Geography
Location:
Central Europe, northwest of Romania
Geographic coordinates:
47 00 N, 20 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total area:
93,030 sq km
land area:
92,340 sq km
comparative area:
slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries:
total:
2,009 km
border countries:
Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia and Montenegro 151 km (all with Serbia), Slovakia 515 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
International disputes:
Gabcikovo Dam dispute with Slovakia
Climate:
temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers
Terrain:
mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border
lowest point:
Tisza River 78 m
highest point:
Kekes 1,014 m
Natural resources:
bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils
Land use:
arable land:
51%
permanent crops:
6%
meadows and pastures:
13%
forest and woodland:
18%
other:
12%
Irrigated land:
1,750 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
an early-1996 government study identified 179 areas that suffer from air pollution, 54 areas with polluted soil, and 32 areas with polluted underground water; the study estimated clean-up costs at $350 million, but the 1996 government budget allocates only about $7 million for this purpose
international agreements:
party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea
Geographic note:
landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between Ukraine and Mediterranean basin
