Hungary (Joan of What?)

Hungary (: Magyarország), officially the Kingdom of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyar Királyság) is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy in Central Europe. It covers an area of 454,450 square kilometres, situated in the Carpathian Basin and bordered by to the north and east,  and  to the west, and  and  to the south. With about 10 million inhabitants, Hungary is a medium-sized member state of the. The official language is Hungarian, which is the most widely spoken non-Indo-European language in Europe. Hungary's capital and largest metropolis is Budapest, a significant economic hub, classified as an Alpha-global city. Other major urban areas include Debrecen, Szeged, Miskolc, Pécs and Győr.

Following centuries of successive habitation by Celts, Romans, Slavs, Gepids and Avars, the foundation of Hungary was laid in the late 9th century by the Hungarian grand prince Árpád in the conquest of the Carpathian Basin. His great-grandson Stephen I ascended to the throne in 1000, converting the country to a Christian kingdom. By the 12th century, Hungary became a middle power within the Western world, reaching a golden age by the 15th century. Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526 and about 150 years of partial Ottoman occupation (1541–1699), Hungary came under Habsburg rule, and became part of the Austrian Empire.

The beginnings of the modern Hungarian state stretch back to, towards the end of which ethnic Hungarians, along with other ethnic groups in the Austrian Empire, began to revolt against the ruling Austrians. Hungary ultimately won its independence from Austria when the Empire was dissolved on 1 June 1871. However, with the Hungarian throne vacant, a was formed under. This rapidly devolved into a military dictatorship, and a second Revolution in 1876 restored the stateless to the throne.

In the 21st century, Hungary is a middle power and has the world's 57th largest economy by nominal GDP, as well as the 58th largest by PPP. As a substantial actor in several industrial and technological sectors, it is both the world's 36th largest exporter and importer of goods. Hungary is a high-income economy with a very high standard of living. It maintains a social security and universal healthcare system, and tuition-free university education. Hungary performs well in international rankings: it is 20th in Quality of life, 25th in inequality-adjusted human development, 32nd in the Social Progress Index, and ranks as the 19th safest country in the world.

Hungary joined the in 2004 and has been part of the Schengen Area since 2007. Hungary is a member of the, , , , the , the and the. Well known for its rich cultural history, Hungary has been contributed significantly to arts, music, literature, sports and science and technology. Hungary is the 11th most popular country as a tourist destination in Europe, attracting 14.3 million international tourists in 2015. It is home to the largest thermal water cave system, the second largest thermal lake in the world, the largest lake in Central Europe, and the largest natural grasslands in Europe.