Natural resources of Hungary. Natural resources of Hungary

Water resources.

Hungary is entirely located in the Danube basin, the second largest after the Volga European river. Its length is 2850 km. The length of the section of the channel flowing through the territory of Hungary is 410 km. Most of the country's rivers flow into the Danube, including the Tisza, out of a total length of 960 km. Almost 600 km lies within the borders of Hungary. All these rivers originate in the Alps or Carpathians.

The mountain origin of the rivers determines the peculiarities of their regime. The Danube is characterized by two floods: spring - during the period of snow melting, and summer - during the melting of glaciers in the mountains. The decrease in the number of runoff occurs in October - December. The amplitude of fluctuations in water levels in rivers is significant, so the difference between the highest and lowest water levels observed in the Danube in the Budapest region reaches almost 9 meters. Large areas along the Tisza were at risk of flooding. The hydraulic construction work carried out made it possible to regulate the flow of this river and eliminate the possibility of it overflowing its banks, which ensured stable navigation.

Hungary has the largest lake Central Europe- Balaton. Its surface area is 600 km 2, length - 78 km, width - 15 km. The lake and its surroundings have become a resort and tourist area of international importance.

There are quite a few small lakes in the country, especially between the Tisza and Danube rivers. They are surrounded by seating areas. The lakes are also used for fish farming. Hungary is very rich in groundwater, thermal and medicinal springs. Reserves groundwater are found almost throughout the entire country and are concentrated under its flat parts, lying at a depth of 500 to 1500 m. The temperature of the water layers is from 30 to 80 degrees. IN Lately underground sources are increasingly being used to supply settlements clean water.

From geological faults stretching from north to south in the middle part of the country, numerous large and small streams of mineral and medicinal thermal waters make their way to the surface of the earth. The daily influx of water from all sources reaches 70 million liters. Thanks to this, per capita, Hungary is the country richest in mineral and medicinal waters in Europe. The largest and most famous hydrotherapy resorts are located in the Balaton area, in Budapest, near Miskolc and in Alfold.

Mineral resources.

Hungary is not rich in mineral resources. The country does not have large reserves of iron ore, coal or oil; reserves of many other types of raw materials are quite limited.

The main mineral deposits are located mainly in hilly and mountainous regions and are associated with alpine folding.

Fuel and energy resources in Hungary are represented by coal deposits, natural gas and oil. The total geological reserves of coal are currently estimated at almost 9 billion tons. The quality and calorific value of coal is low. Of all reserves, more than 60% is lignite, approximately 25% is brown coal and only 15% is hard coal. A significant part of the fields suitable for development are characterized by unfavorable conditions: very limited thickness of the layers, their oblique bedding, and fragmentation. Therefore, the coal industry has recently been curtailing production at small and even medium-sized low-profit mines, and at the same time large deposits of brown coal and lignite are being developed in places where open-pit mining is possible. Coal reserves are concentrated in the Mecek Mountains. Coal found in the Komolo region is classified as coking coal.

Gas and oil reserves are small in size. They are concentrated in deposits of the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods, in intermountain troughs different sizes. At the beginning of this century, oil deposits were discovered in the foothills of the Bükk massif, where small-sized layers lay in volcanic tuffs. After several years of mining, they were completely depleted. Larger oil deposits were discovered later southwest of Lake Balaton, in the Zana region. Their development began in the late 30s and was carried out quite intensively over two and a half decades. By now, reserves here are also largely exhausted.

In the 50-60s, the development of the Alföld oil fields began in Hungary, which turned out to be one of the largest in the country and made it possible to maintain the level of production at the achieved level, and subsequently even slightly exceed it. Oil reserves have been found mainly in the central and southern regions of the Alföld. The layers here are located one below the other. They are located at a depth of 3-4 thousand meters and differ relatively low pressure. Currently, the country is exploring predicted oil reserves at a depth of 6-9 thousand meters.

