SSC
Budapest, the capital of Hungary, lies on the banks of which river?
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Answer: Option C — Danube
Detailed Solution
Budapest stands on both banks of the Danube river. The city was formed in 1873 by uniting Buda and Obuda on the hilly west bank with Pest on the flat east bank. Its riverside, including the Hungarian Parliament Building and Buda Castle, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Key facts about the Danube:
- It is about 2,850 km long, the second longest river in Europe after the Volga.
- It rises in the Black Forest region of south-western Germany, at the meeting of the Brigach and Breg streams near Donaueschingen.
It flows generally east and south-east and empties into the Black Sea through a large delta in Romania and Ukraine. The Danube Delta is one of Europe's largest wetlands and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It flows through or along the borders of ten countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine. This is more than any other river in the world.
Capitals on the Danube:
Four national capitals lie on its banks: Vienna (Austria), Bratislava (Slovakia), Budapest (Hungary) and Belgrade (Serbia).
Other features:
The Iron Gates is a famous gorge on the border of Serbia and Romania, where the river cuts through the Carpathian mountains. Large hydroelectric dams have been built there.
The Main-Danube Canal links the Danube to the Main, giving a waterway route across Europe.
The Danube was an important frontier of the Roman Empire.
Johann Strauss II's famous waltz "The Blue Danube" (1867) is named after it.
Budapest facts:
- The Chain Bridge (Szechenyi Bridge), opened in 1849, was the first permanent bridge across the Danube in Hungary.
- The city is known for its thermal baths, such as the Szechenyi and Gellert baths.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The Volga, Europe's longest river, flows through Russia into the Caspian Sea; Volgograd and Kazan lie on it.
- ✗The Vistula is the longest river of Poland and flows past Warsaw and Krakow.
- ✗The Dnieper flows through Kyiv (Ukraine) into the Black Sea.
Quick tip
Remember: Danube capitals = Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade; it flows through ten countries into the Black Sea.
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World Geography — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of World Geography, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the physical and political geography of the world: continents, major countries, mountain ranges, plateaus, rivers, deserts, grasslands, and the world's important cities, ports and resources. Exams test the longest rivers (the Nile and the Amazon), the highest peaks and the ranges they belong to, the largest deserts, and the local names of grasslands, such as the Prairies, Pampas, Steppes and Veld. Questions on cities located on rivers, such as Baghdad on the Tigris or London on the Thames, are also common. Practise the world geography questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.