About Hungary

The Republic of Hungary (Magyar Köztársaság) is a landlocked country in Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia.

  • Area: 93 036 square km
  • Population: 10,082,000 (Oct/2005); aprox. 109.2 people/square km
  • Official Language: Hungarian
  • Capital: Budapest (1.8 million people)
  • Currency: The Forint (HUF), 1 Forint is equal to 100 Hungarian Fillér. On January 11, 2006, the Forint was pegged to the Euro. The rate is  249.88 Forint per Euro
Hungary has a continental climate with cold, cloudy, humid winters and warm to hot summers. Average temperature in the summer is 27 to 32 °C (81 to 90 °F), and in the winter it is 0 to −15 °C (32 to 5 °F). The average yearly rainfall is approximately 600 millimetres (24 in). A small, southern region of the country near Pécs reputedly enjoys a Mediterranean climate however in reality it is just a bit warmer than the rest of the country and still has snow in the winters. temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers.

 


Hungary is a parliamentary democracy. The Parliament holds the legislative power and is elected every 4 years. It is a 386-member unicameral system which is the practice of having only one legislative or parliamentary chamber, not two houses like Canada.

The head of State is the President of the Republic who is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. The role of the president is largely ceremonial.

Executive power is held by the Government, headed by the Prime Minister, elected by the National Assembly on the basis of the principle of parliamentary majority, typically it is the head of the party with the most votes. The prime minister of Hungary is Gyucsány Ferenc. An 11-member Constitutional Court has power to challenge legislation on grounds of unconstitutionality.

The following is a breakdown of how the Country is broken up:
  • 3,131 municipalities (település)
  • 19 counties (megye) and Budapest
  • 7 regions (régió): West Hungary, Central Transdanubia, South Transdanubia, Central Hungary, North Hungary, North Great Plain and South Great Plain.