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Communications

Airports [time series]

90 total, 90 usable; 20 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 15 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

28 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

130,014 km total; 29,715 km national highway system--26,834 km asphalt and bitumen, 142 km concrete, 51 km stone and road brick, 2,276 km macadam, 412 km unpaved; 58,495 km country roads (66% unpaved), and 41,804 km (est.) other roads (70% unpaved) (1988)

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

1,622 km (1988)

Merchant marine [time series]

16 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) and 1 bulk totaling 94,393 GRT/131,946 DWT

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil, 1,204 km; refined products, 630 km; natural gas, 3,895 km (1986)

Ports [time series]

Budapest and Dunaujvaros are river ports on the Danube; maritime outlets are Rostock (Germany), Gdansk (Poland), Gdynia (Poland), Szczecin (Poland), Galati (Romania), and Braila (Romania)

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

7,765 km total; 7,508 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 222 km narrow gauge (mostly 0.760-meter), 35 km 1.520-meter broad gauge; 1,147 km double track, 2,161 km electrified; all government owned (1988)

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

telephone density is at 17 per 100 inhabitants; 49% of all phones are in Budapest; 12-15 year wait for a phone; 16,000 telex lines (June 1990); stations--13 AM, 12 FM, 21 TV (8 Soviet TV relays); 4.2 TVs (1990)

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Frontier Guard, Civil Defense

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

43.7 billion forints, NA% of GDP (1989); note--conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the official administratively set exchange rate would produce misleading results

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 2,667,234; 2,130,749 fit for military service; 88,851 reach military age (18) annually

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

including forestry, accounts for about 15% of GNP and 19% of employment; highly diversified crop-livestock farming; principal crops--wheat, corn, sunflowers, potatoes, sugar beets; livestock--hogs, cattle, poultry, dairy products; self-sufficient in food output

Budget [time series]

revenues $18.2 billion; expenditures $18.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $805 million (1989)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

forint (plural--forints); 1 forint (Ft) = 100 filler

Economic aid [time series]

donor--$2.0 billion in bilateral aid to non-Communist less developed countries (1962-89)

Electricity [time series]

7,800,000 kW capacity; 30,400 million kWh produced, 2,870 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates [time series]

forints (Ft) per US$1--60.95 (December 1990), 63.21 (1990), 59.07 (1989), 50.41 (1988), 46.97 (1987), 45.83 (1986), 50.12 (1985)

Exports [time series]

$10.2 billion (f.o.b. 1989); commodities--capital goods 33%, foods 25%, consumer goods 16%, fuels 1.5%, other 24.5%; partners USSR and Eastern Europe 42%, developed countries 37.4%, less developed countries 20.6% (1989)

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$20.7 billion (1989)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

GNP [time series]

$60.9 billion, per capita $5,800; real growth rate - 5.7% (1990 est.)

Imports [time series]

$10.1 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities--capital goods 15%, fuels 20%, manufactured consumer goods 12.4%, agriculture 5%, other 47.6%; partners--USSR and Eastern Europe 34.9%, developed countries 45.5%, less developed countries 16.6%, US 3%

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate - 7.9% (1990 est.)

Industries [time series]

mining, metallurgy, engineering industries, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

30% (1990 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

Agriculture is an important sector, providing sizable export earnings and meeting domestic food needs. Industry accounts for about 40% of GNP and 30% of employment. About 40% of Hungary's foreign trade is with the USSR and Eastern Europe and a third is with the EC. Low rates of growth reflect the inability of the Soviet-style economy to modernize capital plant and motivate workers. GNP declined by 1% in 1989 and by an estimated 6% in 1990. Since 1985 external debt has more than doubled, to over $20 billion. In recent years Hungary has experimented widely with decentralized and market-oriented enterprises. The newly democratic government has renounced the Soviet economic growth model and plans to open the economy to wider market forces and to much closer economic relations with Western Europe. Prime Minister Antall has declared his intention to move foward on privatization of state enterprises, provision for bankruptcy, land reform, and marketization of international trade, but concerns over acceptable levels of unemployment and inflation may slow the reform process.

