People

Languages Spoken:

The majority of the population speaks Hungarian, but they also speak languages of the countries around them. These include Russian, Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovak, and Ukrainian.

Religion:

Hungary’s major religion is Catholicism, but there are also other religions. The percentages of the religions are 37.2% Roman Catholic, 11.6% Calvinist, 2.2% Lutheran, and 1.8% Greek Catholic. Even though only 0.1% of Hungary is Jewish, Budapest has the largest Hebrew Temple in Europe, and the third largest in the world.

Famous People:

Many highly successful people are of Hungarian origin. Ernő Rubik, the creator of the Rubik’s Cube. Harry Houdini, a famous illusionist. There have been many Nobel prize winners from Hungary, in the fields of physics, chemistry, economics, and literature . There have been many famous composers as well, for example Franz Liszt, and Bela Bartok.

Historical Facts:

Hungary really became a country around the year 895 AD, when the Magyars settled in the middle Danube River basin. The Magyars were fearsome raiders who attacked cities all over Europe, taking slaves and treasure. They became known as Vikings on horseback, even though they weren’t actual Vikings. The Magyars are said to have had 95% accuracy with their bows when on horseback.

Budapest used to be 2 separate cities on opposite sides of the Danube River, called Buda and Pest. They were united in 1873, and are now referred to as Budapest, and are one city.

In 1867 Austria and Hungary joined together to form one country known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and they separated again after world war 1 in 1918. When they split up, a lot of the territory went to the surrounding countries.

Motto:

The country motto for Hungary is “Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate”, the English translation is “With the help of God for Homeland and Freedom”.

Climate:

There are four seasons in Hungary. The latitude, and rich soils in the river basins allow for agriculture, and farming. The architecture has to be good to keep people warm in the winters. The colder seasons increase the popularity of the many thermal spas and hot springs.

Migration:

Leading up to WWI, three million Hungarians fled to the US to escape rural poverty. Under Soviet occupation, it was not easy to leave the country feely. After the 1956 revolution, 250,000 Hungarians left the country. By 2008, 40% of Hungarian born people lived outside of Hungary, mostly in Europe and the US.

Population:

The total population of Hungary is 9.773 million. In population, it ranks #94 in the world. 71.1% of Hungary's population lives in urban environments.