1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers
Coastline
none - landlocked
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Indiana
Disputes
Gabcikovo Dam dispute with Czechoslovakia
Environment
levees are common along many streams, but flooding occurs almost every year
Land area
92,340 km2
Land boundaries
2,113 km; Austria 366 km, Slovenia 82 km, Czechoslovakia 676 km, Romania 443 km, Croatia 292 km, Serbia and Montenegro 151 km, Ukraine 103 km
Land use
arable land 54%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and pastures 14%; forest and woodland 18%; other 11%; includes irrigated 2%
Maritime claims
none - landlocked
Natural resources
bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils
Note
landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between Ukraine and Mediterranean basin
Terrain
mostly flat to rolling plains
Total area
93,030 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
12 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
13 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
Hungarian 96.6%, Gypsy 5.8%, German 1.6%, Slovak 1.1%, Southern Slav 0.3%, Romanian 0.2%
Infant mortality rate
14 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
5.4 million; services, trade, government, and other 43.2%, industry 30.9%, agriculture 18.8%, construction 7.1% (1991)
Languages
Hungarian 98.2%, other 1.8%
Life expectancy at birth
66 years male, 75 years female (1992)
Literacy
99% (male 99%, female 98%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
Nationality
noun - Hungarian(s); adjective - Hungarian
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
45-55% of labor force; Central Council of Hungarian Trade Unions (SZOT) includes 19 affiliated unions, all controlled by the government; independent unions legal; may be as many as 12 small independent unions in operation
Population
10,333,327 (July 1992), growth rate - 0.1% (1992)
Religions
Roman Catholic 67.5%, Calvinist 20.0%, Lutheran 5.0%, atheist and other 7.5%
Total fertility rate
1.8 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
19 counties (megyek, singular - megye) and 1 capital city* (fovaros); Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Budapest*, Csongrad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala
Capital
Budapest
Chief of State
President Arpad GONCZ (since 3 August 1990; previously interim President from 2 May 1990)
Communists
fewer than 100,000 (December 1989)
Constitution
18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949, revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and also established the principle of parliamentary oversight
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Pal TAR; Chancery at 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 362-6730; there is a Hungarian Consulate General in New York US: Ambassador Charles THOMAS; Embassy at V. Szabadsag Ter 12, Budapest (mailing address is APO AE 09213-5270); telephone [36] (1) 112-6450; FAX 132-8934
Executive branch
president, prime minister
Flag
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green
Head of Government
Prime Minister Jozsef ANTALL (since 23 May 1990)
Independence
1001, unification by King Stephen I
Judicial branch
Supreme Court, may be restructured as part of ongoing government overhaul
Legal system
in process of revision, moving toward rule of law based on Western model
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly (Orszaggyules)
Long-form name
Republic of Hungary
Member of
BIS, CCC, CE, CSCE, ECE, FAO, G-9, GATT, HG, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NACC, NSG, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
National Assembly
last held on 25 March 1990 (first round, with the second round held 8 April 1990); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (386 total) Democratic Forum 162, Free Democrats 90, Independent Smallholders 45, Hungarian Socialist Party (MSP) 33, Young Democrats 22, Christian Democrats 21, independents or jointly sponsored candidates 13
National holiday
October 23 (1956); commemorates the Hungarian uprising
Political parties and leaders
Democratic Forum, Jozsef ANTALL, chairman; Dr. Lajos FUR, acting president; Free Democrats, Peter TOLGYESSY, chairman; Independent Smallholders, Jozsef TORGYAN, president; Hungarian Socialist Party (MSP), Gyula HORN, chairman; Young Democrats, Gabor FODOR, head; Christian Democrats, Dr. Lazlo SURJAN, president; note - the Hungarian Socialist (Communist) Workers' Party (MSZMP) renounced Communism and became the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSP) in October 1989; there is still a small (fringe) MSZMP
President
last held 3 August 1990 (next to be held August 1994); results - President GONCZ elected by popular vote; note - President GONCZ was elected by the National Assembly with a total of 294 votes out of 304 as interim President from 2 May 1990 until elected President
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
including forestry, accounts for about 15% of GDP and 19% of employment; highly diversified crop-livestock farming; principal crops - wheat, corn, sunflowers, potatoes, sugar beets; livestock - hogs, cattle, poultry, dairy products; self-sufficient in food output
Budget
revenues $12.7 billion; expenditures $13.6 billion (1992 planned)
Currency
forint (plural - forints); 1 forint (Ft) = 100 filler
Economic aid
recipient - $9.1 billion in assistance from OECD countries (from 1st quarter 1990 to end of 2nd quarter 1991)
Electricity
6,967,000 kW capacity; 28,376 million kWh produced, 2,750 kWh per capita (1990)
Exports
$10.2 billion (f.o.b. 1991) commodities: capital goods 25.9%, foods 23%, consumer goods 16.5%, fuels 2.4%, other 32.2% partners: USSR and Eastern Europe 31.9%, EC 32.2%, EFTA 12% (1990)
External debt
$22.7 billion (January 1991)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power equivalent - $60.1 billion, per capita $5,700; real growth rate - 7% (1991 est.)
