Hungary

What YFC is Doing

Hungary YFC has been actively engaging its youth and reaching them for Christ since 1992. Their ministry includes clubs for teenagers, youth magazines, coffeehouses and rap bands serving in schools.

Prayer Needs

Spiritual development of staff and volunteers.
Adequate ministry resources for staff, training and outreaches.
Partnership with local churches.
Guidance and opportunities to start student-led bible clubs (sChOOL49 Club) in all the high schools in Budapest and in Miskolc.

About Hungary

Introduction

Hungary became a Christian kingdom in A.D. 1000 and for many centuries served as a bulwark against Ottoman Turkish expansion in Europe. The kingdom eventually became part of the polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under Communist rule following World War II. In 1956, a revolt and an announced withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact were met with a massive military intervention by Moscow. Under the leadership of Janos KADAR in 1968, Hungary began liberalizing its economy, introducing so-called "Goulash Communism." Hungary held its first multiparty elections in 1990 and initiated a free market economy. It joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004.

Geography

Location

Location: Central Europe, northwest of Romania

Geographic Coordinates: 47 00 N, 20 00 E

Area

Total Area: 93,028 sq km Rank: 109

Land Area: 89,608 sq km

Water Area: 3,420 sq km

Comparison: slightly smaller than Indiana

Land Boundaries: 2,185 km

Bordering Countries: Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia 166 km, Slovakia 676 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Climate

temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

Terrain

mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border

Elevations

Lowest Point: Tisza River 78 m

Highest Point: Kekes 1,014 m

Natural Resources

bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land

Land Use

Arable land: 49.58%

Permanent Crops: 2.06%

Other: 48.36% (2005)

Irrigated Land: 2,300 sq km (2003)

Renewable Water Resources: 120 cu km (2005)

Total Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): 21.03 cu km/yr (9%/59%/32%)

Freshwater Withdrawal Per Capita: 2,082 cu m/yr (2001)

Environmental Issues: the upgrading of Hungary's standards in waste management, energy efficiency, and air, soil, and water pollution to meet EU requirements will require large investments

Environmental Agreements: Party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

Geography Notes

landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between Ukraine and Mediterranean basin; the north-south flowing Duna (Danube) and Tisza Rivers divide the country into three large regions

People

Population: 9,905,596 (July 2010 est.) Rank: 82

Age Structure

0-14 years: 15% (male 763,553/female 720,112)

15-64 years: 69.3% (male 3,384,961/female 3,475,135)

65 years and over: 15.8% (male 566,067/female 995,768) (2010 est.)

Median Age: 37.8 years

Population Growth

Growth Rate: -0.257% (2010 est.) Rank: 219

Birth Rate: 9.51 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 205

Death Rate: 12.94 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Rank: 27

Net Migration Rate: 0.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 58

Urbanization

Urban Population: 68% of total population (2008)

Rate of Urbanization: 0.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Life and Death

Infant Mortality Rate: 7.86 deaths/1,000 live births Rank: 164

Life Expectancy at Birth: 73.44 years Rank: 109

Fertility Rate: 1.36 children born/woman (2010 est.) Rank: 203

Health and Disease

HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: 0.1% (2007 est.) Rank: 123

People living with HIV/AIDS: 3,300 (2007 est.) Rank: 130

HIV/AIDS Deaths: fewer than 100 (2001 est.) Rank: 144

Degree of Risk for Major Infectious Diseases: intermediate

Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

Vectorborne Diseases: tickborne encephalitis (2009)

Nationality and Culture

Noun: Hungarian(s)

Adjective: Hungarian

Ethnic Groups: Hungarian 92.3%, Roma 1.9%, other or unknown 5.8% (2001 census)

Religion: Roman Catholic 51.9%, Calvinist 15.9%, Lutheran 3%, Greek Catholic 2.6%, other Christian 1%, other or unspecified 11.1%, unaffiliated 14.5% (2001 census)

Languages: Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)

Education

Literacy (Meaning, age 15 and over can read and write): 99.4% Male: 99.5% Female: 99.3% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): 15 years Male: 15 years Female: 16 years (2006)

Education expenditures: 5.5% of GDP (2005) Rank: 48

Government

Country Name

Conventional Long Form: Republic of Hungary

Conventional Short Form: Hungary

Local Long Form: Magyar Koztarsasag

Local Short Form: Magyarorszag

Government Type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Budapest Geographic Coordinates: 47 30 N, 19 05 E