Natural gas deposits in Hungary are more significant. They are located in approximately the same areas as the oil fields. The largest reserves were discovered in the Alföld province. Over the past decade, of the hydrocarbon fuel resources explored here, most of them have been gas.

The country's natural gas reserves are characterized by low sulfur content, which greatly facilitates its processing and use. However, the calorific value of the produced gas is very uneven: it varies depending on the field from 2.5 to 11 thousand kcal/m3. The recently discovered reserves contain a high proportion of inert gases, some of which are also used.

The only iron ore deposits in the country are located in the northeast, near the village of Rudobanya. The average iron content in the ore here is less than 30%. Therefore, its production was constantly reduced, and in the second half of the 50s it was completely stopped.

The manganese ore reserves in Hungary are the third largest in Europe. Manganese ore deposits are located in the Bakon Mountains, in the Urkut region, where 90-95% of them are mined.

Hungary has one of the most significant bauxite deposits in Europe. The main bauxite deposits are located in Dunantul, north of Balaton - in the Bakony and Vertes mountains. The largest deposits cover an area of several square kilometers, the thickness of the layers varies from 2 to 30 meters. Total reserves are estimated at more than 100 million tons. Approximately 45% of them are of medium and high quality. Hungary ranks sixth in the world in bauxite mining.

In the mountains of Börzeny, Matra and Zemplén there are small deposits of polymetallic ores containing tin, lead, and molybdenum.

The uranium ores discovered in Hungary are important. Their deposits were discovered in the south of the country, near the city of Pecs. Uranium ore here lies at a depth of up to 1 thousand meters. These reserves are sufficient to provide fuel nuclear power plants total power about 400 MW.

Hungary is well supplied with raw materials for production building materials. These are limestones, sand, building stone, kaolin, perlite, quartzites. At the same time, there are no other types of minerals in the country; there are no reserves of rocks containing potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, and used in the production of mineral fertilizers.

Archaeological research shows that the Great Plain, like other parts of Hungary, was once covered with forest. But the first conquerors from Asia cut down almost all the forests, the destruction of which continued throughout the entire period of protracted wars with the Turks. The systematic draining of swamps carried out on the Great Plain has sharply reduced the level of groundwater, and most of the vegetation died. Today, the emergence of natural forest is hampered by relatively low elevations. In the midlands of the west and north there are small areas spruce and pine forest. For the mountains and Transdanubian regions, wooded deciduous terrain with chestnut, oak, birch and linden is typical. However, as they approach the Great Plain, they quickly disappear, since steppe conditions prevail here.

Thanks to the reclamation of deserts with the help of irrigation and artificial afforestation, it was possible to stop the process of degradation of the plain, as a result of which the agricultural turnover was replenished with the maximum possible area of land. Thus, steppes and forest-steppes are now almost everywhere occupied by cultivated vegetation. The reed thickets that were previously common in wetlands have disappeared almost completely. Broad-leaved forests are preserved in national parks. The largest protected area of the steppes is Hortobágy, located to the west of Debrecen. National parks are an object of tourism and their visit is included in the program of numerous tour operators.

Forests of Hungary

Now coniferous and deciduous tracts occupy about 1.5 million hectares. In Hungary, 130 landscaped parks and forest zones. The largest forest park with an area of 28 thousand hectares is the park located in Polishna, near Budapest. Hungarians have achieved a lot in rational use wood - more than 7 million cubic meters are harvested annually. They found a use for waste, which made it possible to expand the production capacity of particle boards and fiberboards.

In many industries due to the strict economy of wood coniferous species Its use is completely prohibited. This helps save several tens of thousands of cubic meters of lumber per year. According to logging plans, the proportion of the territory occupied by forest is constantly increasing, which will be ensured through the planting of new forests, more intensive development of forestry and the spread of fast-growing tree species. Now forests occupy only 17% of the country's territory.

Soils and minerals

The soil cover of Hungary is diverse. The most fertile soils are black soils, but they are found only in the south of the Great Plain. The most common type is podzolic and chestnut soils. They cover about 40% of the country's territory. Brown forest soils are also widespread. Almost all of Hungary is located in the steppe zone, most of which is plowed and turned into arable land. The vegetation cover is highly modified by humans. The natural resources and conditions of Hungary, combined with significant labor resources and excellent economic and geographical position create the necessary preconditions for the development of the country.

