HUNGARY

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT: Hungary is predominantly flat. The Danube River forms part of Hungary’s northwestern border with Slovakia, and then flows south through Budapest, dividing Hungary into two general regions. To the east of the Danube is a low, rolling plain known as the Great Hungarian Plain, also called the Great Alföld. It extends east to Romania and south to Serbia. A smaller plain, the Little Alföld, lies in northwestern Hungary and runs into Slovakia. The Great Alföld covers about three-fourths of Hungary. Far from being completely flat, as its name suggests, the Great Plain becomes quite hilly in the west. It is Hungary’s chief agricultural area, supporting such crops as corn, wheat, sunflowers, sugar beets, paprika, and fodder crops, as well as grasslands for grazing sheep. The grazing areas of the Hungarian Plain are called the puszta, derived from a Slavic word meaning “wasteland.” The 19th-century life of cowboys and their herds on the puszta is commemorated in Hungarian folksongs, dances, and literature. The Little Plain is also fertile and intensively cultivated. Mountains rim the plains on the west and on the north and east. Highlands along the northern border of Hungary extend eastward from the gorge of the Danube at Esztergom and include the Mátra Mountains, a part of the Carpathian system. Mount Kékes, in the Mátra Mountains, is the highest peak in Hungary. The area west of the Danube, known as Transdanubia, presents a variety of land forms in addition to the Little Plain in the extreme northwest. In the south rise the isolated Mecsek Mountains. In the north are the Bakony Mountains, a forested range in the Transdanubian Highlands, which overlook Lake Balaton. The Danube is Hungary’s most important river. The entire country lies within its drainage basin. The Danube enters Hungary from Austria to the west and marks Hungary’s northwest border with Slovakia. At Vác, north of Budapest, the river makes a sharp turn to the south. It continues south through Budapest and into Serbia. Other major rivers, all tributaries of the Danube, include the Tisza, the longest river in Hungary, and the Raab and Drava rivers. Lake Balaton, Hungary’s principal lake, is also the largest lake in central Europe. It has been the country’s main vacation resort and health spa and is noted for the sandy beaches on its southern shore. Vineyards along its northern shore yield some of Hungary’s finest wines. Lake Balaton is noted for its game, rare water birds, and fish. In the northwest, Hungary shares the Neusiedler Lake with Austria. Hungary’s principal natural resources are bauxite, the ore from which aluminum is made; lignite coal; and natural gas. The country also has deposits of hard coal and petroleum. Reserves of most minerals are small, however, and often of low quality. The minerals are found primarily in the mountains of northeastern Hungary. The alluvial soils of the Great Hungarian Plain are highly fertile, although inferior to the black earth in the southeastern and southern plain extending into Romania, Serbia, and Croatia. Soils in the northern highland river basins are generally fertile, but in much of Hungary the soil is either of a loose type, called loess, or sandy. Northern Hungary lacks sufficient water, especially between July and October, when precipitation levels are typically low. Canals irrigate the Great Hungarian Plain, which is subject to drought. Because of the country’s mainly flat terrain, only limited water resources can be harnessed for hydroelectric power.
AGRICULTURE: Cultivated land covers 50 percent of Hungary’s total area. During the Communist period about 90 percent of all farmland was organized into collective and state farms. State farms were owned and managed by the government; in collective farms, families would work together on jointly owned land, and each would receive a salary and a share of the farm’s earnings. In the early 1990s the post-Communist government began returning many of the state and collective farms to private ownership. People who had owned land before collectivization were invited to reclaim their land, if they were willing to farm it. Other collectivized land was sold. Foreign investors came in, especially food-canning and food-processing businesses. Severe droughts during this time, combined with a drop in government subsidies, caused a significant decline in agricultural output. Severe weather—drought alternating with flooding—continued to hamper farm production into the 2000s. In addition, the government reduced or removed subsidies on many agricultural exports as part of an EU agreement. Hungary’s leading agricultural products in the early 2000s were corn, wheat, sugar beets, barley, potatoes, and sunflower seeds. In addition, grapes for wine are grown in vineyards throughout Hungary. For many years the best-known Hungarian wines came from the Tokaj region, but the industry has grown enormously since the fall of communism, and vineyards are planted in many areas. Livestock included cattle, pigs, sheep, horses, and poultry, and important livestock products included milk, meat, butter, eggs, and wool.
ENERGY: In 2003 Hungary’s output of electricity was 32 billion kilowatt-hours. Because Hungary does not produce enough electrical power to meet its needs, the country has had to import some of its energy resources. Russia is the main supplier of petroleum and natural gas. In the 1980s the government began constructing nuclear reactors in an effort to conserve and reduce dependence on imported energy sources. In 2003 the combustion of coal and oil provided 67 percent of Hungary’s electricity; nuclear power facilities supplied 32 percent.
TOURISM: Hungary’s tourism industry has developed rapidly since the collapse of Communism, and is an important source of foreign currency. Budapest is a popular destination with visitors and enjoys a reputation as one of Europe’s most elegant cities. Lake Balaton is a popular vacation spot for boating, fishing, and swimming; Hungary’s cities contain numerous historical and cultural attractions; and Budapest holds an annual spring festival of music and drama.