Geography of Budapest

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Located in the heart of Europe, Hungary is known for its stunning and historical cities and relaxing hot springs. Its history traces back to the Magyar tribes who were known as an alliance of semi-nomadic tribes from Southern Russia and the Black Sea coast. These Hungarian ancestors arrived in the ninth century. The Hungarian language is unique and unlike any of the neighboring countries' languages. The Finno-Ugric family is the one who started the Hungarian language and it is one of the handfuls of languages spoken within the European Union that is not of Indo-European origin.

The Hungarian culture thrives on its love for traditional classical and folk music. A few famous Hungarian composers are Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály and Franz Liszt. Hungary also hosts cultural events like Sziget Festival or Budapest Spring Festival. The Sziget Festival is one of the largest music and cultural festivals in Europe. It is held every August in northern Budapest, Hungary, on Óbudai-sziget, which is a pleasant and leafy island right on the Danube. The Budapest Spring Festival is one of the country's oldest festivals, which takes place every year in March and attracts various artists and musicians from all around the world.

The capital city, Budapest, was originally two separate cities known as Buda and Pest and straddles alongside the River Danube. It is rich in history and culture and famed for the curative waters of its springs and spas. Buda on the West side of the river is hilly, suburban, and residential. It is full of narrow streets, which are hard to navigate without public transportation. Many greeneries and trees are seen throughout this old city and filled with autonomous little neighborhoods. The public transportation in Buda is very good, though it is hard to figure out. Next to the river there are beautiful old buildings, churches, monuments, and the castle district. Further south, there are innumerable faceless homes that trace back to the pre- and post- 1900 bureaucracy.

Unlike Buda, Pest is the more urban center of the city, located on the East side of the river. There you can find the parliament, the basilica, the synagogue, the Opera, Music Academy, Central Market Hall, Palace of the Arts, and the National Theatre. All of these attractions are in walking distance of each other. Near the river Buda and Pest offer spectacular views of one another. Between the two cities lies Margaret Island, which hosts many parks and spas. Budapest is known for its spas and has a large number of them on both sides of the river.

There are a wonderful amount of attractions to see and activities to do in the city of Budapest. It is becoming one of the most popular tourist's attractions in Central Europe because of its unique beauty and history.

Geography of Hungary

Hungary is a land-locked county in Central Europe sharing its borders with Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Austria. The country is overall mostly flat, with low mountains in the North.

It is 93,030 square kilometers in size and has a population of 9.7 millions people in 2019. This country attracts many tourists, especially in the warmer months when Hungary's famous hot springs are mostly populated.

The official language is Hungarian, which is closely related to the Finnish and Estonian languages. Many Hungarians are Roman Catholic and participate in all related holidays.

Major Regions in Hungary

  • Northern Hungary
  • Northern Great Plain
  • Southern Great Plain
  • Central Hungary
  • Central Transdanubia
  • Western Transdanubia
  • Southern Transdanubia

Major Cities in Hungary

  • Budapest - capital
  • Debrecen
  • Szeged
  • Miskolc
  • Pécs
  • Gyor
  • Nyíregyháza
  • Kecskemét
  • Székesfehérvár

Landmarks in Hungary

  • Danube River - The river that divides the capital, Budapest, into two.
  • Sopron - a small medieval city that opens to the gorgeous Lovér Hills
  • The Esztergom - This has been the center of Hungary's Roman Catholic Church for a hundred years and is the site of the country's major basilica.
  • Budapest - The capital offers a taste of Hungarian culture and history.
  • Hollóko - A hidden village, which is the epitome of Hungary's folk traditions.

Climate in Hungary

Hungary's climate is quite typical for Europe. The summers are warm and dry and there are fairly cold winters.

January is the coldest of the months with temperatures usually around zero degrees Celsius. Heavy snowfall and snowstorms are not uncommon with the yearly average number of days with snow being less than 40 in the lowland regions and up to 120 for the mountainous regions.

In the summer, the temperatures can range between 20-25 degrees Celsius, but can sometimes be higher than 30 degrees Celsius. The weather is mostly dry and sunny with occasional thunderstorms. July is the warmest month with an average temperature of 22 degrees Celsius.

Time Zone in Hungary

The time zone for Hungary is Central European time Zone (UTC+01:00).

Hungary does participate in daylights savings time. In March the county adds one hour and in October the country subtracts one hour.

Geography of Budapest

Budapest's territory is 525 square kilometers in total. The city is 25 kilometers long from North to South and 29 kilometers wide from East to West. Its deepest point is at Danube, which is about 90 meters above sea level and its highest point is at 529 meters above sea level.

The Danube River divides the city into two territories. The hilly left bank is called Buda and the plain to the right is called Pest.

Budapest is the only capital in the world that has thermal springs. 125 of these springs produce 70 million liters of water a day. Some of these waters have medicine effects due to the purity of the water and its mineral contents.

Climate in Budapest

Budapest has warm to very warm summers. The summers are very long and last from May to September. It is very sunny throughout the summertime.

Autumn has very little rain and long, sunny days with moderate temperatures.

Winter is usually cold with very little sunshine. Snowfall happens frequently in the wintertime and night-time temperatures can drop as low as -15 degrees Celsius from mid-December to mid-February.

Spring has variable conditions and a rapid increase in the average temperature between the months of March and May.

For up to date weather, consult the Weather Network.

Update 27/04/2020

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