Reunion (2002) | Hungary (2004) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons | 19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 20 urban counties (singular - megyei varos), and 1 capital city (fovaros)
counties: Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Csongrad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala urban counties: Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Gyor, Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg capital city: Budapest |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 31.7% (male 120,864; female 115,251)
15-64 years: 62.5% (male 228,864; female 235,991) 65 years and over: 5.8% (male 17,459; female 25,552) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years: 16% (male 826,032; female 782,687)
15-64 years: 69% (male 3,407,931; female 3,517,450) 65 years and over: 15% (male 545,488; female 952,787) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn | wheat, corn, sunflower seed, potatoes, sugar beets; pigs, cattle, poultry, dairy products |
Airports | 2 (2001) | 43 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 18
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 26
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 9 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 2,517 sq km
land: 2,507 sq km water: 10 sq km |
total: 93,030 sq km
land: 92,340 sq km water: 690 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Rhode Island | slightly smaller than Indiana |
Background | The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route. | Hungary was part of the polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under Communist rule following World War II. In 1956, a revolt and announced withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact were met with a massive military intervention by Moscow. Under the leadership of Janos KADAR in 1968, Hungary began liberalizing its economy, introducing so-called "goulash Communism." Hungary held its first multiparty elections in 1990 and initiated a free market economy. It joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004. |
Birth rate | 20.7 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 9.77 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: NA
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
revenues: $35 billion
expenditures: $39.88 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.) |
Capital | Saint-Denis | Budapest |
Climate | tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April | temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers |
Coastline | 207 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) | 18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949, revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997 amendment streamlined the judicial system |
Country name | conventional long form: Department of Reunion
conventional short form: Reunion local long form: none local short form: Ile de la Reunion former: Bourbon Island |
conventional long form: Republic of Hungary
conventional short form: Hungary local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag local short form: Magyarorszag |
Currency | euro (EUR); French franc (FRF) | forint (HUF) |
Death rate | 5.51 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 13.16 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $42.38 billion (2003 est.) |
Dependency status | overseas department of France | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas department of France) | chief of mission: Ambassador George Herbert WALKER
embassy: Szabadsag ter 12, H-1054 Budapest mailing address: pouch: American Embassy Budapest, 5270 Budapest Place, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5270 telephone: [36] (1) 475-4400 FAX: [36] (1) 475-4764 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas department of France) | chief of mission: Ambassador Andras SIMONYI
chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 362-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 966-8135 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York |
Disputes - international | none | Hungary amended the status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in neighboring states, who had objected to the law; Slovakia and Hungary have renewed discussions on ways to resolve differences over the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam on the Danube, with possible resort again to the ICJ for final resolution |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France | ODA $250 million (2000) |
Economy - overview | The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to more than 40% of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France. | Hungary has made the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy, with a per capita income one-half that of the Big Four European nations. Hungary continues to demonstrate strong economic growth and joined the European Union in May 2004. The private sector accounts for over 80% of GDP. Foreign ownership of and investment in Hungarian firms are widespread, with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling more than $23 billion since 1989. Hungarian sovereign debt was upgraded in 2000 to the second-highest rating among all the Central European transition economies. Inflation has declined substantially, from 14% in 1998 to 4.7% in 2003; unemployment has persisted around the 6% level. Germany is by far Hungary's largest economic partner. Short-term issues include the reduction of the public sector deficit and further increasing the flexibility of the labor markets. |
Electricity - consumption | 1.014 billion kWh (2000) | 35.15 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2000) | 7.261 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2000) | 10.43 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 1.09 billion kWh (2000) | 34.39 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 55%
hydro: 45% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m |
lowest point: Tisza River 78 m
highest point: Kekes 1,014 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | the upgrading of Hungary's standards in waste management, energy efficiency, and air, soil, and water pollution with environmental requirements for EU accession will require large investments |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 |
Ethnic groups | French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian | Hungarian 89.9%, Roma 4%, German 2.6%, Serb 2%, Slovak 0.8%, Romanian 0.7% |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997) | forints per US dollar - 224.307 (2003), 257.887 (2002), 286.49 (2001), 282.179 (2000), 237.146 (1999) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Gonthier FRIEDERICI (since NA)
head of government: President of the General Council Jean-Luc POUDROUX (since NA March 1998) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils |
chief of state: Ferenc MADL (since 4 August 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Ferenc GYURCSANY (since 29 September 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 6 June 2000 (next to be held by June 2005); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; election last held 29 September 2004 election results: Ferenc MADL elected president; percent of legislative vote - NA% (but by a simple majority in the third round of voting); Ferenc GYURCSANY elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - 197 to 12 note: to be elected, the president must win two-thirds of legislative vote in the first two rounds or a simple majority in the third round |
Exports | $214 million f.o.b. (1997) | 47,180 bbl/day (2001) |
Exports - commodities | sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993) | machinery and equipment 57.6%, other manufactures 31.0%, food products 7.5%, raw materials 1.9%, fuels and electricity 1.9% (2001) |
Exports - partners | France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (1994) | Germany 34.1%, Austria 8%, Italy 5.8%, France 5.7%, UK 4.5%, Netherlands 4.1% (2003) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $3.4 billion (1998 est.) | purchasing power parity - $139.8 billion (2003 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture: 3.3%
industry: 32.5% services: 64.2% (2003 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $4,800 (1998 est.) | purchasing power parity - $13,900 (2003 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.8% (1998 est.) | 2.9% (2003 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 21 06 S, 55 36 E | 47 00 N, 20 00 E |
