1995 Edition

Area

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

Climate

temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

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 85, 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-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

International disputes

Gabcikovo Dam dispute with Slovakia

Irrigated land

1,750 sq km (1989)

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%

Location

Central Europe, northwest of Romania

Map references

Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe

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; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border

Age structure

0-14 years: 18% (female 918,281; male 958,027) 15-64 years: 68% (female 3,534,218; male 3,440,036) 65 years and over: 14% (female 914,221; male 554,055) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate

12.65 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

12.44 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

11.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force

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

Languages

Hungarian 98.2%, other 1.8%

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 71.9 years male: 67.94 years female: 76.06 years (1995 est.)

Literacy

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

Nationality

noun: Hungarian(s) adjective: Hungarian

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population

10,318,838 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

0.02% (1995 est.)

Religions

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

Total fertility rate

1.82 children born/woman (1995 est.)

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

Capital

Budapest

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

Digraph

HU

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Gyorgy BANLAKI (since 27 October 1994) chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 362-6730

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 Gyula HORN (since 15 July 1994) cabinet: Council of Ministers; elected by the National Assembly on recommendation of the president

FAX

[1] (202) 966-8135 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York

[36] (1) 132-8934

Flag

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

Independence

1001 (unification by King Stephen I)

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

unicameral

Member of

Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EBRD, ECE, FAO, G- 9, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMIG, UNOMOZ, UNOMUR, UNU, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

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) MSzP 209, SzDSz 70, MDF 37, FKgP 26, KDNP 22, FiDeSz 20, other 2

National holiday

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

Political parties and leaders

Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF), Lajos FUR, 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 MMP

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

republic

US diplomatic representation

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

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

Budget

revenues: $11.3 billion expenditures: $14.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994)

Currency

1 forint (Ft) = 100 filler

Economic aid

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

Electricity

capacity: 6,740,000 kW production: 31 billion kWh consumption per capita: 3,012 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

forints per US$1 - 112 (January 1995), 105.16 (1994), 91.93 (1993), 78.99 (1992), 74.74 (1991), 63.21 (1990), 59.07 (1989)

Exports

$10.3 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: raw materials and semi-finished goods 30.0%, machinery and transport equipment 20.1%, consumer goods 25.2%, food and agriculture 21.4%, fuels and energy 3.4% (1993) partners: Germany 25.3%, Italy 8.3%, Austria 10.5%, the FSU 14.0%, US 4.3% (1993)

External debt

$27 billion (September 1994)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southeast Asia heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; limited producer of precursor chemicals

Imports

$14.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: fuels and energy 12.6%, raw materials and semi-finished goods 27.3%, machinery and transport equipment 33.0%, consumer goods 21.2%, food and agriculture 5.9% (1993) partners: Germany 21.5%, Italy 6.1%, Austria 11.8%, the FSU 20.9%, US 4.3% (1993); note - about one-fourth of the imports from the FSU were MiGs delivered as a debt payment

Industrial production

growth rate 7% (1994 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

21% (1994)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $58.8 billion (1994 est.)

National product per capita

$5,700 (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate

3% (1994 est.)

Overview

Since 1989 Hungary has been a leader in the transition from a socialist command economy to a market economy - thanks in large part to its initial economic reforms during the Communist era. The private sector now accounts for about 55% of GDP. Nonetheless, the transformation is proving difficult, and many citizens say life was better under the old system. On the bright side, the four-year decline in output finally ended in 1994, as real GDP increased an estimated 3%. This growth helped reduce unemployment to just over 10% by yearend, down from a peak of 13%. However, no progress was made against inflation, which remained stuck at about 20%, and the already-large current account deficit in the balance of payments actually got worse, reaching almost $4 billion. Underlying Hungary's other economic problems is the large budget deficit, which probably exceeded 7% of GDP in 1994, despite some late-year budget cutting by the new leftist government. In 1995 the government has pledged to accelerate privatization and lower the budget deficit to 5.5% of GDP. It believes this fiscal tightening will reduce the current account deficit to $2.5 billion but at the cost of holding economic growth to only 1%.

Unemployment rate

10.4% (yearend 1994)

Radio

broadcast stations: AM 32, FM 15, shortwave 0 radios: NA

Telephone system

1,520,000 phones; 14.7 telephones/100 inhabitants (1993); 14,213 telex lines; automatic telephone network based on microwave radio relay system; 608,000 telephones on order; 12-15 year wait for a telephone; 49% of all phones are in Budapest (1991) local: NA intercity: microwave radio relay international: 1 INTELSAT and Intersputnik earth stations

Television

broadcast stations: 41 (Russian repeaters 8) televisions: NA

Airports

total: 78 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 with paved runways under 914 m: 1 with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 9 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 14 with unpaved runways under 914 m: 34

Highways

total: 158,711 km paved: 69,992 km (441 km expressways) unpaved: 88,719 km (1992)

Inland waterways

1,622 km (1988)

Merchant marine

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

Pipelines

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

Ports

Budapest, Dunaujvaros

Railroads

total: 7,785 km broad gauge: 35 km 1.520-m gauge standard gauge: 7,574 km 1.435-m gauge (2,277 km electrified; 1,236 km double track) narrow gauge: 176 km mostly 0.760-m gauge (1994)

Branches

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

Defense expenditures

66.5 billion forints, NA% of GDP (1994 est.); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the prevailing exchange rate could produce misleading results ________________________________________________________________________ ICELAND

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 2,639,860; males fit for military service 2,105,632; males reach military age (18) annually 86,298 (1995 est.)