BudapestBudapest (UKˌb(j)uːdəˈpɛst,_ˌbʊd-,_ˈb(j)uːdəpɛst,ˈbʊd-, USˈbuːdəpɛst,-pɛʃt,_ˌbuːdəˈpɛʃt; ˈbudɒpɛʃt) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population of 1,752,286 over a land area of about . Budapest, which is both a city and county, forms the centre of the Budapest metropolitan area, which has an area of and a population of 3,303,786.