Hungary

Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Hungary is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and Slovenia to the southwest, and Austria to the west. Hungary has a population of 9.7 million, mostly ethnic Hungarians. Hungarian, the official language, is the world's most widely spoken Uralic language. Budapest is the country's capital and largest city; other major urban areas include Debrecen, Szeged, Miskolc, Pécs, and Győr. Budapest is situated on both banks of the Danube (Hungarian: Duna) River, a few miles downstream from the Danube Bend.

Hungary's geography has traditionally been defined by its two main waterways, the Danube and Tisza rivers. Transdanubia, which stretches westward from the centre of the country towards Austria, is a primarily hilly region with a terrain varied by low mountains. These include the very eastern stretch of the Alps, Alpokalja, in the west of the country, the Transdanubian Mountains in the central region of Transdanubia, and the Mecsek Mountains and Villány Mountains in the south. The highest point of the area is the Írott-kő in the Alps, at 882 metres (2,894 ft).  Lake Balaton and Lake Hévíz, the largest lake in Central Europe and the largest thermal lake in the world, respectively, are in Transdanubia as well. The Kékes at 1,014 m (3,327 ft) is the tallest mountain in Hungary and is found there.

Hungary is divided into 19 counties. The capital Budapest is an independent entity. Hungary is an export-oriented market economy with a heavy emphasis on foreign trade. Major industries include food processing, pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles, information technology, chemicals, metallurgy, machinery, electrical goods, and tourism. Hungary is the largest electronics producer in Central and Eastern Europe. Electronics manufacturing and research are among the main drivers of innovation and economic growth in the country. In the past 20 years Hungary has also grown into a major centre for mobile technology, information security, and related hardware research.

Hungary's achievements in science and technology have been significant, and research and development efforts form an integral part of the country's economy. Hungary has been the home of some of the most prominent researchers in various scientific disciplines, notably physics, mathematics, chemistry and engineering. As of 2018, thirteen Hungarian scientists have been recipients of a Nobel Prize. 

The territory of present-day Hungary has for centuries been a crossroads for various peoples, including Celts, Romans, Germanic tribes, Huns, West Slavs and the Avars. Hungary is home to the largest synagogue in Europe, built in 1859 in Moorish Revival style with a capacity of 3,000 people.

Traditional dishes such as the world-famous goulash (gulyás stew or gulyás soup) feature prominently in Hungarian cuisine. Hortobágyi palacsinta is a savoury Hungarian crêpe dish, filled with meat (usually veal). Fisherman's soup or halászlé is a hot, spicy paprika-based fish soup. 

Activity 1: Read the text and answer the questions: 

1. What countries does Hungary share borders with?

2. What is the name of the capital city of Hungary?

3. What is the official language of Hungary?

4. What is the most popular Hungarian fish dish?

5. How many million people, mostly ethnic Hungarians, live in Hungary?

6. Which river is Budapest located on both banks?

Activity 2. Match the words with the correct definitions:

1. population

2. urban

3. terrain

4. independent

5. manufacturing

1. the making of articles on a large scale using machinery; industrial production.

2. all the inhabitants of a particular town, area, or country.

3. a stretch of land, especially with regard to its physical features.

4. free from outside control; not depending on another's authority.

5. in, relating to, or characteristic of a town or city.

Activity 3: Further reading - Go online and find interesting things about Hungary in order to answer these questions:

Trivia questions about Hungary: 

1. What two rivers traditionally define the geography of Hungary as the main waterway?

2. Who was the Hungarian biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937 for his discovery of Vitamin C?

3. What is the highest point of Hungarian territory?

4. Which is the largest lake in Central Europe and the largest thermal lake in the world?

5. What is the highest mountain in Hungary?

6. How many counties is Hungary divided into?

7. What kind of market economy does Hungary have?

8. What are the main industries of Hungary?

9. How many Hungarian scientists have received the Nobel Prize since 2018?

10. Where is the largest synagogue in Europe?