Internal resources play an important role in its raw material and fuel and energy balances. Hungarian bauxite is of international importance. But the country does not have enough coking coal and oil, some metals, some chemical raw materials, and not enough iron ore. In terms of reserves of energy sources, it is inferior to many European countries. Therefore, Hungary uses its natural resources rationally and establishes economic cooperation with other countries, which makes it possible to provide the industry with the missing types of raw materials and fuel.

Landlocked, it is surrounded on all sides by land borders with other states. The capital of Hungary is the city. Other large Hungarian cities are Debrecen, Miskolc, Szeged, Pecs, Győr, Nyiregyháza, Kecskemét, Szekesfehérvár. The largest city in the country is its capital - Budapest. The city also has a population of over a million people. The rest of the Hungarian cities do not have a population of over a million people. Hungary has a population of almost 10 million people and is a fairly densely populated country in Europe. Hungary is one of the few countries in the European Union that is not part of the euro area, but has its own national currency, the forint. The country is located in the same time zone. The difference with universal time is one hour.

Hungary has land borders with, and.

In Hungary, about 20% of the territory is covered by forests. Basically, the country's territory is dominated by flat terrain.

Despite the fact that the country is dominated by plains, there are several mountain systems and ranges: the Matra massif, the Bükk massif, the Western Carpathians, the Bakony Mountains, the Börzen massif, the Alpokalya massif. The most high point Hungary - Mount Kekes. The height of this peak is 1014 meters.

Hungary has many famous and large rivers. The largest of them is the Danube. The length of the Danube across Hungary is 417 km. The very same long river Tisza is considered - its length on Hungarian territory is 579 km. Others large rivers Hungary: Zadwa (length in Hungary 170 km), Raba (length in Hungary 160 km), Ipel (length in Hungary 145 km), Drava (length in Hungary 143 km), Zala (length in Hungary 139 km ), Körös (length in Hungary 138 km), Sajó (length in Hungary 123 km), Szío (length in Hungary 121 km), Gornad (length in Hungary 118 km). Hungary also has picturesque lakes. The largest and most beautiful Hungarian lake is Lake Balaton. It is considered the most large lake Central Europe. Other large Hungarian lakes are Vadkert, Velence, Selid, Feneketlen, Heviz, Ereg.

Hungary is administratively divided into twenty counties (provinces): Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Csongrad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Jas-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom- Esztergom, Nograd, Pest (Budapest), Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprém, Zala, Budapest.

Map

Roads

Hungary has an excellent network railways. Hungarian trains run exactly on schedule; from Budapest you can travel by train to any corner of the country.

Hungary has at its disposal several high-speed highways that are not inferior in quality to German or Dutch ones. The country's road network also allows access to any populated area.

Story

Hungary has rich history, this state has gone through many historical eras, and on its territory there were many states:

a) the so-called period “Hungary before the Hungarians” - the settlement of Slavic tribes on the territory of modern Hungary, the formation of the state of Great Moravia, the beginning of the migration of Hungarians from the Southern Urals and the territory of modern Bashkiria (c), the fall of Great Moravia under the pressure of arriving Hungarian tribes, (the so-called The era of the conquest of the Great Homeland on the Danube) - until 955;

b) the Kingdom of Hungary - since 1000, the conversion of Hungarians to the Catholic faith, attempts to extend their influence to Kievan Rus, wars with Byzantium, loss of part of the lands as a result of military conflicts;

c) Hungary under the Mongol-Tatar yoke (since 1241) - Mongol-Tatar raids on the Danube steppes, capture of cities, deportation of the population Golden Horde into captivity and slavery;

