Origin and Identity of Budapest People

The Hungarian people know themselves as the “Magyar” people. They call their country “Magyarország” - or the “country of the Magyar people.”

As a result of a series of invasions and occupations, the Hungarian people are in many ways a mixed people - yet maintain a distinct indigenous cultural identification. Because of this, there is no unique Hungarian look or skin tone though the Hungarians are a white-skinned ‘Caucasian’ people. Originating from the Ural Mountains, the closest relatives of the Magyar people are the Finnish people. Their languages have a small degree of overlap in concept and grammar, and therefore both Finnish and Hungarian belong to the Finno-Ugric language family.

The people of Budapest maintain a distinct city ethos (as is common with most major cities) and consider themselves more sophisticated or advanced than those living in the falu (village). Currently, 2.15 million people live within the Budapest Megacity Region and speak Hungarian as their mother tongue.

- by Mark Aderholt, F. Strategy Coordinator, Budapest, IMB

Budapest, people, origin, identity