The Natural Conditions

Hungary in the Carpathian Basin is on the eastern fringe of Central Europe.

The country is bordered by Austria in the West, Slovakia in the North, The Ukraine in the North-East,

Rumania in the East, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia in the South. Its area is 930000km .

There are no major differences of altitude. The lowest point of the country -89 m above sea level-is a

section of the river Tisza valley south of Szeged, and the highest point, Kékestető in the Mátra hills, only

rises to 1014 m.

The Danube divides Hungary into two major parts.The varied terrain of Transdanubia lies West of the river

Lake Balaton, one of the largest lake in central Europe, stretches along the middle of the region in a South-

East-North-West direction.

On the northern shores of the lake in and around the Tapolca Basin picturesque, hills of volcanic origin.

The Central Hills of Tarnsdanubia lie between the northern shore of Lake Balaton and the Danube-

bend.Valleys divide the range into clearly distinguished parts, the Bakony, Vértes, Gerecse and Dunazug

Hills.

Rising to 500-600 m the hills contain significant bauxite,manganese and brown-coal deposits.

The fertile soil of the Kisalföld was deposited there by ancient rivers.

The Sopron and Kőszeg Hills on the western border of the country are foothills of the eastern most Alps.

The Nagyalföld, the Great Hungarian Plain lies east of the Danube. Only sand dunes here and there

break the flat country. Almost the whole of the area is under close agricultural cultivation, cereals being the

principal produce. Until the most recent times lonely homesteads consisted of a house or two, where one

or more families made their living cultivating the fields.

The puszta, huge pastures attract many visitors. The intensive development of agriculture, the location of

new industries and the discovery of oil and natural gas in several locations have changed the region.

The Kiskunság and the Hortobágy Nature Conservation Parks, however, still preserve much of the

ancient ways and the traditional landscape. At the Pusztas of Bugac and hortobágy herds of horses and

cattle flocks of sheep, still grazen on unfenced pastures and are herded by men in traditional gear.

The sandy region between the Danube and the Tisza is called the Kiskunság. Orchards and vineyards

cover large areas. The general name of the fertile plains to the East is Tiszántúl.

North of the Great Hungarian Plain in a south-west to north-east direction, lie the Northern-Central Hills.

Starting from the Danube-bend, the Börzsöny, Cserhát, Mátra, Bükk and Zemplén Hills.

They are mostly of volcanic origin excepting the Bükk, where limestone dominates.