Geography - note | this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis, which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean | landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between Ukraine and Mediterranean basin; the north-south flowing Duna (Danube) and Tisza Rivers divide the country into three large regions |
Heliports | - | 5 (2003 est.) |
Highways | total: 2,724 km
paved: 1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road) unpaved: 1,424 km note: 370 km of road are maintained by national authorities, 754 km by departmental authorities and 1,600 km by local authorities (1994) |
total: 188,203 km
paved: 81,680 km (including 438 km of expressways) unpaved: 106,523 km (1999) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 4.1%
highest 10%: 20.5% (1998) |
Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and cannabis and for South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; limited producer of precursor chemicals, particularly for amphetamine and methamphetamine; improving, but remains vulnerable to money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking |
Imports | $2.5 billion c.i.f. (1997) | 136,600 bbl/day (2001) |
Imports - commodities | manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products | machinery and equipment 51.6%, other manufactures 35.3%, fuels and electricity 8.2%, food products 2.9%, raw materials 2.0% (2001) |
Imports - partners | France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (1994) | Germany 24.5%, Italy 7.1%, China 6.9%, Austria 6.3%, Russia 6.2%, France 4.8%, Japan 4.2% (2003) |
Independence | none (overseas department of France) | 1001 (unification by King Stephen I) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 6.4% (2003 est.) |
Industries | sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction | mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles |
Infant mortality rate | 8.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: 8.68 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | 4.7% (2003 est.) |
International organization participation | FZ, InOC, WFTU | Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU (new member), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 120 sq km (1998 est.) | 2,100 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel | Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms) |
Labor force | 261,000 (1995) (1995) | 4.164 million (2003) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 8%, industry 19%, services 73% (1990) (1990) | agriculture 8%, industry 27%, services 65% (1996) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 2,171 km
border countries: Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia and Montenegro 151 km, Slovakia 677 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km |
Land use | arable land: 13.2%
permanent crops: 2% other: 84.8% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 50.09%
permanent crops: 2.06% other: 47.85% (2001) |
Languages | French (official), Creole widely used | Hungarian 98.2%, other 1.8% |
Legal system | French law | rule of law based on Western model |
Legislative branch | unicameral General Council (49 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - various right-wing candidates 13, PCR 10, PS 10, UDF 8, RPR 6, other left-wing candidates 2; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PCR 19, UDF 9, RPR 8, various right-wing candidates 4, various left-wing candidates 5 note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held NA 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, UMP 1, PCR 1 |
unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (386 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional and direct representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 and 21 April 2002 (next to be held NA April 2006) election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote required for parliamentary representation in the first round) - Fidesz/MDF 48.70%, MSzP 46.11%, SzDSz 4.92%, other 0.27%; seats by party - Fidesz 164, MSzP 178, MDF 24, SzDSz 20 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 73.18 years
male: 69.78 years female: 76.74 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 72.25 years
male: 68.07 years female: 76.69 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79% male: 76% female: 80% (1982 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4% male: 99.5% female: 99.3% (2003 est.) |
Location | Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar | Central Europe, northwest of Romania |
Map references | World | Europe |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,264 GRT/44,885 DWT
ships by type: chemical tanker 1 note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: France 1 (2002 est.) |
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,568 GRT/10,025 DWT
by type: cargo 2 registered in other countries: 8 (2004 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | - |
Military branches | no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie) | Ground Forces, Air Forces |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $1.08 billion (2002 est.) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 1.75% (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 194,485 (2002 est.) | males age 15-49: 2,519,052 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 99,251 (2002 est.) | males age 15-49: 2,011,750 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 6,243 (2002 est.) | males: 64,426 (2004 est.) |
National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August |
Nationality | noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)
adjective: Reunionese |
noun: Hungarian(s)
adjective: Hungarian |
Natural hazards | periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano | - |
Natural resources | fish, arable land, hydropower | bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Pipelines | - | gas 4,397 km; oil 990 km; refined products 335 km (2004) |
Political parties and leaders | Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD] | Alliance of Free Democrats or SzDSz [Gabor KUNCZE]; Hungarian Civic Alliance or Fidesz-MPP [Viktor ORBAN, chairman]; Hungarian Democratic Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Democratic People's Party or MDNP [Erzsebet PUSZTAI, chairman]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSzP [Istvan HILLER, chairman]; Hungarian Workers' Party or MMP [Gyula THURMER, chairman] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 743,981 (July 2002 est.) | 10,032,375 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 8.6% (1993 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.52% (2002 est.) | -0.25% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Le Port, Pointe des Galets | Budapest, Dunaujvaros, Gyor-Gonyu, Csepel, Baja, Mohacs (2003) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001) | AM 17, FM 57, shortwave 3 (1998) |
Radios | 173,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | 0 km | total: 7,937 km
broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge standard gauge: 7,682 km 1.435-m gauge (2,628 km electrified) narrow gauge: 219 km 0.760-m gauge (2003) |
Religions | Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) | Roman Catholic 67.5%, Calvinist 20%, Lutheran 5%, atheist and other 7.5% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis
domestic: modern open wire and microwave radio relay network international: radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) |
general assessment: the telephone system has been modernized and is capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunication service
domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was initiated in 1996; heavy use is made of mobile cellular telephones international: country code - 36; Hungary has fiber-optic cable connections with all neighboring countries; the international switch is in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals |
Telephones - main lines in use | 268,500 (1999) | 3,666,400 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 197,000 (September 2000) | 6,862,800 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001) | 35 (plus 161 low-power repeaters) (1995) |
Terrain | mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast | mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border |
Total fertility rate | 2.55 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.31 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 42.8% (1998) (1998) | 5.9% (2003 est.) |
Waterways | none | 1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2004) |