Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is the major political, commercial and transportation center. As well, it is the largest city of the country. Located in the north-central border, Budapest is known as a famous ancient city in Europe, lying alongside the middle reaches of the Danube River since it used to be two isolated cities. After further expansion in several centuries, the city Buda and ancient Buda, which lie on the left side of Danube, amalgamated with Pest, a city standing on the right side of Danube, in 1873. The Danube runs through many European cities and Budapest has been hailed as “The Pearl on the Danube” and “Petite Paris". It is easy to recognize the directions in this city since the Danube is a south-north river. As a result, Buda is in the West and Pest in the East.