d) strengthening of the Hungarian Kingdom after the departure of the Mongol-Tatars (since 1300) - expansion of territories from the Baltic to the Black Sea, capture of Italian principalities and annexation of their territories to the Hungarian crown, capture of Serbia, wars with the Czech Hussites), attempts by the Austrian Empire to annex Hungary;

e) Hungary as a part - since 1526 - forced Islamization of the Hungarian population, simultaneous wars with the Austrian Empire, loss of independence, division of Hungary into two parts: the western part became part of the Ottoman Empire, the eastern part became part of the Habsburg Empire (Austrian Empire);

f) Hungary is completely part of the Austrian Empire - the reconquest of the western Hungarian lands captured by the Turks by the Austrians - since 1687;

g) Hungary as part of Austria-Hungary - since 1867 - participation in the First World War, defeat in the war, the collapse of Austria-Hungary into Austria and Hungary;

h) Hungarian People's Republic (since 1919) - the fall of royal power, republican form of government;

i) Hungarian Soviet Republic(since 1919) - communist rule, capture of part of Hungary by Romania, occupation of the country by Romania, fall of the communist regime, military coup led by Admiral Horthy;

j) Horthy Hungary (1920 - 1944) - rapprochement and alliance with, war against on the side fascist Germany, liberation of Hungary from the Nazis;

k) Hungarian People's Republic (1949 - 1989), - the establishment of a socialist system in the country;

l) Modern Hungary - the fall of the communist regime (1989), economic reforms, accession to NATO and the European Union.

Minerals

Hungary is not rich in mineral resources, but has a small amount of its own strategic energy resources. Most of the energy resources are imported from other countries, and a larger amount from Russia. Oil is produced in small quantities; more than two-thirds of the required demand is imported from other countries. There are also deposits of coal and natural gas in Hungary, but they also do not meet the country’s full needs for these energy resources.

Other minerals produced in Hungary include bauxite, brown coal, iron ores, manganese ores, lead, and zinc. Molybdenum, tin, lead, uranium, limestone, construction sand, quartzite, perilla, fire clay, kaolin, bentonite, volcanic glass, perlite, dolomite, talc.

Climate

Hungary is one of the sunniest countries in Central Europe. Here is the quantity sunny days per year significantly exceeds the number of cloudy days. The climate of Hungary is temperate continental. Here mild winter, snow falls often, but there are no severe frosts in the country. In the mountainous part of the country, winter is more severe. Lots of snowfalls and blizzards. Summer in the lowland part of the country is quite hot and sometimes dry. In mountainous areas, summers are cooler, with frequent rain and thunderstorms.

Hungary is rich in underground waters, thermal and medicinal springs. Groundwater reserves are found throughout almost the entire territory of the country and are concentrated under its flat parts, lying at a depth of 500 - 1500 m. From geological faults stretching from north to south in the middle part of the country, numerous large and small flows of mineral and medicinal minerals make their way to the surface of the earth thermal waters. The daily influx of water from all sources reaches 70 million liters. Thanks to this, per capita, Hungary is the country richest in mineral and medicinal waters in Europe. The largest and most famous hydrotherapy resorts are located in the Balaton area, in Budapest, near Miskolc and in Alfold.

West of the Danube is Lake Balaton, the largest in Central Europe and the warmest in the region. Of the rivers, besides the Danube, the Tisza is important.

There are many manifestations of karst in the limestone mountains, especially in the North Borsod Karst Mountains, and there are hot mineral springs.

The soil cover is different great variety(about 35 soil regions with their own soil complex are identified). The dominant type is chestnut and podzolic soils, covering about 40% of the country's territory. About 25% of Hungary's area is occupied by black soil. Various brown forest soils are also widespread. Almost 3/5 of the country's territory is occupied by arable land.

Previously, there were many forests in the country. In our time, vegetation has been greatly modified by humans. Forests occupy 13.5% of the area, mainly on mountain slopes, above 300 - 400 m. In some mountainous areas, artificial forest plantations have been created. The vegetation of the lowlands belongs to the forest-steppe type, and in the Great Hungarian Lowland there are steppes known as “pusta” or “pushta”. Relatively low elevations prevent the emergence of natural forest, which occupies about 15 - 18% of the country's territory. Forest-steppes and steppes are almost everywhere replaced by cultivated vegetation.

