2.643 billion cu m (2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 13.17 billion cu m (2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 21 million cu m (2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 11.47 billion cu m (2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 8.098 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) |
| Current account balance: | $-3.446 billion (2009 est.) $-12.98 billion (2008 est.) |
| Exports: | $78.61 billion (2009 est.) $106.6 billion (2008 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | machinery and equipment 61.1%, other manufactures 28.7%, food products 6.5%, raw materials 2%, fuels and electricity 1.6% |
| Exports - partners: | Germany 26.5%, Italy 5.4%, Romania 5.3%, Austria 4.9%, Slovakia 4.7%, France 4.7%, UK 4.5%, Czech Republic 4% (2008) |
| Imports: | $74.56 billion (2009 est.) $106.5 billion (2008 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | machinery and equipment 51.6%, other manufactures 35.7%, fuels and electricity 7.7%, food products 3.1%, raw materials 2.0% |
| Imports - partners: | Germany 25.4%, Russia 9%, China 7.6%, Austria 6.1%, Netherlands 4.4%, France 4.4%, Italy 4.3% (2008) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $41.77 billion (31 December 2009 est.) $33.87 billion (31 December 2008 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $150.3 billion (31 December 2009 est.) $212.1 billion (31 December 2008 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $238.5 billion (31 December 2009 est.) $237.1 billion (31 December 2008 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $160.2 billion (31 December 2009 est.) $159.7 billion (31 December 2008 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $21.9 billion (31 December 2008) $47.65 billion (31 December 2007) $41.93 billion (31 December 2006) |
| Exchange rates: | forints (HUF) per US dollar - 200.64 (2009), 171.8 (2008), 183.83 (2007), 210.39 (2006), 199.58 (2005) |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 3.094 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 48 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 12.224 million (2008) |
| Telephone system: | 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; competition among mobile-cellular service providers has led to a sharp increase in the use of mobile cellular phones since 2000 and a decrease in the number of fixed-line connections 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 |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 5, FM 90, shortwave 1 (2008) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 95 (2008) |
| Internet country code: | .hu |
| Internet hosts: | 2.261 million (2009) |
| Internet users: | 5.873 million (2008) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 46 (2009) country comparison to the world: 94 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 20 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: 2 (2009) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 26 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 11 (2009) |
| Heliports: | 5 (2009) |
| Pipelines: | gas 4,407 km; oil 987 km; refined products 335 km (2008) |
| Railways: | total: 8,057 km broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge standard gauge: 7,802 km 1.435-m gauge (2,628 km electrified) narrow gauge: 219 km 0.760-m gauge (2008) |
| Roadways: | total: 159,568 km paved: 70,050 km (30,874 km of interurban roads including 626 km of expressways) unpaved: 89,518 km (2005) |
| Waterways: | 1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2008) |
| Ports and terminals: | Budapest, Dunaujvaros, Gyor-Gonyu, Csepel, Baja, Mohacs |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | Ground Forces, Hungarian Air Force (Magyar Legiero, ML) (2009) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18-50 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; 6-month service obligation (2008) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 2,391,400 females age 16-49: 2,337,240 (2008 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,887,755 females age 16-49: 1,934,019 (2009 est.) |
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