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| Geography of Hungary | |
 | |
| Continent | Europe |
| Region | East-Central Europe |
| Coordinates | 47°00′N20°00′E / 47.000°N 20.000°E /47.000; 20.000 |
| Area | Ranked 108th 93,030 km2 (35,920 sq mi) |
| Coastline | 0 km (0 mi); landlocked |
| Borders | 2,009 km (1,248 mi) |
| Highest point | Kékes 1,014 m |
| Lowest point | Tisza River 78 m |
| Longest river | Tisza River 597 km (Hungarian portion) |
| Largest lake | Lake Balaton 592 km2 |
Hungary (Hungarian: Magyarország) is alandlocked country in southeasternCentral Europe,[1] on theEurasian Steppe. Situated in theCarpathian Basin, it has a land area of 93,030 square km, measuring about 250 km from north to south and 524 km from east to west. It has 2,106 km of boundaries, shared withSlovakia to the north,Ukraine to the northeast,Romania to the east and southeast,Serbia to the south,Croatia to the south and southwest,Slovenia to the west and southwest, andAustria to the west.
Hungary's modern borders were first established afterWorld War I when, by the terms of theTreaty of Trianon in 1920, it lost more than 71% of what had formerly been theKingdom of Hungary, 58.5% of its population, and 32% of the Hungarians. The country secured some boundary revisions from 1938 to 1941: In 1938 theFirst Vienna Award gave back territory fromCzechoslovakia, in 1939 Hungary occupiedCarpatho-Ukraine. In 1940 theSecond Vienna Award gave backNorthern Transylvania and finally Hungary occupied theBácska andMuraköz regions during theInvasion of Yugoslavia. However, Hungary lost these territories again with its defeat inWorld War II. After World War II, the Trianon boundaries were restored with a small revision that benefited Czechoslovakia.
Most of the country has an elevation of less than 200 m. Although Hungary has several moderately high ranges of mountains, those reaching heights of 300 m or more cover less than 2% of the country. The highest point in the country isKékes (1,014 m) in theMátra Mountains northeast ofBudapest. The lowest spot is 77.6 m above sea level, located in the south of Hungary, nearSzeged.
The major rivers in the country are theDanube andTisza. The Danube is navigable within Hungary for 418 kilometers. The Tisza River is navigable for 444 km in the country. Less important rivers include theDrava along the Croatian border, theRába, theSzamos, theSió, and theIpoly along the Slovakian border. Hungary has three major lakes.Lake Balaton, the largest, is 78 km long and from 3 to 14 km wide, with an area of 600 square km.[2] Hungarians often refer to it as theHungarian Sea. It is Central Europe's largestfreshwater lake and an important recreation area. Its shallow waters offer good summer swimming, and in winter its frozen surface provides excellent opportunities for winter sports. Smaller bodies of water areLake Velence (26 square km) in Fejér County and Lake Fertő (Neusiedler See—about 82 square km within Hungary), and the artificialLake Tisza.
Hungary has three major geographic regions (which are subdivided to seven smaller ones): theGreat Alföld, lying east of the Danube River; theTransdanubia, a hilly region lying west of the Danube and extending to the Austrian foothills of theAlps; and theNorth Hungarian Mountains, which is a mountainous and hilly country beyond the northern boundary of the Great Hungarian Plain.
The country's best natural resource is fertile land, althoughsoil quality varies greatly. About 70% of the country's total territory is suitable for agriculture; of this portion, 72% is arable land. Hungary lacks extensive domestic sources of energy and raw materials needed for industrial development.
The Little Alföld or Little Hungarian Plain is a plain (tectonic basin) of approximately 8,000 km2 in northwestern Hungary, southwestern Slovakia and eastern Austria, along the lower course of theRába River, with high quality fertile soils.
The Transdanubia region lies in the western part of the country, bounded by the Danube River, the Drava River, and the remainder of the country's border with Slovenia and Croatia. It lies south and west of the course of the Danube. It contains Lake Fertő and Lake Balaton. The region consists mostly of rolling hills. Transdanubia is primarily an agricultural area, with flourishing crops, livestock, and viticulture. Mineral deposits and oil are found inZala county close to the border of Croatia.
The Great Alföld contains the basin of the Tisza River and its branches. It encompasses more than half of the country's territory. Bordered by mountains on all sides, it has a variety of terrains, including regions of fertile soil, sandy areas, wastelands, and swampy areas. Hungarians have inhabited the Great Plain for at least a millennium. Here is found thepuszta, a long, and uncultivated expanse (the most famous such area still in existence is theHortobágy National Park), with which much Hungarian folklore is associated. In earlier centuries, the Great Plain was unsuitable for farming because of frequent flooding. Instead, it was the home of massive herds of cattle and horses. In the last half of the 19th century, the government sponsored programs to control the riverways and expedite inland drainage in the Great Plain. With the danger of recurrent flooding largely eliminated, much of the land was placed under cultivation, and herding ceased to be a major contributor to the area's economy.
Although the majority of the country has an elevation lesser than 300 m, Hungary has several moderately high ranges of mountains. They can be classified to four geographic regions, from west to east:Alpokalja,Transdanubian Mountains,Mecsek andNorth Hungarian Mountains. Alpokalja (literallythe foothills of theAlps) is located along theAustrian border; its highest point isÍrott-kő with an elevation of 882 metres. The Transdanubian Mountains stretch from the west part ofLake Balaton to theDanube Bend nearBudapest, where it meets the North Hungarian Mountains. Its tallest peak is the 757 m highPilis.Mecsek is the southernmost Hungarian mountain range, located north fromPécs - Its highest point is theZengő with 682 metres.
The North Hungarian Mountains lie north of Budapest and run in a northeasterly direction south of the border with Slovakia. The higher ridges, which are mostly forested, have rich coal and iron deposits. Minerals are a major resource of the area and have long been the basis of the industrial economies of cities in the region. Viticulture is also important, producing the famousTokaji wine. The highest peak of it is theKékes, located in theMátra mountain range.
| Name | Height | Range | Geographic region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kékestető | 1,014 m | Mátra | North Hungarian Mountains |
| 2 | Galya-tető | 964 m | Mátra | North Hungarian Mountains |
| 3 | Szilvási-kő | 961 m | Bükk | North Hungarian Mountains |
| 4 | Istállós-kő | 959 m | Bükk | North Hungarian Mountains |
| 5 | Bálvány | 956 m | Bükk | North Hungarian Mountains |
| 6 | Tar-kő | 950 m | Bükk | North Hungarian Mountains |
| 7 | Csóványos | 938 m | Börzsöny | North Hungarian Mountains |
| 8 | Magos-fa | 916 m | Börzsöny | North Hungarian Mountains |
| 9 | Nagy-Milic | 895 m | Zemplén Mountains | North Hungarian Mountains |
| 10 | Írott-kő | 882 m | Kőszeg Mountains | Alpokalja |
Hungary has a mainlycontinental climate with the rest of the Pannonian Plain, with cold winters and warm to hot summers. The average annual temperature is about 10 °C (50 °F), in summer 27 to 35 °C (81 to 95 °F), and in winter 0 to −15 °C (32 to 5 °F), with extremes ranging from about 42 °C (108 °F) in summer to −35 °C (−31 °F) in winter. Average yearly rainfall is about 600 mm (23.6 in). Distribution and frequency of rainfall are unpredictable. The western part of the country usually receives more rain than the eastern part, where severe droughts may occur in summertime. Weather conditions in the Great Plain can be especially harsh, with hot summers, cold winters, and scant rainfall.
By the 1980s, the countryside was beginning to show the effects of pollution, both from herbicides used in agriculture and from industrial pollutants. Most noticeable was the gradual contamination of the country's bodies of water, endangering fish and wildlife. Although concern was mounting over these disturbing threats to the environment, no major steps had yet been taken to arrest them.
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Hungary, with its plains and hilly regions, is highly suitable for agriculture.
Doubtless, one of Hungary's most important natural resources isarable land. It covers about 48.57% of the country, which is outstanding in the world (see the relatedmap). The mass majority of thefertile soil has a good quality.
The most important agricultural zones are theLittle Hungarian Plain (it has the highest quality fertile soil in average),Transdanubia, and theGreat Hungarian Plain. The last covers more than half of the country (52,000 km2 in number), whereas soil quality varies extremely; the territory even contains a small, grassysemi-desert, the so-calledpuszta (steppe in English). Puszta is exploited bysheep andcattle raising.
