HUNGARY USEFUL INFORMATION

Location: is a landlocked country in Central Europe, situated in the Carpathian Basin. It is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. Hungary is a medium-sized, structurally, politically, and institutionally open economy and since 2004 part of the European Union (EU) market. Hungary is a rapidly developing country with business friendly environment and EU conform investment incentives. The country has 7 regions, and 19 counties. (19 counties + Budapest as an individual administrative body)

Budapest is the capital of Hungary with almost 2 million inhabitants, which makes it the largest city in East-Central Europe. The capital extends 25 and 29 kilometres in the north-south, east-west direction respectively. The river Danube enters the city from the north; later it encircles three islands. The river separates the two parts of the city: Pest lies on the flat terrain of the Great Plain while Buda is rather hilly. Budapest is rich of historical landmarks.

Budapest is the one of the most beautiful city in Europe; its extensive World Heritage Site includes the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, Andrássy Avenue, Heroes’ Square and the Millennium Underground Railway, the second oldest subway in the world. Other highlights include a total of 80 geothermal springs the world’s largest thermal water cave system, second largest Synagogue, and third largest Parliament building. The city attracts about 2.7 million tourists a year.

Budapest is considered to be a financial hub in Central Europe. It also playes and important role in the science and technology sector: Budapest is home to the headquarters of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and the first foreign office of the China Investment Promotion Agency (CIPA).

Year of EU entry: 2004
Capital city: Budapest
Total area: Hungary has an area of 93 030 km2, 0,74% of it is water.
Population: 10 million
Form of State: Parliamentary Republic
Language: Hungarian
Currency: Hungarian Forint (HUF; in Hungarian: Ft) 1 EUR ~ 380-400 HUF
Schengen area: Member of the Schengen area since 2007
Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. European-style two-pin plugs are used.
Bank, credit card: Major credit cards are usually accepted in most hotels, restaurants and certain shops in the city. Obtaining cash against ATM or credit cards is very easy from the ATM cash machines that can be found at almost each bank office, hotel or on the street.
Local time: in the winter GMT+1 hour, in the summer
GMT+2 hours (same as in West Europe)
Public holidays: January 1, March 15, May 1, August 20, October 23,November 1, December 25, 26
International country phone code: +36
The largest lake Lake Balaton.
The largest rivers Danube (Duna in Hungarian), Tisza and Dráva.
The largest plain of Hungary the Great Hungarian Plain (Alföld) which covers 56% of the country. It’s located in the southern and eastern part of Hungary.
The highest point of Hungary is Mt. Kékes (1014 meters), located in the Mátra, part of the North Hungarian Mountains.
The largest cities are : Budapest, Debrecen, Miskolc, Szeged, Pécs, and Győr
Hungary is member of the European Union, the NATO, the OECD, the Visegrád Group, the WTO and the Schengen state.