Unemployment rate [time series]

1.7% (1990)

Geography

Climate [time series]

temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

Coastline [time series]

none--landlocked

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly smaller than Indiana

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

Nagymaros Dam dispute with Czechoslovakia

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

levees are common along many streams, but flooding occurs almost every year

Land boundaries [time series]

2,251 km total; Austria 366 km, Czechoslovakia 676 km, Romania 443 km, USSR 135 km, Yugoslavia 631 km

Land use [time series]

arable land 54%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and pastures 14%; forest and woodland 18%; other 11%; includes irrigated 2%

Maritime claims [time series]

none--landlocked

Natural resources [time series]

bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils

Note [time series]

landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between USSR and Mediterranean basin

Terrain [time series]

mostly flat to rolling plains

Area (Total area) [time series]

93,030 km2; land area: 92,340 km2

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

19 counties (megyek, singular--megye) and 1 capital city* (fovaros); Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Budapest*, Csongrad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala

Capital [time series]

Budapest

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

fewer than 100,000 (December 1989)

Constitution [time series]

18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949, revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensures legal rights for individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and established the principle of parliamentary oversight

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Ambassador (vacant); Chancery at 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 362-6730; there is a Hungarian Consulate General in New York; US--Ambassador Charles THOMAS; Embassy at V. Szabadsag Ter 12, Budapest (mailing address is APO New York 09213); telephone [36] (1) 112-6450

Executive branch [time series]

president, prime minister

Flag [time series]

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green

Independence [time series]

1001, unification by King Stephen I

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court, may be restructured as part of ongoing government overhaul Chief of State--President Arpad GONCZ (since 3 August 1990; previously interim President from 2 May 1990); Head of Government--Prime Minister Jozsef ANTALL (since 23 May 1990) Democratic Forum, Jozsef ANTALL, chairman; Free Democrats, Janos KIS, chairman; Independent Smallholders, Ferenc Jozsef NAGY, president; Hungarian Socialist Party (MSP), Gyula HORN, chairman; Young Democrats, Gabor FODOR, head; Christian Democrats, Dr. Lazlo SURJAN, president; note--the Hungarian Socialist (Communist) Workers' Party (MSZMP) renounced Communism and became the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSP) in October 1989

Legal system [time series]

in process of revision, moving toward rule of law based on Western model

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral National Assembly (Orszaggyules)

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Republic of Hungary

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

BIS, CCC, CE, CSCE, ECE, FAO, G-9, GATT, IAEA, IBEC, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IIB, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday [time series]

October 23 (1956); commemorates the Hungarian uprising

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18 President last held 3 August 1990 (next to be held August 1995); elected by the National Assembly with a total of 294 votes out of 304; President GONCZ was elected by the National Assembly as interim President from 2 May 1990 until elected President; National Assembly--last held on 25 March 1990 (first round, with the second round held 8 April 1990); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(394 total) Democratic Forum 165, Free Democrats 92, Independent Smallholders 43, Hungarian Socialist Party (MSP) 33, Young Democrats 21, Christian Democrats 21, independent candidates or jointly sponsored candidates 19

Government type (Type) [time series]

republic

People

Birth rate [time series]

12 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate [time series]

13 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Hungarian 96.6%, German 1.6%, Slovak 1.1%, Southern Slav 0.3%, Romanian 0.2%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

14 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force [time series]

4,860,000; services, trade, government, and other 43.2%, industry 30.9%, agriculture 18.8%, construction 7.1% (1988)

Languages (Language) [time series]

Hungarian 98.2%, other 1.8%

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

68 years male, 76 years female (1991)

Literacy [time series]

99% (male 99%, female 98%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980)

Nationality [time series]

noun--Hungarian(s); adjective--Hungarian

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor [time series]

96.5% of labor force; Central Council of Hungarian Trade Unions (SZOT) includes 19 affiliated unions, all controlled by the government; independent unions legal; may be as many as 12 small independent unions in operation

Population [time series]

10,558,001 (July 1991), growth rate - 0.1% (1991)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

Roman Catholic 67.5%, Calvinist 20.0%, Lutheran 5.0%, atheist and other 7.5%

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.8 children born/woman (1991)