Hungary

This week we are in Central Europe and the country of Hungary, which is a landlocked country, the capital is Budapest with the Danube River running through it almost cutting the country in half.

It is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and Slovenia to the southwest, and Austria to the west.

It is believed the Hungarians migrated from Asia over a thousand years ago, how they know this is something I don’t understand.

Its cityscape is studded with architectural landmarks from Buda’s medieval Castle Hill and grand neoclassical buildings along Pest’s Andrássy Avenue to the 19th-century Chain Bridge. Turkish and Roman influence on Hungarian culture includes the popularity of mineral spas, including at thermal Lake Hévíz.

The population is around 10 million, it is an area of around 93,340sq/km, and the official language is Hungarian.

The national flag of Hungary is a horizontal tricolour of red, white and green. In this exact form, it has been the official flag of Hungary since 23 May 1957. The flag's form originates from national republican movements of the 18th and 19th centuries, while its colours are from the Middle Ages. 

The coat of arms of Hungary was adopted on 11 July 1990, after the end of communist rule. The arms have been used before, both with and without the Holy Crown of Hungary, sometimes as part of a larger, more complex coat of arms, and its elements date back to the Middle Ages.

The forint is the currency of Hungary. It was formerly divided into 100 fillér, but fillér coins are no longer in circulation. The introduction of the forint on 1 August 1946 was a crucial step in the post-World War II stabilisation of the Hungarian economy, and the currency remained relatively stable until the 1980s.

The politics of Hungary takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic. The prime minister is the head of government of a pluriform multi-party system, while the president is the head of state and holds a largely ceremonial position.

Hungary's national symbol appears to be an eagle or falcon of some kind, but it's actually an entirely fictional mythical bird known as a “Turul”. The Turul comes from an ancient Hungarian legend.

The national flower is the Tulip, but they are the largest producer of the tulip in the world.