Hungary is placed in East Central Europe. Our neighbours are to the west Austria, to the north Slovakia, and Ukraine, to the east Romania, to the south Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. Hungary is more than a thousand years old. The Hungarians arrived here around AD 896. According to Anonimus, a famous chronicler, the Hungarians arrived from the mystic 'Magna Hungaria' where our ancestors lived. Our seven tribes settled in the basin of the Carpathian Mountains. Our history has many great and black pages. During the reign of Lajos the Great Hungarian army besieged Naples, during the reign of Matthias Turkish army could not expansion toward Europe. On the other hand, Tartars tribes devastated our country (1441), Turks ruled for 150 years in the half of the territory of Hungary (16-17th century), after the World War I Hungary lost two third of its territory according to the Peace Treaty of Trianon.
Some statistical data
Official name is Republic of Hungary
Its area: 93,032 sq. km (little larger like Austria or the Netherlands)
Its population is 10,035,000. 63% of its live in towns. The majority of people being Hungarian, but you find also Slovaks, Serbs, Croats, Germans, Romanians, and Gypsies. Hungarians live abroad as well, so Hungarians are about 15 million altogether
The capital city is Budapest. Its area is 525 sq. km, population is 1,863,000.
Its time is GMT + 1 (daylight savings time is GMT + 2)
Its official language is Hungarian. It is one of the most difficult languages.
Its public administration has 19 counties and 20 town with county status.
The religion of the population: Roman Catholic 65%, Protestant 25%, and Jewish 10 %
The Hungarian currency is Forint (from the name of Florence, Italy) (1 USD = 295 HUF)
Useful information for tourists
Visa and passport: Only a valid passport is required for tourists from the US, Canada and Europe (except Albania). Visitors from Albania, Turkey and countries outside Europe are advised to contact the local consulate.
Public Holidays in Hungary:
January 1 - New Year March 15 - Memorial Day (1848 Revolution) Easter Monday May 1 - Mayday Whitsun Monday August 20 - St Stephen's Day October 23 - Memorial Day (1956 Revolution) November 1 - December 25-26 - Christmas
Electricity: 220V/50Hz
Shopping hours Weekdays: 10 am - 6 pm Saturday: 9 am - 1 p.m. Shopping centres are open every day from 10 am to 6 p.m. In towns are some non-stop shops as well.
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