Hungary
Geography - People - Economy - Government - Communications - Transportation - Military - Transnational IssuesCountry name - conventional long form : Republic of Hungary
Country name - conventional short form : Hungary
Country name - local long form : Magyar Koztarsasag
Country name - local short form : Magyarorszag
Government type : parliamentary democracy
Capital - name : Budapest
Capital - time difference : UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday : Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August
Population : 9,930,915 (July 2008 est.)
Nationality - noun : Hungarian(s)
Nationality - adjective : Hungarian
Languages : Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)
Currency (code) : forint (HUF)
Currency code : HUF
Major infectious diseases - degree of risk : intermediate
Hungary is located Central Europe, northwest of Romania. The climate is temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers. The terrain is mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border.
Background
This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.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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