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Hungary is a beautiful little country in Eastern Europe with one of the greatest capital cities in the world, several baroque towns, many small villages, rolling hills and one of the largest lakes in Europe: Balaton. The lively capital, Budapest, is a fascinating mix of a multitude of styles, and has an overwhelming atmosphere which is best experienced randomly wandering among its rambling buildings. Budapest is separated into two parts (Buda and Pest) by the Danube river: Pest is the flat one (downtown Budapest belongs here), and Buda is a rather hilly area, including two of the best vantage points of the city: Castle Hill (housing the quaint Castle District) and Gellért Hill
Geography
Main article: Geography of Hungary
Hungary's landscape consists mostly of the flat to rolling plains of the Carpathian Basin, with hills and lower mountains to the north along the Slovakian border (highest point: the Kékes at 3,327 ft; 1,014 m). Hungary is divided in two by its main waterway, the Danube (Duna); other large rivers include the Tisza and Drلva, while the western half contains Lake Balaton, a major body of water. The largest thermal lake in the world, Lake Hévz (Hévz Spa), is located in Hungary. The second largest lake in the Carpathian Basin is Lake Theiss (Tisza-tَ).
Climate
Hungary has a continental climate, with cold, cloudy, humid winters and warm to hot summers. Average annual temperature is 9.7 °C (49.5 °F). Temperature extremes are about 38 °C (100 °F) in the summer and −29 °C (−20 °F) in the winter. Average temperature in the summer is 27 to 32 °C (81 to 90 °F), and in the winter it is 0 to −15 °C (32 to 5 °F). The average yearly rainfall is approximately 600 millimetres (24 in). A small, southern region of the country near Pécs enjoys a Mediterranean climate.
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