The fauna is typical of Central Europe and, thanks to intensive hunting, is rich. Main species: red deer, roe deer, wild boar, brown hare. The most common birds are pheasant, gray partridge, wild duck, stork Hungary has five national parks, one of which, Hortobágy, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Waterfowl live along the banks of rivers and lakes. Big variety species of freshwater fish.

Hungary is located in the southern temperate zone. The climate in this country is temperate continental, with influences from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is determined by the influence of western winds and the location of the country inside the Carpathian mountain arc. The mountains trap cold air masses from the north and northeast, so winters are mild and summers are long and hot. Spring is early, relatively rainy, with changeable weather. Autumn is long and warm, but there are frequent fogs and rains. Snow rarely falls in winter: 2 - 5 times a year. The sun shines in Budapest 2054 hours a year, of which 1526 hours occur between April and September. Precipitation on the plains ranges from 900 mm per year in the southwest to 450 mm per year in the northeast.

Hungary is not rich natural resources: deposits of bauxite, lignite, as well as already severely depleted reserves of natural gas and oil are of industrial importance. Deposits of uranium and copper-polymetallic ores are not currently being developed. The country does not have large reserves of iron ore, coal or oil; reserves of many other types of raw materials are quite limited. The main mineral deposits are located mainly in hilly and mountainous regions and are associated with alpine folding. Fuel and energy resources in Hungary are represented by deposits of coal, natural gas and oil. The quality and calorific value of coal is low. Of all reserves, more than 60% is lignite, approximately 25% is brown coal and only 15% is hard coal. A significant part of the fields suitable for development are characterized by unfavorable conditions: very limited thickness of the layers, their oblique bedding, and fragmentation. Therefore, the coal industry has recently been curtailing production at small and even medium-sized low-profit mines, and at the same time large deposits of brown coal and lignite are being developed in places where open-pit mining is possible. Coal reserves are concentrated in the Mecek Mountains. Coal found in the Komolo region is classified as coking coal.

General information

Hungary has a variety of mineral resources, but their reserves are usually small. The main mineral resources are located in the mountainous regions in the west and north of the country, in particular in the region of the Central Hungarian Mountains and in the Carpathian region.

The basis of Hungary's energy resources is coal, mainly brown coal (2/3 of the total coal reserves). In addition, there are deposits of oil, natural gas and oil shale. Brown coal is found in many areas of Northern and Western Hungary. Small reserves of coal are scattered in the southwest of the country, in the Mecek Mountains, near the city of Pecs. The most significant oil and natural gas deposits are in the southwest, in the area of Nagykanizsa. Oil has also been discovered in the north of the Alföld.

Among the resources of metallurgical raw materials, bauxite stands out in large reserves. Large reserves of this valuable aluminum ore, occupying one of the first places in the world, are located in Western Hungary, in the region of the Central Hungarian Mountains and the Mecsek Massif. Hungarian bauxite is different high quality and ease of occurrence - they can be mined open method. They are located near coal deposits and not far from the Danube.

Hungary is not rich in other metals, especially iron ore. The country's only iron ore deposit is located in the mountains of Northern Hungary, in the Rudabanya region. Ore reserves are small and their quality is low. Small deposits of polymetallic ores are located in the Matra Mountains, deposits of manganese ores are in the mountains southwest of Budapest and in the north (near the city of Eger). There are also uranium ores.

Building materials are found in many areas of Hungary.

