Passport to Budapest [antikvár]

11 WELCOME TO BUDAPEST A glance at the map shows the Budapest, capital of Hungary, is situated in the heart of Central Europe, on both sides of the Danube, a river that flows through eight countries. The river runs 28 km through a city that covers an area of 526 square kilometres and is spanned by eight bridges. On the right bank stands hilly and wooded Buda and on the left bank on the plain, Pest. 2.1 million out of Hungary's 10.7 million inhabitants live in Budapest. Hungary shares borders with five countries: Czechoslovakia to the north, the Soviet Union to the north-east, Romania to the east, Yugoslavia to the south and Austria to the west. The country's central location on the continent determines its climate. The average annual temperature is 10.8 °C. On the average there are over 2,000 hours of sunshine a year. Close to 55 per cent of the population live in the country's 109 towns, due to the very strong process of industrialization and urbanization over the past quarter of a century. The capital has the largest concentration of trade and industry; it is the central point of the eight main railway lines and seven of the eight national highways and is a Danube-shipping, bus and air centre. Budapest is also the centre of cultural life in Hungary. The people of Hungary and Budapest enjoy receiving the many visitors who come here annually. Welcome to Budapest!