STUDY IN Hungary - About Hungary

General Information | Geography | Government | Communication

General Information

Area: 93,030 sq km

Population: 10,006,835 (July 2005 est.)

Capital: Budapest

Ethnicity / Race: Hungarian 92.3%, Roma 1.9%, other or unknown 5.8% (2001 census)

Independence: 1001 (unification by King Stephen I)

Language: Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)

Currency: xxxxx

Religion: 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)

Time: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October)

Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. European-style two-pin plugs are used

Communications: Telephone system: IDD is available. Country code: 371. Outgoing international code: 00. Directory enquiries: 09. International calls can be made from telephone booths. Payphones are operated by phonecards which can be purchased at kiosks, post offices and in some shops.

International: country code - 36

Geography

Location: Central Europe, northwest of Romania

Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 20 00 E

Area:
total: 93,030 sq km
land: 92,340 sq km
water: 690 sq 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

Natural hazards: NA

Geography - note: 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

Government

Chief of State: President
Head of Government: Prime Minister
Cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president

Elections:

• President elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term
• Prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president

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

Communication

Telephone: 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; heavy use is made of mobile cellular telephones

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

Mobile telephone: GSM dual band 900/1800, coverage throughout the country. Network operators include Pannon GSM Telecoms (website: www.pannongsm.com), T-Mobile (website: www.t-mobile.hu) and Vodafone (website: www.vodafone.hu)

Fax: Services are available at main post offices all over the country and at the Telecommunications Information and Service Office, Petõfi Sándor u., Budapest

Internet: ISPs include Matáv (website: www.matav.hu). There are Internet cafes in larger towns

Telegram: Services are available from all post offices and the hotel service bureau. For services from public phones, dial 06

Post: Airmail takes three days to one week to reach other European destinations. In addition to the main post office, the offices at West and East railway stations in Budapest are open daily 0700-2100. Stamps are available from tobacconists as well as post offices. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1800, Sat 0700-1400

Press: National dailies include Magyar Hírlap, Népszabadság and Népszava. English-language newspapers include the Budapest Business Journal, Budapest Week, Courier Diplomatique, The Budapest Sun, The Hungarian Economy, The Hungarian Observer and The Hungarian Quarterly

Radio: BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online