| Info about Hungary | |
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.
| | Diseases | | degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
| | Languages | | Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census) | | Drug usage | | transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and cannabis and for South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; limited producer of precursor chemicals, particularly for amphetamine and methamphetamine; efforts to counter money laundering, related to organized crime and drug trafficking, are improving, but remain vulnerable; significant consumer of ecstasy | | Ethnic division | | Hungarian 92.3%, Roma 1.9%, other or unknown 5.8% (2001 census) | | HIV/AIDS prevalence rate | | 0.1% (2001 est.) | | Climate info | | temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers | | Natural Resources | | bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land | | Economic data | | 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 are widespread, with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling more than $60 billion since 1989. Hungary's impending inability to service its short-term debt - brought on by the global credit crunch - in late 2008 led Budapest to seek and receive an IMF-arranged financial assistance package worth over $25 billion. The government's IMF-mandated austerity program has reduced Hungary's projected budget deficit, but the reforms have dampened domestic consumption. Hungary will have meager or negative growth in 2009. | | 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 |
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