Hungary is a country in central Europe.

It is landlocked, that means it is completely surrounded

by land and has no sea. Have a look on the map and see all the countries that surround it:
Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia. That’s a lot of countries!
Around 10 million people live in Hungary and the capital is called Budapest. Even though
Hungary is surrounded by many countries, the language isn’t like any of the neighbouring
languages. You can practice saying hello in Hungarian: 'Szia'.

What is Hungary like?

The Danube River divides Hungary into an east and west part. The east part is called Alföld, (the
Great Plains) and is a large flat area. The west is called Dunántúl (Transdanubia) and is hilly
with many small villages and towns. The country has many thermal lakes and the largest natural
grasslands in Europe! Lake Balaton is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary.
It is also the largest lake in Central Europe.
he weather is hot in the summer and not too cold in the winter, which is one of the reasons it’s a
top tourist destination in Europe.

Major cities
Budapest - considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It is known as ‘The Pearl of
the Danube’ and packed with great museums like the Museum of Fine Arts. It is Hungary's
largest and finest art museum.
Debrecen - one of the most important cultural centres and home to the University of Debrecen.
The Great Church in Debrecen is the most important Protestant church in the country.

What is Hungary famous for?

Hungary is famous for folk dances, paprika (ground red peppers) and its many inventors,
including the inventor of the Rubik's cube.
Country regions
Hungary is 93,030 square km in size and is divided into 7 regions: Northern Hungary, Northern
Great Plain, Southern Great Plain, Central Hungary, Central Transdanubia, Western
Transdanubia and Southern Transdanubia.

The flag
The Hungarian flag looks similar to the Italian flag except it has three horizontal stripes instead
of vertical stripes. It is red on the top, white in the middle and green on the bottom.
National symbols and holidays
The national symbols of Hungary are the Holy Crown of Hungary (Crown of Saint Stephen) and
the turul (falcon). The Crown of Hungary is a very loved part of the culture.
The national holiday is Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August.

Government and Economy

Hungary is a member of the European Union and has its own currency called forint (HUF). It has
a parliamentary democracy.
The country’s main industries are tourism, mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed
foods, textiles, chemicals and motor vehicles. Hungary is becoming a major centre for
technology and security.
The land is very fertile and the country grows wheat, corn, sunflower seeds and potatoes. It also
farms cows, pigs and poultry. A Hungarian breed of pigs called Mangalitsa pigs are a unique
breed of pig that look like a mixture between pigs and sheep. Picture that!
ationality: Hungarian
Religion
Hungary has no official religion but it has a Christian history and today, most people associate
themselves to Christianity. St. Stephen is the patron saint of Hungary.
 Hungary has the largest synagogue in Europe. It was built in 1859. A synagogue is a Jewish
place of worship.

Culture and tourist attractions

Hungary is one of the oldest countries in Europe, it was founded before France, Germany and
even England!
Hungary is the perfect place to relax and enjoy a hot lake. There are more than 1000 thermal
lakes in Hungary. Lake Héviz is the largest thermal lake in the world.

With all its lakes and thermal baths, it’s no surprise the national sport of the country is water
polo. The country loves sport and excel in the Olympic Games. Hungary has one of the highest
numbers of Olympic medals per capita.
Hungarians also like dancing. There are a wide variety of folk dances which people of all ages
perform in their traditional clothing.
The food is a mixture of many influences from the east and west. Hungarians love spices,
especially paprika (ground red peppers). One of the most well known Hungarian dishes is called
Goulash. Goulash is a meat and vegetable stew which is seasoned with Hungary’s favourite
spice, can you guess what spice that is? Paprika!
The country also loves foie gras (fatty goose liver), and sour cherry soup. A dessert called
Dobosh is popular. It’s a sponge cake layered with chocolate buttercream, caramel topping and
nuts on the side.

Famous people
Hungary is known for its inventions like the ballpoint pen, thermographic cameras, and the first
working helicopter. Those are some pretty cool things. Here are a few famous people you might
know from the country:
Erno Rubik - invented the Rubik’s cube. Did you know there are 43 252 003 274 489 856 000
different ways to set the cube?!
Monica Seles - was the top-ranked tennis player in the world in the early 1990s.
Albert Szent-Györgyi - a biochemist who discovered Vitamin C.
Ferenc Puskas - is considered one of the greatest football players of all time.

Did you know?

 Hungary was originally settled by the Magyars, fierce horsemen from Asia. This is why the
language spoken there is completely different from other languages in the region. There are only
two similar languages in Europe: Finnish and Estonian.
 Hungary is home to the red fox, white and black storks, the brown hare, badgers, European
minks, and the Arctic wolf.
 In Hungary, parents have a list of children’s names to choose from. If they want to name their
child a name that’s not on the list, they have to submit an application and hope it gets approved!
 The Volkswagen Beetle was created by Hungarian-born engineer Béla Barényi in 1938.
 Hungary is the world’s second leading producer of foie gras (goose liver), after France.
 The highest point in Hungary is Kekes in the Matra mountain range.
 What is the nationality of Hungary?

 Hungarian
 Italian
 Dutch
 German
True or False: Hungary has the largest synagogue in Europe.


What is the largest thermal lake in the world?

 Lake Heviz
 Lake Kiraly
 Lake Lukacs
 Lake Bukfurdo
What is the national sport of Hungary?

 Basketball
 Tennis
 Horse racing
 Water polo
Who is the patron saint of Hungary?

 St. James
 St. David
 St. Stephen
 St. Paul
Subm

True or False: Hungary has one of the highest numbers of Olympic medals per capita. True
A well known Hungarian dish:

 Pizza
 Bratwurst
 Paella
 Goulash
What is the highest point in Hungary?

 Mecsek
 Bukk
 Kekes
 Pilis

______ Rubik invented the Rubik’s cube.

 Erno
 Monica
 Albert
 Ferenc
Hungary is the world’s second leading producer of which food?

 Potatoes
 Peanuts
 Bananas
 Foie gras