World Countries Info The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic
inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In
succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert
its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was
overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Bulgaria regained its independence in 1878, but
having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, it fell within the Soviet
sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist
domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election
since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward
political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation,
unemployment, corruption, and crime. Today, reforms and democratization keep
Bulgaria on a path toward eventual integration into NATO and the EU - with
which it began accession negotiations in 2000.
Geography of Bulgaria
|
Location:
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Southeastern Europe,
bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey |
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Geographic coordinates:
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43 00 N, 25 00 E |
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Area:
|
total: 110,910 sq km
water: 360 sq km
land: 110,550 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly larger than
Tennessee |
|
Land boundaries:
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total: 1,808 km
border countries: Greece 494 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia and Montenegro 318 km, Turkey
240 km |
|
Coastline:
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354 km |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24
NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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temperate; cold, damp
winters; hot, dry summers |
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Terrain:
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mostly mountains with
lowlands in north and southeast |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Black
Sea 0 m
highest point: Musala 2,925 m |
|
Natural resources:
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bauxite, copper, lead,
zinc, coal, timber, arable land |
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 39%
permanent crops: 1.8%
other: 59.2% (1998 est.) |
|
Irrigated land:
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8,000 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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earthquakes, landslides |
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Environment - current issues:
|
air pollution from
industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals,
detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and
resulting acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from
metallurgical plants and industrial wastes |
|
Geography - note:
|
strategic location near
Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and
Asia
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More Geography
Population of Bulgaria
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Population:
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7,517,973 (July 2004 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 553,801;
female 526,856)
15-64 years: 68.5% (male 2,533,784; female 2,615,968)
65 years and over: 17.1% (male 535,954; female 751,610) (2004 est.) |
|
Median age:
|
total: 40.5 years
male: 38.4 years
female: 42.4 years (2004 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
-0.92% (2004 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
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9.65 births/1,000 |
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Death rate:
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14.25 deaths/1,000 |
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Net migration rate:
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-4.58 migrant(s)/1,000 |
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Infant mortality rate:
|
total: 21.31 deaths/1,000 live
births
female: 17.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 25.15 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 71.75 years
male: 68.14 years
female: 75.59 years (2004 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
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1.37 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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less than 0.1% - note: no country specific
models provided (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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346 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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100 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Bulgarian(s)
adjective: Bulgarian |
|
Ethnic groups:
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Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%,
other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001) |
|
Religions:
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Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%,
Roman Catholic 1.7%, Jewish 0.1%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 3.4% (1998) |
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Languages:
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Bulgarian, secondary languages closely
correspond to ethnic breakdown |
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Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 98.6%
male: 99.1%
female: 98.2% (2003 est.)
|
Government
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of
Bulgaria
conventional short form: Bulgaria |
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy |
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Capital:
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Sofia |
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Administrative divisions:
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28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast);
Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana,
Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan,
Sofiya, Sofiya-Grad, Stara Zagora, Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa,
Yambol |
|
Independence:
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3 March 1878 (from Ottoman Empire) |
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National holiday:
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Liberation Day, 3 March (1878) |
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Constitution:
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adopted 12 July 1991 |
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Legal system:
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civil law and criminal law based on Roman
law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
|
Executive branch:
|
chief of state: President Georgi
PURVANOV (since 22 January 2002); Vice President Angel MARIN (since 22 January 2002)
head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) Simeon
SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA (since 24 July 2001); Deputy Prime Ministers Nikolay VASILEV (since 24
July 2001), and Lidiya SHULEVA (since 24 July 2001), Plamen PANAYOTOV (since 17 July 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote
for five-year terms; election last held 11 November and 18 November 2001 (next to be held
NA 2006); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) nominated by the
president; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister
election results: Georgi PURVANOV elected president; percent of vote - Georgi
PURVANOV 54.13%, Petar STOYANOV 45.87% |
|
Legislative branch:
|
unicameral National Assembly or Narodno
Sobranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 June 2001 (next to be held NA June 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NMS2 42.74%, UtdDF 18.18%, CfB 17.15%,
MRF 7.45%; seats by party - NMS2 120, UtdDF 51, CfB 48, MRF 21; note - seating as of
January 2004 - NMS2 108, UtdDF 49, CfB 48, MRF 20, independents 15 |
|
Judicial branch:
|
Supreme Administrative Court; Supreme Court
of Cassation; Constitutional Court (12 justices appointed or elected for nine-year terms);
Supreme Judicial Council (consists of the chairmen of the two Supreme Courts, the Chief
Prosecutor, and 22 other members; responsible for appointing the justices, prosecutors,
and investigating magistrates in the justice system; members of the Supreme Judicial
Council elected for five-year terms, 11 elected by the National Assembly and 11 by bodies
of the judiciary) |
|
Political parties and leaders:
|
Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei
STANISHEV]; Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by BSP) [Sergei
STANISHEV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed DOGAN]; National Movement for
Simeon II or NMS2 [Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Nadezhda
MIKHAYLOVA]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces
or UtdDF (a coalition between the UDF and other center-right parties) |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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agrarian movement; Confederation of
Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; numerous
regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas |
Economy
Bulgaria, a former communist country striving to enter the European Union, has
experienced macroeconomic stability and strong growth since a major economic downturn in
1996 led to the fall of the then socialist government. As a result, the government
became committed to economic reform and responsible fiscal planning. A $300 million
stand-by agreement negotiated with the IMF at the end of 2001 has supported government
efforts to overcome high rates of poverty and unemployment.
|
GDP:
|
purchasing power parity - $57.13 billion
(2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4.4% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $7,600 (2003
est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 12.5%
industry: 27.8%
services: 59.7% (2002) |
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Population below poverty line:
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13.4% (2002 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 4.5%
highest 10%: 22.8% (1997) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|
26.4 (2001) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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5.6% (2003 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
3.83 million (2000 est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 26%, industry 31%, services 43%
(1998 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
|
13.5% (2003) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $6.68 billion
expenditures: $6.69 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.) |
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Industries:
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electricity, gas and water; food, beverages
and tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined
petroleum, nuclear fuel |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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5% (2003 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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41.38 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 47.8%
hydro: 8.1%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 44.1% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
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32.52 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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6.79 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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830 million kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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603 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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94,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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8.1 million bbl (1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
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4 million cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
|
5.804 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - imports:
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5.8 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves:
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3.724 billion cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Agriculture - products:
|
vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock,
wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets |
|
Exports:
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$7.337 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
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clothing, footwear, iron and steel,
machinery and equipment, fuels |
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Exports - partners:
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Italy 15.5%, Germany 9.6%, Turkey 9.4%,
Greece 9.2%, France 5.3%, US 4.8% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$9.723 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
fuels, minerals, and raw materials;
machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; food, textiles |
|
Imports - partners:
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Russia 14.6%, Germany 14.4%, Italy 11.4%,
Greece 6.1%, France 5.7%, Turkey 5% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$12.6 billion (yearend 2003) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$300 million (2000 est.) |
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Currency:
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lev (BGL) |
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Currency code:
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BGN |
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Exchange rates:
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leva per US dollar - 1.73 (2003), 2.08
(2002), 2.18 (2001), 2.12 (2000), 1.84 (1999)
note: on 5 July 1999, the lev was redenominated; the post-5 July 1999 lev is equal
to 1,000 of the pre-5 July 1999 lev |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
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