Hungary Geography Profile 2008

Location

Central Europe, northwest of Romania

Geographic coordinates

47 00 N, 20 00 E

Map references

Europe

Area

total: 93,030 sq km
land: 92,340 sq km
water: 690 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries

total: 2,171 km
border countries: Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia 151 km, Slovakia 677 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Climate

temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

Terrain

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

Elevation extremes

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)

Total renewable water resources

120 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 21.03 cu km/yr (9%/59%/32%)
per capita: 2,082 cu m/yr (2001)

Environment - current 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

Environment - international 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

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