Hungary is a landlocked country in central Europe Seven other countries surround Hungary Austria lies to the northwest Across the northern border is Slovakia A small part of Ukraine touches Hungary in the northeast Romania shares a long border with Hungary to the southeast Serbia and Croatia lie to the south and southwest The last bit of the western border is sealed by Slovenia The heart of Hungary is its capital Budapest This elegant city is a union of the historic cities Buda and Pest The two areas are joined by bridges across the scenic Danube River Pest buzzes with activity along the river’s eastern bank Buda stands majestically on the western bank Austria Slovenia 4 Where Is Hungary
W N S E Ukraine Romania Slovakia Hungary Budapest Danube River Serbia Croatia Did you know Hungary used to be much larger than its 35,918 square miles 93,028 square kilometers The country lost more than two-thirds of its land in a peace agreement after World War I 5
Danube River 6 The Land
Hungary is full of low mountains and fertile land In the northwestern corner of the country is the Little Hungarian Plain The Danube River traces the plain’s northern border before bending south A ridge of mountains and green hills crosses Hungary from southwest to northeast Volcanoes formed the tallest peaks The Great Hungarian Plain stretches south of the mountains and east of the Danube Its grasslands are crisscrossed by rivers The Tisza River is the most important river in eastern Hungary Its waters support farms during the dry warm summers Winters can be bitterly cold but autumn and spring are beautiful fun fact Lake Balaton is the largest freshwater lake in central Europe This long narrow lake lies in the hills of western Hungary 7
