Hungary, officially the Hungarian Republic, is a country located in the heart of Central Europe, situated within the Carpathian Basin. It is bordered by six nations: Austria to the west, Slovenia and Croatia to the southwest, Serbia to the south, Romania to the east, and Slovakia and Ukraine to the north and northeast. The nation's capital and largest city is Budapest, which sits on the confluence of the Danube and the Sava rivers. With a population of approximately 9.7 million people, Hungary maintains a rich cultural heritage, drawing from its history as a crossroads of empires and its unique blend of Central European traditions.