1994 Edition

Administrative divisions

38 counties (megyek, singular - megye) and 1 capital city* (fovaros); Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Bekescsaba, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Budapest*, Csongrad, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Fejer, Gyor, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Hodmezovasarhely, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Komarom-Esztergom, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nograd, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Pest, Somogy, Sopron, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala, Zalaegerszeg

Agriculture

including forestry, accounts for 15% of GDP and 16% of employment; highly diversified crop and livestock farming; principal crops - wheat, corn, sunflowers, potatoes, sugar beets; livestock - hogs, cattle, poultry, dairy products; self-sufficient in food output

Airports

total: 126 usable: 65 with permanent-surface runways: 12 with runways over 3,659 m: 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 18 with runways 1,060-2,439 m: 31 note: a C-130 can land on a 1,060-m airstrip

Area

total area: 93,030 sq km land area: 92,340 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana

Birth rate

12.46 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Branches

Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border Guard, Territorial Defense

Budget

revenues: $10.2 billion expenditures: $12.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)

Capital

Budapest

Climate

temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

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

Currency

1 forint (Ft) = 100 filler

Death rate

12.72 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

66.5 billion forints, NA% of GNP (1993 est.); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results

Digraph

HU

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Pal TAR chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 362-6730

Economic aid

recipient: assistance pledged by OECD countries since 1989 about $9 billion

Electricity

capacity: 7,200,000 kW production: 30 billion kWh consumption per capita: 3,000 kWh (1992)

Environment

current issues: air pollution; industrial and municipal pollution of Lake Balaton natural hazards: levees are common along many streams, but flooding occurs almost every year international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

Ethnic divisions

Hungarian 89.9%, Gypsy 4%, German 2.6%, Serb 2%, Slovak 0.8%, Romanian 0.7%

Exchange rates

forints per US$1 - 93.46 (September 1993), 92.5 (1993), 78.99 (1992), 74.74 (1991), 63.21 (1990), 59.07 (1989)

Executive branch

chief of state: President Arpad GONCZ (since 3 August 1990; previously interim president from 2 May 1990); election last held 3 August 1990 (next to be held NA 1995); results - President GONCZ elected by parliamentary vote; note - President GONCZ was elected by the National Assembly with a total of 295 votes out of 304 as interim President from 2 May 1990 until elected President head of government: Prime Minister Peter BOROSS (since 12 December 1993 on the death of Jozsef ANTALL); new prime minister will probably be Gyula HORN cabinet: Council of Ministers; elected by the National Assembly on recommendation of the president

Exports

$8.9 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: raw materials, semi-finished goods, chemicals 39.6%, machinery 14.5%, consumer goods 22.3%, food and agriculture 20.0%, fuels and energy 3.6% (January-June 1993) partners: EC 49.8% (Germany 27.8%, Italy 9.5%), Austria 10.7%, the FSU 13.1%, Eastern Europe 9.8% (1992)

External debt

$24.7 billion (November 1993)

FAX

(202) 966-8135 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York

[36] (1) 132-8934

Fiscal year

calendar year

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green

Highways

total: 130,224 km paved: 61,948 km unpaved: 68,276 km (1988)

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southeast Asia heroin transiting the Balkan route

Imports

$12.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: fuels and energy 13.9%, raw materials, semi-finished goods, chemicals 35.9%, machinery 22.4%, consumer goods 21.8%, food and agriculture 6.0% (January-June 1993) partners: EC 42.8% (Germany 23.6%, Italy 6.3%), Austria 14.4%, the FSU 16.8%, Eastern Europe 9.2%

Independence

1001 (unification by King Stephen I)

Industrial production

growth rate 4% (1993 est.)

Industries

mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), buses, automobiles

Infant mortality rate

12.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

23% (1993 est.)

