Interesting Facts About Hungary
Hungary, officially Republic of Hungary, is a small landlocked country in Central Europe. The country shares a border with Slovakia, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Romania and the Ukraine. It is a member of the European Union and NATO. This formation of the country goes back to 895 as a collection of united tribes. Let’s take a look at some fun facts about Hungary.
Interesting Facts About Hungary
- The capital city of Hungary is Budapest, which is regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It is also the largest city in the country with an estimated population of 1.7 million people. The population of the entire country is estimated to be almost 10 million.
- Hungary covers an area of 93,030 km2 (35,919 sq mi), which makes it the 110th largest country in the world. Hungary was once much larger than this, but lost approximately 72% of its area with the signing of the Treaty of Trianon at the end of World War I.
- Hungary joined the European Union in 2004, along with 9 other countries. Currently, the country still uses its own currency, known as the forint, but is expected to join the Euro at some stage in the future.
- The official language of the country is Hungarian, which is widely regarded to be one of the most difficult languages in the world.
- There is no official religion of Hungary, but 52% of the population identify themselves as Roman Catholic.
- There are 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Hungary. One of the most popular of these sites is Buda Castle in Budapest, built in 1265. It was once the palace used by the Kings of Hungary, but today is a popular tourist attraction.
- Hungarians have a long history of inventions. Some of the most well known inventions created by Hungarians are; Rubik’s cube, ball point pen, tungsten and krypton bulbs, and the carburetor.
- Hungary is also the home of Goulash. This dish is a stew or soup made of meat, vegetables, noodles with paprika and other spices. Many Hungarian dishes are flavoured with paprika, which was invented in Hungary.
- Despite the relative small size and population of the country, Hungary has been very successful in the Summer Olympic Games. At the conclusion of the 2008 Olympics the country has a total of 459 medals, which places them 9th on the all-time medal list. Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Hungary. The national team has won three Olympic titles and have been runner-up in 2 FIFA World Cup Finals.
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