Geography
The Republic of Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia.

The capital is Budapest. Other important cities include Debrecen, Gyor, Miskolc, Pecs, and Szeged.

Hungary's terrain is mostly flat with some hills and low mountains. The main rivers are the Danube and Tisza.

The climate is temperate with warm summers and cold winters.

Environment
A significant percentage of Hungary is covered with forests and woodlands. Trees include ash, beech, oak and fir. A variety of protected wildflowers can be found among the country's indigenous plants. Examples are the yellow wood violet and lady's slipper orchid.

Cave systems in Hungary include the Aggtelek Karst, on UNESCO's World Heritage List, and the Baradla Cave System. The Baradla Caves and related wetlands are listed in the Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance. Lake Balaton, Hungary's largest lake, is also on the Ramsar's Convention of Wetlands List.

Other National Parks are Hortobagy National Park, on the World Heritage List, Bukk National Park, the Danube-Drava National Park, Kiskunsag National Park and Ferto-Hansag National Park.

Wildlife includes the Mangalica pig, Lipica horses, cattle, wolves and various types of sheep. Hungary is an important staging point on the flight path of migratory birds.

Architecture
Hungary has many castles, palaces, manor houses and monuments. The following are of particular note and are on the UNESCO World Heritage List: the Banks of the Daube and the Buda Castle Quarter, the Millenary Benedictine Monastery of Pannonhalma, the Early Christian Necropolis of Pecs (Sopianae), and Holloko, a traditional Hungarian village.

Imre Makovecz is Hungary's most famous twentieth century architect. Makovecz, a household name in Hungary, gained international recognition in 1992 with the pavilion for the Seville Expo.

Population
The population of Hungary was estimated at 9.75 million in 2020.

Languages
Hungarian is the official language.

Religion
Over half of the people are Roman Catholic; other religions are Calvinist and Lutheran.

Food
Traditional Hungarian cuisine includes soups, sausages, smoked meat and pickles. Well known Hungarian meals are Hungarian goulash, chicken paprika and stuffed cabbage.

Main meals consist of meat - chicken, goose, pork, beef, veal - or freshwater fish, with vegetables such as beets, cabbage, cucumbers, onions, potatoes and peppers. Hungarian dumplings and noodles are also popular. Important ingredients in Hungarian recipes are paprika, garlic and sour cream.

Cakes, strudels, fruit soups, and pastas with curd cheese and sour cream are popular desserts. Fruits and nuts grown are apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, almonds and hazelnuts.

Traditional alcoholic drinks produced in Hungary are red and white wine, beer, apricot brandy and various fruit schnapps. Non alcoholic drinks include fruit juices, cola and coffee.

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