About Hungary
| Official name: | Republic of Hungary |
|---|---|
| Area: | 93 030 km2 |
| Population: | 10 031 000 persons |
| Capital city: | Budapest (population: 1 702 000) |
| Official language: | Hungarian |
| Time zone: | GMT + 1 hour Central European time |
| Dialing code for Hungary: | + 36 |
| Currency: | forint |
| Electricity: | 220 volts/European plugs |
Presentation of Hungary
Diverse countyside - in the heart of Europe
Hungary is located in central Europe, in the Carpathian Basin. Half of the country's territory is flat. The Great Hungarian Plain occupies the entire eastern part of the country. The Hungarian "puszta" is a favourite tourist destination where the characteristic animals and ethnographic traditions can be seen, like in the Hortobágy National Park (Hortobágy) and in the Kiskunság National Park (Bugac, Apajpuszta, Lajosmizse) where the horse shows are held.
The other, western side of the Danube called Transdanubia is undulating terrain featuring central Europe's warmest and largest lake, the Balaton and mountains of medium height stretches across the country. Lake Balaton is ideal for sailing or sunbathing. Near by is the famous spa town of Hévíz, where you can wallow in a natural thermal lake even in the depths of winter. West of the Danube, the Transdanubian Range is 400-700 metres high, divided into the Keszthely Hills, the Bakony, Mecsek, Kőszeg-Sopron, Vértes, Gerecse, Pilis and Visegrád Mountains.
To the east of the Danube, the Northern Range rises to heights of 500-1000 metres, divided into the Börzsöny, Cserhát, Mátra, Bükk, Cserehát and Zemplén mountains. The highest point is the Kékes (1,014 m) in the Mátra.
The two most important rivers, the Danube (Hungarian stretch: 417 km) and the Tisza (598 km) cut across the country from north to south.
Speciality
After Iceland, Hungary has the world's largest reserve of surface thermal water: hundreds of springs help thousands in recovering. Hungary's springs have supported a bathing culture dating back to Roman times; whether you're after relaxation, refreshment, rejuvenation or recovery, Hungary can't fail to meet your needs. Its thermal water stock is significant even on the global level, and it is unique in Europe. At the moment, Hungary has more than 1 000 wells producing thermal water over 30 °C.
Lake Balaton is Central Europe's warmest and largest lake. Its marvellous peninsula, devides the lake into two. It is a pearl of not only the region or the country but also of Europe. It is a jewel in the middle of the Hungarian sea. The surface of the vulcanic peninsula is covered by limestone geysers. A number of rare animals and plants can be found here, thanks to the unique climate. This resulted in the declaration of National park in 1952 - the first of its kind in Hungary. Tihany has a great number of attractions not only in nature but also in history and atmosphere. One of Tihany's most famous phenomena was the Echo. It existed since the 18th century, when the Tihany Abbey was built. Standing on the Echo hill, the shouted words were reverberated from the Abbey's wall which is to be found 300 meters far. The voice covered the almost 700 meters distance there and back in 2 seconds. In optimal case 7 echos could be heard. Unfortunately we can not enjoy this special phenomena anymore, because of the changed environment.
Pleasant climate
Hungary has a temperate climate with three climatic zones so there is a certain amount of variation across the country: Mediterranean in the south, Continental in the east and Atlantic in the west. July and August are the hottest months (average temperature 26°C) and January the coldest (-4°C). The number of hours of sunshine averages between 1900 and 2500 a year - among the highest in Europe. The average annual precipitation is about 650 mm.
Speciality
Hungary is located at almost equal distance of the Equator and the North pole, in the middle of temperate zone.
Unique language
Hungarians, who call themselves Magyars, speak a language and form a culture unlike any other in the region. The Hungarian language is spoken only by Hungarians, and the Hungarian folk songs are special. Magyar is a Uralic language and ranked 62 according to number of native speakers (14 million). The most popular foreign language is English among young people. Elder people speak German that reflects the Austro-Hungarian connections back to centuries.
Speciality
The Hungarians have been living in the middle of Europe for over 1100 years.
Hungarians give their family name first, thus Kovács Ádam is Ádam Kovács. The letters "né" at the end of a name indicate a married woman; thus Kovácsné is Mrs. Kovács.