Oil and gas. According to the data, oil resources in Hungary in 2002 amount to 22 million tons. Rodov. oil and gas are fundamentally connected. with Neogene pelitic deposits. Oil and gas genera are confined to the Pliocene lower Pannonian sandy horizons. Budafa, Lovasi and Kunmadaras-Tatarules. All deposits are of a strata-vaulted nature, in places with lithological or tectonic screening. In the Pliocene lower and upper Pannonian sandstones, genera are confined. Baboc-Gjorgeteg, and also parts of Battonya, Pustafjoldvar and Aldjo. Gas birth. Hajduszoboszlo belongs to the Pliocene Upper and Lower Pannonian sandstones, Sarmatian oolitic limestones and flysch series of the Upper Cretaceous and Eocene. In the west of the country, 14 massive oil deposits have been identified in the Upper Triassic dolomites and Upper Cretaceous limestones of the Nagylendiel uplift. Gas and oil births. The northeastern Kishkunhalash is confined to Miocene fragmentary carbonate formations, as well as to the weathered zone of the crystalline basement and Mesozoic carbonate strata. In the east of the country, Sharkadkerestur gas condensate deposits are confined to a massive trap with a height of approx. 400 m in fractured, weathered rocks of crystalline outcropping.

Methane reserves in coal deposits are bass. Mecsek are estimated at 140 billion m?.

Coal. Childbirth. coal are presented mainly brown coal and lignite. Recoverable coal reserves as of 2001 are: 198 million tons of hard coal, 194 million tons of brown coal and 2,700 million tons of lignite. Most lignite deposits in the country are known and explored. Lignite was found only in two places - Torony, Bukkabrany. The only bass. coking coal - Mechek. The thickness of the coal seams is 0.4-7.4 m, drop to 40°, ash content 38.2%. Characteristic high methane content and the tendency of coal to sudden gas emissions and spontaneous combustion. Pech and Komlo in the southwest have small reserves of low-grade anthracite. The formation of the Mesozoic lignite basin dates back to the Late Cretaceous. in the foothills of Bakony. In the coal-bearing strata there are 5-7 layers of brown coal with a total thickness of 12-15 m. The lower calorific value of the working fuel is 16.6 MJ / kg, ash content is 21%. Part of lignite genera. the foothills of Bakony belong to the Eocene (bass Oroslansky and Tatabansky). The total reserves of brown coal of categories A + B + C1 are approx. 3200000000 t.

Manganese, iron. Explored reserves of manganese ores are included in the genera. Urkut, iron ores are located in the Miskolc region (in the northeast) - childbirth. Rudabanya (known since the 13th century). The thickness of the manganese ore layers is 1-12 m, the manganese content is 14-26%.

Bauxite. In terms of bauxite reserves, Vietnam ranks second in Europe (after Greece). Basic childbirth concentrated in the central part of the country and belong to the Cretaceous. There are several types of deposits: strata (Iskaszentdjörgy, Halimba, Nagyedháza), lens-shaped (Nyirád, Iharkut), karst (Iharkut, Fenyofyó), tectonic-graben (Bakonyoslop, Fenyofyó), nested (Nagyharskány) and their combinations. The thickness of the deposits is 1-100 m, mineral composition: Al 2 O 3 46-58%, SiO 2 1-10%, Fe 2 O 3 17-27%, TiO 2 2-3%. Typical bauxite genera. - Halimba and Nyirad.

Polymetals and copper. The only birth. lead-zinc ores - Gyongyosorosi. Resources copper ores B. related to childbirth. River ((Recsk)), located west of the Mátra Mountains (in eastern Hungary). The ores contain 1-2% Pb, 4-5% Zn and 0.2-0.4% Cu. Childbirth. is developed underground.

Non-metallic minerals. Large reserves of non-metallic minerals are localized in approximately 2,000 deposits and occurrences, shared resources which amount to 16,000 million tons. Of non-metallic c.c. known genera. refractory clays, bentonite, kaolin, as well as non-metallic materials. As of January 1, 2001, industrial reserves of clays for construction ceramics were estimated at 960 million tons, limestone for cement - 1350 million tons, artificial stone- 2 billion tons, construction gravel - 2.8 billion tons, construction sand- 300 million tons, perlite - 28 million tons, diatomite - 10 million tons, refractory clay - 10 million tons, fine ceramic clay- 7 million tons. In terms of perlite reserves, Vladimir ranks 4th among EU countries (2003).