Illicit drugs
transshipment point for Southeast Asia heroin transiting the Balkan route
Imports
$11.7 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: capital goods 31.6%, fuels 13.8%, manufactured consumer goods 14.6%, agriculture 6%, other 34.0% partners: USSR and Eastern Europe 34%, EC 31%, EFTA 15.4%
Industrial production
growth rate - 20% (1991 est.)
Industries
mining, metallurgy, engineering industries, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), trucks, buses
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
34% (1991 est.)
Overview
Hungary is in the midst of a difficult transition between a command and a market economy. Agriculture is an important sector, providing sizable export earnings and meeting domestic food needs. Industry accounts for about 40% of GDP and 30% of employment. Hungary claims that less than 20% of foreign trade is now with former CEMA countries, while about 70% is with OECD members. Hungary's economic reform programs during the Communist era gave it a head start in creating a market economy and attracting foreign investment. In 1990, Hungary received half of all foreign investment in Eastern Europe and in 1991 received the largest single share. The growing private sector accounts for one-quarter to one-third of national output according to unofficial estimates. Privatization of state enterprises is progressing, although excessive redtape, bureaucratic oversight, and uncertainties about pricing have slowed the process. Escalating unemployment and high rates of inflation may impede efforts to speed up privatization and budget reform, while Hungary's heavy foreign debt will make the government reluctant to introduce full convertability of the forint before 1993.
Unemployment rate
8.0% (1991)
Communications
Airports
90 total, 90 usable; 20 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 15 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
28 major transport aircraft
Highways
130,014 km total; 29,715 km national highway system - 26,834 km asphalt, 142 km concrete, 51 km stone and road brick, 2,276 km macadam, 412 km unpaved; 58,495 km country roads (66% unpaved), and 41,804 km (est.) other roads (70% unpaved) (1988)
Inland waterways
1,622 km (1988)
Merchant marine
14 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) and 1 bulk totaling 85,489 GRT/119,520 DWT
Pipelines
crude oil 1,204 km; petroleum products 630 km; natural gas 3,895 km (1986)
Ports
Budapest and Dunaujvaros are river ports on the Danube; maritime outlets are Rostock (Germany), Gdansk (Poland), Gdynia (Poland), Szczecin (Poland), Galati (Romania), and Braila (Romania)
Railroads
7,765 km total; 7,508 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 222 km narrow gauge (mostly 0.760-meter), 35 km 1.520-meter broad gauge; 1,147 km double track, 2,161 km electrified; all government owned (1991)
Telecommunications
automatic telephone network based on radio relay system; 1.9 million phones; telephone density is at 17 per 100 inhabitants; 49% of all phones are in Budapest; 12-15 year wait for a phone; 16,000 telex lines (June 1990); broadcast stations - 32 AM, 15 FM, 41 TV (8 Soviet TV repeaters); 4.2 million TVs (1990); 1 satellite ground station using INTELSAT and Intersputnik
Military and Security
Branches
Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border Guard, Territorial Defense
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - 60.8 billion forints, 1.7% of GNP (1992 est.); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate would produce misleading results
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 2,619,277; 2,092,867 fit for military service; 87,469 reach military age (18) annually