Hungary Topography
Figure 6. Topography and Drainage
Most of the country has an elevation of fewer than 200
meters
(see
fig. 6). Although Hungary has several moderately high
ranges
of mountains, those reaching heights of 300 meters or more
cover
less than 2 percent of the country. The highest point in
the
country is Mount Kekes (1,008 meters) in the Matra
Mountains
northeast of Budapest. The lowest spot is 77.6 meters
above sea
level, located in the Hortobagy.
The major rivers in the country are the Danube and
Tisza.
About one-third of the total length of the Danube River
lies in
Hungary; the river also flows through parts of the Federal
Republic of Germany (West Germany), Austria, Yugoslavia,
and
Romania. It is navigable within Hungary for 418
kilometers. The
Tisza River is navigable for 444 kilometers in the
country. Less
important rivers include the Drava along the Yugoslav
border, the
Raba, the Azamos, the Sio, and the Ipoly along the
Czechoslovak
border. Hungary has three major lakes. Lake Balaton, the
largest,
is 78 kilometers long and from 3 to 14 kilometers wide,
with an
area of 592 square kilometers. Hungarians often refer to
it as
the Hungarian Sea. It is Central Europe's largest
freshwater lake
and an important recreation area. Its shallow waters offer
good
summer swimming, and in winter its frozen surface provides
excellent opportunities for winter sports. Smaller bodies
of
water are Lake Velence (26 square kilometers) in Feher
County and
Lake Fertö (Neusiedlersee--about 82 square kilometers
within
Hungary).
Hungary has three major geographic regions: the Great
Plain
(Nagy Alfold), lying east of the Danube River; the
Transdanube, a
hilly region lying west of the Danube and extending to the
foothills of the Alps; and the Northern Hills, which is
Austrian
a mountainous and hilly country beyond the northern
boundary of
the Great Plain.
The Great Plain contains the basin of the Tisza River
and its
branches. It encompasses more than half of the country's
territory. Bordered by mountains on all sides, it has a
variety
of terrains, including regions of fertile soil, sandy
areas,
wastelands, and swampy areas. Hungarians have inhabited
the Great
Plain for at least a millennium. Here is found the
puszta,
a long, and uncultivated expanse (the most famous such
area still
in existence is the Hortobagy), with which much Hungarian
folklore is associated. In earlier centuries, the Great
Plain was
unsuitable for farming because of frequent flooding.
Instead, it
was the home of massive herds of cattle and horses. In the
last
half of the nineteenth century, the government sponsored
programs
to control the riverways and expedite inland drainage in
the
Great Plain. With the danger of recurrent flooding largely
eliminated, much of the land was placed under cultivation,
and
herding ceased to be a major contributor to the area's
economy.
The Transdanube region lies in the western part of the
country, bounded by the Danube River, the Drava River, and
the
remainder of the country's border with Yugoslavia. It lies
south
and west of the course of the Danube. It contains Lake
Fertö and
Lake Balaton. The region consists mostly of rolling
foothills of
the Austrian Alps. However, several areas of the
Transdanube are
flat, most notably the Little Plain (Kis Alfold) along the
lower
course of the Raba River. The Transdanube is primarily an
agricultural area, with flourishing crops, livestock, and
viticulture. Mineral deposits and oil are found in Zala
County
close to the border of Yugoslavia.
The Northern Hills lie north of Budapest and run in a
northeasterly direction south of the border with
Czechoslovakia.
The higher ridges, which are mostly forested, have rich
coal and
iron deposits. Minerals are a major resource of the area
and have
long been the basis of the industrial economies of cities
in the
region. Viticulture is also important, producing the
famous Tokay
wine.
The country's best natural resource is fertile land,
although
soil quality varies greatly. About 70 percent of the
country's
total territory is suitable for agriculture; of this
portion, 72
percent is arable land. Hungary lacks extensive domestic
sources
of the energy and raw materials needed for industrial
development
(see Resource Base
, ch. 3).
Data as of September 1989
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