World Facts Index
 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. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria
became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing
side in both World Wars, Bulgaria 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. The country
joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
Geography of Bulgaria
|
Location:
|
Southeastern Europe,
bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey |
|
Coordinates:
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43 00 N, 25 00 E |
|
Area:
|
total: 110,910 sq km
water: 360 sq km
land: 110,550 sq km |
|
Area comparative:
|
slightly larger than
Tennessee |
|
Land boundaries:
|
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 |
|
Climate:
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temperate; cold, damp
winters; hot, dry summers |
|
Terrain:
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mostly mountains with
lowlands in north and southeast |
|
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Black
Sea 0 m
highest point: Musala 2,925 m |
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Natural resources:
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bauxite, copper, lead,
zinc, coal, timber, arable land |
|
Natural hazards:
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earthquakes, landslides |
|
Environment - current issues:
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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
|
More Geography
Population of Bulgaria
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Population:
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7,262,675 (July 2008 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 13.9% (male 527,881/female 502,334)
15-64 years: 68.7% (male 2,496,054/female 2,579,680)
65 years and over: 17.3% (male 527,027/female 752,391) |
|
Median age:
|
40.8 years |
|
Growth rate:
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-0.86% |
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Infant mortality:
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19.85 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 72.3 years
male: 68.68 years
female: 76.13 years |
|
Total fertility rate:
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1.38 children born/woman |
|
Nationality:
|
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) |
|
Languages:
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Bulgarian, secondary languages closely
correspond to ethnic breakdown |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 98.6%
male: 99.1%
female: 98.2%
|
Government
|
Country name:
|
long form: Republic of
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 |
|
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 |
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Executive branch:
|
chief of state: President Georgi PARVANOV (since
22 January 2002); Vice President Angel MARIN (since 22 January 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Sergei STANISHEV (since 16 August 2005);
Deputy Prime Ministers Ivaylo KALFIN, Daniel VULCHEV, and Emel ETEM (since 16
August 2005) and Meglena PLUGCHIEVA (since 25 April 2008)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the
National Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular
vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22
and 29 October 2006 (next to be held in 2011); chairman of the Council of
Ministers (prime minister) nominated by the president and elected by the
National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister and
elected by the National Assembly |
|
Legislative branch:
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unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) |
|
Judicial branch:
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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) |
Economy
Bulgaria, a former communist country that entered the EU on 1 January 2007,
has experienced strong growth since a major economic downturn in 1996.
Successive governments have demonstrated commitment to economic reforms and
responsible fiscal planning, but have failed so far to rein in rising
inflation and large current account deficits. Bulgaria has averaged more than
6% growth since 2004, attracting significant amounts of foreign direct
investment, but corruption in the public administration, a weak judiciary, and
the presence of organized crime remain significant challenges.
|
GDP:
|
$86.71 billion (2007 est.) |
|
GDP growth rate:
|
5.5% |
|
GDP per capita:
|
$9,600 |
|
GDP composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 9.3%
industry: 30.4%
services: 60.3% |
|
Inflation rate:
|
5% |
|
Labor force:
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3.34 million |
|
Labor force by occupation:
|
agriculture: 11%
industry: 32.7%
services: 56.3% |
|
Unemployment:
|
11.5% |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $11.18 billion
expenditures: $10.9 billion |
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Electricity production by source:
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fossil fuel: 47.8%
hydro: 8.1%
other: 0%
nuclear: 44.1% |
|
Industries:
|
electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco;
machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear
fuel |
|
Agriculture:
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vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock,
wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets |
|
Exports:
|
clothing, footwear, iron and steel,
machinery and equipment, fuels |
|
Export partners:
|
Italy 13%, Germany 11%, Turkey 10.1%, Greece 6.1%, Belgium
5.6%, France 4.2%, US 4.1% |
|
Imports:
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machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and
plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials |
|
Import partners:
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Germany 14.7%, Russia 9.9%, Italy 9.9%, Turkey 6.8%,
Greece 6.4%, France 4% |
|
Currency:
|
lev (BGL) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |