Basic Facts
Geography
Located at around 200 m above sea level, Hungary land span is 93 thousand Km², comparable in size to Indiana and Rhode Island in the U.S. The region is referred to as the Carpathian Basin. North to South it is 268km and east to west, it is 528km. The terrain consists flat land plains to the East and smaller mountains to the West. Larger mountains are found to the North, part of the Carpathian mountain rage (with smaller ski slopes). Kékes Tetô being the highest point with 1014m in height.
The main rivers are the Danube and the Tisza, both are considered large and are conducive to ship and boat travel. The largest lake of Europe is also found here called Balaton, is 78 Km long and 14 km at it's widest point, covering an area of 592 Km² and is referred to by Hungarians as the "sea of Hungary". It is a summer paradise for sailing, fishing and swimming with it's silky sky blue waters.
GPS coordinates are 47°00' N 20°00' E. Bordering countries are Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia and Montenegro 151 km, Slovakia 515 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km.
Climate
A moderate "continental climate" of not too cold or hot. Average temperatures in Hungary range from -10°C to 32°C with an average rainfall of 64cm.
Population
Approximately 10 million people. With an approximate breakdown of; 97.7% Hungarian, 1.4% Roma (Gypsy), 0.3% German, 0.1% Slovak, 0.1% Croat, 0.1% Romanian, others 0.3%.
The capital city, Budapest is populated with approximately 1.9 million people.
Local Time
Hungary is in the Central European Time Zone (GMT+1). During daylight savings time (the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October) the time is GMT+2. When it is noon in Hungary, it is 03:00 in San Francisco, 06:00 in New York, 11:00 in London, 12:00 in Paris, 13:00 in Bucharest, and 14:00 in Moscow.
Economy
Hungary continues to show a healthy economic growth through this post EU accession period. Looking forward to having the Euro as the monetary currency at or around 2010. Is a free-market economy with strong foreign investments arriving yearly.
Car manufacturers and technology manufacturers establish large scale manufacturing facilities throughout the country. Taking advantage of the lower wages as compared to the West. The average income is approximately 600 USD/mo.. The main supporting sector is agriculture, but with a decline as EU regulations strangle the industry which was not geared up for the sudden change. Leading to international conglomerates taking over slowly. The middle class which usually supports the western economies is choked with high taxation and forced into tax evasion schemes just to survive. The upper class is mainly comprised of crafty "business men" who acquired wealth in the post communist times, with to-date fears as the country is selling off it's airline Malev.
Corruption leading all the way up to the highest places in the ministries as the K&H Bank scandal unfolds. With that said, there are numerous entrepreneurs who have seen and recognized opportunities and excelled on their own. The lower class consists of approximately 70% of the population tries to survive on government assistance and/or a rough income average of 300USD/mo. This includes the rapidly growing elderly population and the majority of people living in the rural areas. Most polls show that the living standards are on a decline and crime has grown almost five fold to over 500,000 occurrences/yr since 1990.
Currency
Is called "FORINT" and is the only currency accepted for purchases in shops. Tourist areas accept Euro or USD. Most places accept major credit cards. Exchange rates vary, see where it stands right now.
Language
Hungarian (Magyar) is a unique language of it's own with only the Finnish as a similarity. However the good news is that the majority of 20-30 year olds speak enough to help a tourist in need. Naturally hotel and restaurant staff usually is fluent in the downtown are. Outside of Budapest, it is extremely difficult to find English assistance unless in another smaller city. (Forget the villages and towns.)
