Hungarians, Czechs, and Slovaks

Chapter 7 Section 2

Hungary (1)

• The size of Indiana• Landlocked• Depends on the Danube River for trade and

transportation. It flows 1,776 miles, before emptying into the Black Sea.

Hungary (2)

• The East has excellent soil and relies on farming

• The Carpathian Mountains rise in the North• Hungarians vacation near Lake Balaton, on of

Europe's largest lakes.

The Economy

• Farmers grow corn, sugar, beets, wheat, potatoes, and grapes.

• Natural resources include coal, petroleum, and natural gas.

• Manufacturing: food, beverages, tobacco, machines, chemicals and metals.

Hungarians

• Magyars came to the Danube area from Central Asia about 1,000 years ago. They were nomads. Eventually they set up a large kingdom and adopted Christianity.

• In the 1500s the Ottoman Turks and the Austrians ruled Hungry.

• In 1867 Austria and Hungry formed one empire. They were defeated in WWI. Hungry lost territory and became the landlocked country it is today.

Nomads

• People who move from place to place, often with herds of animals.

The Czech Republic

• A landlocked country• Enjoy a high standard of living• Large fertile areas make Czech Republic a

major agricultural producer.

The Czechs

• Slavic groups settled in the Czech region around A.D. 400.

• By the 900s the Czech had adopted Christianity and formed a kingdom, called Bohemia. It became part of the Austrian Empire.

• The Czechs and Slovaks formed Czechoslovakia.• Czechoslovakia came under the Soviet rule• Today the Czech Republic is a parliamentary

democracy.

Slovakia (1)

• Carpathian Mountains tower over the northern region

• Rich in iron ore, lead, zinc and copper• The southern region has rugged peaks, thick

forests and blue lakes.• Farmers grow barley, corn, potatoes, sugar,

beets and grapes.

Slovakia (2)

• After the fall of Communism, Slovakian leaders set out to privatize business. Setting up a free market has been difficult

• Some government officials acted corruptly, giving advantages to themselves and friends. This made few foreign companies willing to start new business here.

Privatize

• Factory ownership transfers from the government to individual citizens.