Parts of the World Heritage
The natural, cultural and historical riches to be experienced in Hungary are reflected in its high concentration of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Hungary's United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage sites:
- Budapest - Castle Hill in Buda and the bank of the Danube on the Pest side of the river - 1987
- Hollókő - the old part of the village (N Hungary) - 1987
- Aggtelek Stalactite Caves - together with Slovakia - 1995
- Benedictine Abbey at Pannonhalma (W Hungary) - 1996
- Hortobágy National Park (E Hungary) - 1999
- 4th century early Christian vaults in Pécs (S Hungary) - 2000
- Lake Fertő (shared with Austria) - 2001
- Tokaj wine-growing region (NE Hungary) - 2002
- Budapest - Andrássy Boulevard and the historical neighbourhood around it - 2002
Famous Hungarian Specialities
- Béres Drops
- Gyulai sausage
- Egri Bikavér red wine (Bull's Blood)
- Herend porcelain
- Herz salami
- Kadarka wine
- Kalocsa red pepper
- Kalocsa embroidery
- Pick salami
- Tokaji wine
- Zwack Unicum
Public holidays
- 1 January (New Year's Day),
- 15 March (start of the 1848/49 revolution and war of independence, national holiday)
- 1 May (Labour Day),
- 20 August (foundation of state, celebration of King Saint Stephen, national and state holiday),
- 23 October (start of the 1956 revolution and war of independence, date of the declaration of the Republic of Hungary in 1989, national holiday),
- 1 November (All Saints' Day).
- 25-26 December (Christmas),
- Easter
Famous Hungarians
This country is the birthplace of world-famous inventors, scientists, explorers, composers and sports stars. Well-known 20th and 21st century Hungarians:
Oszkár Asbóth
March 31, 1891, Pankota - February 27, 1960, Budapest
Engineer, designer of the helicopter
András Balczó
August 16, 1938, Kondoros
Olympic and World Champion Pentathlete
Béla Bartók
March 25, 1881, Nagyszentmiklós - September 26, 1945, New York
Composer and pianist
László József Bíró
September 29, 1899, Budapest - October 25, 1985, Buenos Aires
Journalist, inventor of the ballpoint pen
János Csonka
January 22, 1852, Szeged - October 27, 1939, Budapest
Engineer, inventor. Initiator of Hungarian engine and vehicle production
Georges Cziffra
November 11, 1921, Budapest - January 15, 1994, Senlis, France
Pianist
Tamás Darnyi
June 3, 1967, Budapest -
Four-time Olympic champion swimmer
Krisztina Egerszegi
August 16, 1974, Budapest -
Five-time Olympic champion swimmer
Paul Erdős
March 26, 1913, Budapest - September 20, 1996, Warsaw
Mathematician
Bertalan Farkas
August 2, 1949, Gyulaháza -
First Hungarian to travel in space
József Galamb
February 3, 1881, Makó - December 4, 1955, Detroit
Engineer, Designer of the Ford Model-T
Alfréd Hajós
February 1, 1878, Budapest - November 12, 1955, Budapest
Swimmer and architect, Hungary's first Olympic champion
Miklós Jancsó
September 27, 1921, Vác -
Film director
Tódor Kármán
May 11, 1881, Budapest - May 7, 1963, Aachen
Physicist
Zoltán Kodály
December 16, 1882, Kecskemét - March 6, 1967, Budapest
Composer
John von Neumann
December 28, 1903, Budapest - February 8, 1957, Washington
Mathematician, "Father" of the computer
László Papp
March 25, 1926, Budapest - October 16, 2003, Budapest
Three-time Olympic champion boxer
Ferenc Puskás
April 2, 1927, Budapest - November 16, 2006, Budapest
Soccer player, captain of the "Golden Team"
Ernő Rubik
July 13, 1944, Budapest -
Engineer, inventor, creator of the "Rubik Cube"
Hans Selye
January 26, 1907, Vienna - October 16, 1982, Montreal
Physician, designer of stress theory
Sir Georg Solti
October 21, 1912, Budapest - September 5, 1997, Antibes
Conductor
Albert Szent-Györgyi
September 16, 1893, Budapest - October 22, 1986, Woods Hole, MA
Nobel Prize Winning biochemist
Leo Szilard
February 11, 1898, Budapest - May 30, 1964, La Jolla, CA
Physicist, biophysicist, nuclear scientist
Edward Teller
January 15, 1908, Budapest - September 9, 2003, Stanford, CA
Physicist
Tamás Vásáry
August 11, 1938, Debrecen -
Pianist, conductor
Hungary's Nobel Prize Winners
| Philipp E. A. von Lenard (1862-1947) | 1905 | Physics |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Bárány (1876-1936) | 1914 | Medicine |
| Richard A. Zsigmondy (1865-1929) | 1925 | Chemistry |
| Albert von Szent-Györgyi (1893-1986) | 1937 | Medicine |
| George de Hevesy (1885-1966) | 1943 | Chemistry |
| Georg von Békésy (1899-1972) | 1961 | Medicine |
| Eugene P. Wigner (1902-1995) | 1963 | Physics |
| Dennis Gabor (1900-1979) | 1971 | Physics |
| John C. Polanyi (1930-) | 1986 | Chemistry |
| George A. Olah (1927-) | 1994 | Chemistry |
| John C. Harsanyi (1920-2000) | 1994 | Economics |
| Imre Kertész (1929-) | 2002 | Literature |
| Avram Hershko (1937-) | 2004 | Chemistry |