The most important Hungarian agricultural products includecorn,wheat,barley,oat,sunflower,poppy,potato,millet,sugar-beet,flax, and many other plants. There are also some newly naturalized plants too, for exampleamaranth.Poppy seed is part of the traditionalHungarian cuisine.
The country is well known for producing high qualitypeppers, which are often made intopaprika. There are numerous fruits reared, including many subspecies ofapple,pear,peach,grape,apricot,watermelon,cantaloupe, etc.
Hungary does not grow anyGMO products, thus these products are mainly imported from theUnited States. They cannot, however, be distributed without a mark on the wrapping.[3]
Wine production has a long history in Hungary. There are two languages inEurope in which the word for "wine" does not derive from theLatin, beingGreek – andHungarian. The Hungarian word isbor.
Viticulture has been recorded in the territory of today's Hungary since the Roman times, who were responsible for the introduction of the cultivation of wines. The arriving Hungarians took over the practice and have maintained it ever since.
Today, there are numerous wine regions in Hungary, producing quality and inexpensive wines as well, comparable to Western European ones. The majority of the country's wine regions are located in the mountains or in the hills, such asTransdanubian Mountains,North Hungarian Mountains,Villány Mountains, and so on. Important ones include the regions ofEger,Hajós,Somló,Sopron,Villány,Szekszárd, andTokaj-Hegyalja.
19% of the country is covered byforests. These are mainly mountainous areas, such as the North Hungarian and the Transdanubian Mountains, and theAlpokalja. The composition of forests is various, with trees likefir,beech,oak,willow,acacia,plane, etc.
Hungary's currentcounties are largely based on the country's historic regions. The counties are subdivided intodistricts (járás), and these are further divided intomunicipalities (település). Hungary has 19 counties, 174 districts + 23districts in Budapest and 2,722municipality.
| County | Seat | Area (km2) | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baranya | Pécs | 4,430 | 386,441 |
| Bács-Kiskun | Kecskemét | 8,445 | 520,331 |
| Békés | Békéscsaba | 5,630 | 359,948 |
| Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén | Miskolc | 7,250 | 686,266 |
| Csongrád-Csanád | Szeged | 4,263 | 417,456 |
| Fejér | Székesfehérvár | 4,358 | 425,847 |
| Győr-Moson-Sopron | Győr | 4,208 | 447,985 |
| Hajdú-Bihar | Debrecen | 6,211 | 546,721 |
| Heves | Eger | 3,637 | 308,882 |
| Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok | Szolnok | 5,582 | 386,594 |
| Komárom-Esztergom | Tatabánya | 2,265 | 304,568 |
| Nógrád | Salgótarján | 2,545 | 202,427 |
| Pest | Budapest | 6,393 | 1,217,476 |
| Somogy | Kaposvár | 6,065 | 317,307 |
| Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg | Nyíregyháza | 5,936 | 559,272 |
| Tolna | Szekszárd | 3,703 | 230,361 |
| Vas | Szombathely | 3,336 | 256,629 |
| Veszprém | Veszprém | 4,464 | 351,898 |
| Zala | Zalaegerszeg | 3,784 | 282,179 |
Austria: 366 km (227 mi),
Slovakia: 679 km (422 mi),
Ukraine: 103 km (64 mi),
Romania: 443 km (275 mi),
Serbia: 151 km (94 mi),
Croatia: 329 km (204 mi) and
Slovenia: 102 km (63 mi)
Natural hazards: occasional flooding
Environment - current issues:The approximation of Hungary's standards in waste management, energy efficiency, and air, soil, and water pollution with environmental requirements for EU accession will require large investments.
Environment - international agreements:
party to:Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol
Geography - note:landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes betweenWestern Europe andBalkan Peninsula as well as between Ukraine and Mediterranean basin
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. Hungary: A Country Study.Federal Research Division. This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe World Factbook.CIA.| Countries |  | |
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| Cities | ||
| Tributaries | ||
| Canals | ||
| See also | ||
| West-Hungarian Borderland | | |
|---|---|---|
| Little Hungarian Plain | ||
| Transdanubia | ||
| Transdanubian Mountains | ||
| Transdanubian Hills | ||
| North Hungarian Mountains | ||
| Great Hungarian Plain | ||