Inland waterways

1,622 km (1988)

International disputes

Gabcikovo Dam dispute with Slovakia

Irrigated land

1,750 sq km (1989)

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court

Labor force

5.4 million by occupation: services, trade, government, and other 44.8%, industry 29.7%, agriculture 16.1%, construction 7.0% (1991)

Land boundaries

total 1,989 km, Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia and Montenegro 151 km (all with Serbia), Slovakia 515 km, Slovenia 82 km, Ukraine 103 km

Land use

arable land: 50.7% permanent crops: 6.1% meadows and pastures: 12.6% forest and woodland: 18.3% other: 12.3%

Languages

Hungarian 98.2%, other 1.8%

Legal system

in process of revision, moving toward rule of law based on Western model

Legislative branch

unicameral

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 71.37 years male: 67.37 years female: 75.58 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1980) total population: 99% male: 99% female: 98%

Location

Central Europe, between Slovakia and Romania

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 2,636,888; fit for military service 2,105,628; reach military age (18) annually 90,134 (1994 est.)

Map references

Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe

Maritime claims

none; landlocked

Member of

Australian Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, COCOM (cooperating), CSCE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, G-9, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), PCA, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMOZ, UNOMUR, UNOSOM, UNTAC, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Merchant marine

10 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) and 1 bulk totaling 46,121 GRT/61,613 DWT

Names

conventional long form: Republic of Hungary conventional short form: Hungary local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag local short form: Magyarorszag

National Assembly (Orszaggyules)

elections last held on 8 and 29 May 1994 (next to be held spring 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (386 total) Hungarian Socialist Party 209, Alliance of Free Democrats 70, Hungarian Democratic Forum 37, Independent Smallholders 26, Christian Democratic People's Party 22, Federation of Young Democrats 20, other 2

National holiday

St. Stephen's Day (National Day), 20 August (commemorates the founding of Hungarian state circa 1000 A.D.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $57 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$5,500 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

-1% (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun: Hungarian(s) adjective: Hungarian

Natural resources

bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Note

landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between Ukraine and Mediterranean basin

Overview

Hungary is still in the midst of a difficult transition from a command to a market economy. Its economic reforms during the Communist era gave it a head start on this process, particularly in terms of attracting foreign investors - Hungary has accounted for about half of all foreign direct investment in Eastern Europe since 1989. Nonetheless, the economy continued to contract in 1993, with real GDP falling perhaps 1%. Although the privatization process has lagged, in December 1993 Hungary carried out the largest privatization yet in Eastern Europe, selling a controlling interest in the Matav telecommunications firm to private investors - including a 30% share to a US-German consortium for $875 million. Overall, about half of GDP now originates in the private sector. Unemployment rose to about 13% in 1993 while inflation remained above 20%, and falling exports pushed the trade deficit to about $3 billion. The government hopes that economic recovery in Western Europe in 1994 will boost exports, lower the trade deficit, and help jump-start the economy. The budget, however, is likely to remain a serious concern; depressed tax revenue pushed up the budget deficit in 1993.

Pipelines

crude oil 1,204 km; natural gas 4,387 km (1991)

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Forum, Sandor LESZAK, chairman; Independent Smallholders (FKGP), Jozsef TORGYAN, president; Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP), Gyula HORN, president; Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP), Dr. Lazlo SURJAN, president; Federation of Young Democrats (FIDESZ), Viktor ORBAN, chairman; Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ), Ivan PETO, chairman note: the Hungarian Socialist (Communist) Workers' Party (MSZMP) renounced Communism and became the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) in October 1989; there is still a small MSZMP

Population

10,319,113 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.03% (1994 est.)

Ports

Budapest and Dunaujvaros are river ports on the Danube; coastal 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; 1,236 km double track, 2,249 km electrified; all government owned (1990)

Religions

Roman Catholic 67.5%, Calvinist 20%, Lutheran 5%, atheist and other 7.5%

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telecommunications

automatic telephone network based on microwave radio relay system; 1,128,800 phones (1991); telephone density is at 19.4 per 100 inhabitants; 49% of all phones are in Budapest; 608,000 telephones on order (1991); 12-15 year wait for a phone; 14,213 telex lines (1991); 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

Terrain

mostly flat to rolling plains

Total fertility rate

1.83 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Type

republic

Unemployment rate

13% (1993)

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Donald BLINKEN embassy: V. Szabadsag Ter 12, Budapest mailing address: Am Embassy, Unit 1320, Budapest; APO AE 09213 telephone: [36] (1) 112-6450