Hungary
Updated: Oct 1, 2022
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Country Name
Hungary.
Location
Hungary is a country in Central Europe. It borders 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.
Capital
Budapest.
Reason for Naming
The "H" in the name of Hungary (and Latin Hungaria) is most likely due to founded historical associations with the Huns, who had settled Hungary prior to the Avars. The rest of the word comes from the Latinized form of Byzantine Greek Oungroi (Οὔγγροι). The Greek name was borrowed from Old Bulgarian ągrinŭ, in turn, borrowed from Oghur-Turkic Onogur ('ten tribes of the Ogurs'). Onogur was the collective name for the tribes who later joined the Bulgar tribal confederacy that ruled the eastern parts of Hungary after the Avars.
The Hungarian endonym is Magyarország, composed of Magyar ('Hungarian') and ország ('country'). The name "Magyar", which refers to the people of the country, more accurately reflects the name of the country in some other languages such as Turkish, Persian, and other languages such as Magyaristan or Land of Magyars or similar. The word Magyar is taken from the name of one of the seven major semi-nomadic Hungarian tribes, magyeri.
Flag
The first use of the flag was in 1848. The Flag of Hungary was adopted on 23 May 1957. The tricolor design of the Hungarian flag is based on the ideas behind the French Revolution.
The flag consists of three horizontal stripes of red, white, and green color.
According to folklore, The red color represents strength, the white color represents faithfulness, and the green color represents hope.
Another representation of the colors of the stripes is: Red is for the blood that was spilled for the nation, white is for freedom, and green represents the nation’s land.
*Flag Facts:
- The flag of Hungary and the flag of Tajikistan are very similar, both have the same colors and the same design the only difference is that the Tajikistan flag is charged with a crown surmounted by an arc of seven stars at the center.
Language
Hungarian is the official language of Hungary and is spoken by the majority of the country’s population, It is not only the most spoken language in the country but also Europe’s 13th most widely spoken language. Several minority languages like Russian, Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovak, Ukrainian, etc., are spoken by the minority communities of the country.
English and German are the popular foreign languages spoken in Hungary.
Religion
Religion in Hungary is predominantly Christian, The wide majority of the population identifies as Roman Catholic. Roman Catholics still form the single largest religious entity.
Quite a lot of Christians have converted from Roman Catholics to the Reformed Church of Hungary. The Reformation dates back to the 16th century when Lutheranism and later Calvinism swept the population.
The Reformed Church, along with numerous other minor Protestant Christian denominations, forms about 13.8% of the total population of Hungary.
The other major religions practiced in Hungary are Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Paganism.
Currency
The Forint (HUF).
Time Zone
+02:00 GMT. (Summer Time)
+01:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Unitary dominant-party parliamentary constitutional republic.
Climate
The climate of Hungary is continental, with cold winters and warm to hot summers. Spring and autumn are mild, but there are frequent changes in temperature, especially in spring. Rainfall is not strong, but it is well distributed throughout the year. During winter, precipitation is quite frequent, and often occurs in the form of snow or storm, while from May to August, thunderstorms can break out during the afternoon. In winter, from December to February, gray skies, clouds, and fogs are frequent. Snowfalls are quite frequent, though not abundant. Sometimes, cold air masses from Russia can lower the temperature by many degrees, down to -20 °C in the worst moments. Summer, from June to August, is warm and quite sunny, though with fairly frequent thunderstorms in the afternoon. Sometimes, warm air masses from Southern Europe can raise the temperature to around 35 °C or even above, for a few days, usually in July and August, but sometimes also in June and September. On the other hand, even in summer, Atlantic weather fronts can sometimes reach the country, bringing cool and rainy weather.
The best periods to visit Hungary are spring and autumn, in particular, the months of May, June, and September. The height of summer, in July and August, is generally a good period as well, although it can sometimes get very hot.
International Phone Code
+36
Internet Code
.hu