Administrative divisions

19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 23 urban counties (singular - megyei varos), and 1 capital city (fovaros)

counties: Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Csongrad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala

urban counties: Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Erd, Gyor, Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Salgotarjan, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szekszard, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg

capital city: Budapest

Independence: 16 November 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: 25 December 1000 (crowning of King STEPHEN I, traditional founding date); 30 March 1867 (dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary created)

National holiday: Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August

Constitution:

18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949; revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989; and 1997

note: 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997 amendment streamlined the judicial system

Legal system: based on the German-Austrian legal system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of State: President Pal SCHMITT (since 6 August 2010)

Head of Government: Prime Minister Viktor ORBAN (since 29 May 2010)

Cabinet: Council of Ministers prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; other ministers proposed by the prime minister and appointed and relieved of their duties by the president

Elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 29 June 2010 (next to be held by June 2015); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; election last held 29 May 2010

Election Results: Pal SCHMITT elected president; National Assembly vote - Pal SCHMITT 263, Andras BALOGH 58; Viktor ORBAN was elected prime minister; National Assembly vote - 261 to 107

Note: to be elected, the president must win two-thirds of legislative vote in the first two rounds or a simple majority in the third round

Legislative Branch

unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (386 seats; members elected by popular vote under a system of proportional and direct representation to serve four-year terms)

Elections: last held on 11 and 25 April 2010 (next to be held in April 2014)

Election Results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote required for parliamentary representation in the first round) - Fidesz 52.7%, MSzP %, Jobbik %, LMP %; seats by party - Fidesz 263, MSzP 59, Jobbik 47, LMP 16

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms)

Politics

Political Parties and Leaders: Alliance of Free Democrats or SzDSz [Attila RETKES]; Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP [Semjen ZSOLT]; Hungarian Civic Alliance or Fidesz [Viktor ORBAN, chairman]; Hungarian Democratic Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSzP [Ildiko LENDVAI]; Movement for a Better Hungary or Jobbik [Gabor VONA]; Politics Can Be Different or LMP [13-member leadership]

Political Pressure Groups and Leaders: Air Work Group (works to reduce air pollution in towns and cities); Company For Freedom Rights (Tarsasag a Szabadsagjogokert) or TASZ (personal data protection); Danube Circle (protests the building of the Gabchikovo-Nagymaros dam); Green Future (protests the impact of lead contamination of local factory on health of the people); environmentalists: Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society (Magyar Madartani Egyesulet)or MME; Green Alternative (Zold Alternativa)

International Organization Participation: Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Flag Description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green; the flag dates to the national movement of the 18th and 19th centuries, and fuses the medieval colors of the Hungarian coat of arms with the revolutionary tricolor form of the French flag; folklore attributes virtues to the colors: red for strength, white for faithfulness, and green for hope; alternatively, the red is seen as being for the blood spilled in defense of the land, white for freedom, and green for the pasturelands that make up so much of the country

Economy

Economy Overview: Hungary has made the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy, with a per capita income nearly two-thirds that of the EU-25 average. The private sector accounts for more than 80% of GDP. Foreign ownership of and investment in Hungarian firms is widespread, with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling more than $200 billion since 1989. The government's austerity measures, imposed since late 2006, have reduced the budget deficit from over 9% of GDP in 2006 to 3.3% in 2008. Hungary's impending inability to service its short-term debt - brought on by the global financial crisis in late 2008 - led Budapest to seek and receive an IMF-arranged financial assistance package worth over $25 billion. The global economic downturn, declining exports, and low domestic consumption and fixed asset accumulation, dampened by government austerity measures, resulted in an economic contraction of 6.7% in 2009.

Gross Domestic Product

GDP (purchasing power parity): $186 billion (2009 est.) Rank: 54

GDP - real growth rate: -6.3% (2009 est.) Rank: 196

GDP - per capita (PPP): $18,800 (2009 est.) Rank: 62

GDP - Composition by Sector: Agriculture: 2.8% Industry: 34.7% Services: 62.5% (2009 est.)

Labor Force

Labor Force: 3.8 million (January 2010 est.) Rank: 88

Labor force - by occupation: Agriculture: 4.5% Industry: 32.1% Services: 63.4% (2008)

Unemployment Rate: 10.8% (2009 est.) Rank: 121

Poverty

Population below poverty line: 12% (2010 est.)

country comparison to the world: 37

$17.64 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

Transnational Issues

International Disputes: bilateral government, legal, technical and economic working group negotiations continue in 2006 with Slovakia over Hungary's failure to complete its portion of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Hungary has implemented the strict Schengen border rules

Stories from Hungary