Size: Approximately 92,103 square kilometers.
Topography: Lies in the central Danube Basin. Rolling foothills in the west; hilly region north of Budapest; remainder of the country to the east and south has a variety of terrains. Highest point: Mount Kekes, 1,008 meters.
Climate: Continental and mild.
Population: Approximately 10.6 million in 1989; average annual growth rate, negative 0.2 percent.
Ethnic Groups: Magyars more than 95 percent of population. Minorities include Gypsies, Germans, Jews, Slovaks, Serbs, Slovenes, Croats, Romanians, and Greeks.
Language: Modern Hungarian spoken by all. Various dialects used at home. Minorities bilingual.
Religion: Religious freedom guaranteed by Constitution. About 67.5 percent Roman Catholic, 20 percent Reformed (Calvinist), 5 percent Lutheran, and 5 percent unaffiliated. Small numbers of other Protestant sects, Uniates, Orthodox, and Jews.
Education: Free, compulsory education from ages six to sixteen. About of half students get vocational and technical training. About 10 percent of population aged eighteen to twentytwo enrolled in regular daytime courses in higher education.
Welfare: Social insurance program includes free health care, unemployment compensation, and retirement benefits. Health care good, with decline in infant mortality and incidence of communicable diseases. High proportion of elderly; pensions low relative to wages.
Data as of September 1989