Hungary, a landlocked nation in Central Europe, has a colorful past going back at least 1,100 years. The Magyar peoples arrived in the Carpathian basin in 896 AD. In 1,000 AD the Pope crowned Stephen king of the Magyars.

Part of the Austro-Hungarian empire from 1867, the Hungarians lost considerable territory and population as a result of the aftermath of World War I and fell under Soviet domination following World War II.

Hungary became known for its rebellion against Soviet rule in 1956, resistance which was brutally suppressed. So it is fitting that Hungary should have been the first Communist bloc country to begin privatizing its economy and record positive economic growth, and the first to abandon Marxism and institute a multi-party democracy in 1990.

Evidence of the economic and social progress made lies in the fact that Hungary joined the European Union in 2004 and is looking forward to adopting the Euro by 2010.

Hungary’s charming capital, Budapest, cut in half by the Danube river, has been called the Paris of the East. Although small, Hungary’s Lake Balaton is the largest lake in Europe. While it has a population that is 64% urban, agriculture is still an important part of the economy. Hungarians’ mother tongue, Magyar, is a Finno-Ugric language, distinct from its Slavic or Germanic neighbors.

• Area: 93,030 sq km
• Population: 9.7 million
• Capital: Budapest
• Population: 1.8 million
• Language: Hungarian
• Website: Hungary- Tourism

Source: Operation World 2001