GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Hungary lies in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe. The greatest distance from north to south is 268 km, and from east to west, 528 km.
| Area: | 93,030 km2 |
| Population: | 10,197,119 persons |
| Population density: | 108 persons/km2. Sixty-three percent of the population lives in towns. |
| Capital: | Budapest (territory: 525 km2; population: 1,775,203 persons) |
| Time zone: | Central European (GMT+1) |
| Summer season: | From the last weekend in March to the last weekend in October + 1 hour |
| Official language: | Hungarian |
| Type of Government: | republic |
| Public administration: | 19 Counties and Budapest
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GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS
Fifty percent of Hungary's territory consists of flatlands: the ALFÖLD (The Great Plain) comprises the entire eastern half of Hungary, while the KISALFÖLD (The Little Plain), extends along the northwestern border. The country's two most prominent rivers - the Danube, of which the Hungarian section is 417 km long, and the Tisza at 598 km - traverse Hungary from north to south. The Central Danube-Tisza region is also flatland, while the Transdanubian countryside lying west of the Danube has hilly terrain. Lake Balaton, Central Europe's warmest lake, is situated in the centre of this region. The highlands stretch diagonally across Hungary: west of the Danube lies the Central Transdanubian mountain range with its hills reaching 400-700 metres (e.g. The Keszthely, Bakony, Vértes, Gerecse, Pilis, and Visegrád mountain ranges). East of the Danube lies the Central Northern mountain range with hills of 500-1000 metres (e.g. the Börzsöny, Cserhát, Mátra, Bükk, Cserehát, Zemplén mountain ranges). The highest point in Hungary is 1014 metres, which can be found at Kékes in the Mátra mountain range. The Hungarian "puszta" (meaning "wasteland" or "barren land") is a popular tourist destination. Its one-time characteristic animals and ethnographic traditions can be seen at the horse-riding shows in the Hortobágy National Park (e.g. Bugac, Apajpuszta, Lajosmizse).
TOURIST REGIONS
Hungary can be divided into 5 tourist regions:
1. Budapest and Budapest & Surroundings
2. Balaton
3. Puszta and Lake Tiszta
4. Pannonia (Transdanubia)
5. Eger-Tokaj Hilly Wine Region
CLIMATE
Hungary has a temperate climate, similar to the rest of the continental zone. January is the coldest month (-1 C average), July and August are the warmest (21,3 C average).
The number of sunny hours a year: 2038
Source: www.hungary.com
