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| Background: |
Bulgaria earned its independence from the
Ottoman Empire 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 multi-party 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. |
| Location: |
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black
Sea, between Romania and Turkey |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
43 00 N, 25 00 E |
| Area: |
total: 110,910 sq km
land: 110,550 sq km
water: 360 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,
Yugoslavia 318 km, Turkey 240 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry
summers |
| Terrain: |
mostly mountains with lowlands in north and
southeast |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Musala 2,925 m |
| Natural
resources: |
bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber,
arable land |
| Land use: |
arable land: 43%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 14%
forests and woodland: 38%
other: 3% (1999 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
12,370 sq km (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
earthquakes, landslides |
| 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 |
| Environment -
international agreements: |
party to: Air Pollution, Air
Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur
94, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
| Geography -
note: |
strategic location near Turkish Straits;
controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and
Asia |
| Population: |
7,707,495 (July 2001 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 15.11% (male
597,765; female 567,030)
15-64 years: 68.17% (male 2,588,805; female
2,665,736)
65 years and over: 16.72% (male 543,665;
female 744,494) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
-1.14% (2001 est.) |
| Birth rate: |
8.06 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death rate: |
14.53 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Net migration
rate: |
-4.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001
est.) |
| Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
14.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 71.2 years
male: 67.72 years
female: 74.89 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.13 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS -
adult prevalence rate: |
0.01% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS -
people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| HIV/AIDS -
deaths: |
less than 100 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Bulgarian(s)
adjective: Bulgarian |
| Ethnic groups: |
Bulgarian 83%, Turk 8.5%, Roma 2.6%,
Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Gagauz, Circassian, others
(1998) |
| Religions: |
Bulgarian Orthodox 83.5%, Muslim 13%, Roman
Catholic 1.5%, Uniate Catholic 0.2%, Jewish 0.8%,
Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 1% (1998) |
| Languages: |
Bulgarian, secondary languages closely
correspond to ethnic breakdown |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over
can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 99%
female: 98% (1999) |
| Country name: |
conventional long form:
Republic of Bulgaria
conventional short form: Bulgaria |
| Government
type: |
parliamentary democracy |
| Administrative
divisions: |
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: |
3 March 1878 (from Ottoman Empire) |
| National
holiday: |
Liberation Day, 3 March (1878) |
| Constitution: |
adopted 12 July 1991 |
| Legal system: |
civil law and criminal law based on Roman
law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state: President
Petar STOYANOV (since 22 January 1997); Vice President
Todor KAVALDZHIEV (since 22 January 1997)
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 NA), Kostadin PASKALEV (since NA), and
Lidiya SHULEVA (since NA)
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 27 October and 3 November 1996
(next to be held NA 2001); chairman of the Council of
Ministers (prime minister) nominated by the president;
deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister
election results: Petar STOYANOV elected
president; percent of vote - Petar STOYANOV 59.73% |
| 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 -
NA%; seats by party - National Movement for Simeon II 120,
UDF 51, BSP 48, DPS 21 |
| 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: |
Alliance for National Salvation or ANS
(coalition led mainly by Movement for Rights and Freedoms
or MRF) [Ahmed DOGAN]; Bulgarian Business Bloc or BBB [Georgi
GANCHEV]; Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Georgi
PURVANOV, chairman]; Democratic Left or DL (bloc led by
BSP, includes Ecoglasnost Political Club and Bulgarian
Agrarian National Union) [leader NA]; Euro-left [Aleksandur
TOMOV]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or
UMRO [Aleksander KARAKACHNOV]; Kingdom of Bulgaria
Federation [leader NA]; Movement for Rights and Freedom or
DPS [Ahmed DOGAN]; National Movement for Simeon II [Simeon
SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]; New Civic Party for Bulgaria [Bogomil
BONEV]; People's Union or PU (includes Bulgarian Agrarian
People's Union and Democratic Party) [Anastasiya MOZER];
St. George's Day [Lyuben DILOV]; Union of Democratic
Forces or UDF (an alliance of pro-democratic parties)
[Ivan KOSTOV] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
agrarian movement; Bulgarian Democratic
Center; Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of
Bulgaria or CITUB; Democratic Alliance for the Republic or
DAR; New Union for Democracy or NUD; Podkrepa Labor
Confederation; numerous regional, ethnic, and national
interest groups with various agendas |
| International
organization participation: |
ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF,
IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM
(guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UPU,
WCL, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador
Philip DIMITROV
chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC
20008
telephone: [1] (202) 387-7969
FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973
consulate(s): New York |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador
Richard M. MILES
embassy: 1 Suborna Street, Sofia
mailing address: American Embassy Sofia,
Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5740
telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100
FAX: [359] (2) 981-89-77 |
| Flag
description: |
three equal horizontal bands of white
(top), green, and red; the national emblem formerly on the
hoist side of the white stripe has been removed - it
contained a rampant lion within a wreath of wheat ears
below a red five-pointed star and above a ribbon bearing
the dates 681 (first Bulgarian state established) and 1944
(liberation from Nazi control) |
| Economy -
overview: |
Bulgaria, a former communist country
struggling to enter the European market economy, suffered
a major economic downturn in 1996 and 1997, with triple
digit inflation and GDP contraction of 10.6% and 6.9%. The
current government - which took office in May 1997 after
pre-term parliamentary elections - stabilized the economy
and promoted growth by implementing a currency board,
practicing sound financial policies, invigorating
privatization, and pursuing structural reforms.
Additionally, strong assistance from international
financial institutions - most notably the IMF which
approved a three-year Extended Fund Facility worth
approximately $900 million in September 1998 - played a
critical role in turning the economy around. After several
years of tumult, Bulgaria's economy has stabilized. Its
better-than-expected economic performance in 1999 -
despite the impact of the Kosovo conflict, the 1998
Russian financial crisis, and structural reforms - and
strong growth in 2000 portends solid growth over the next
few years; this assumes continued fiscal restraint,
additional structural reforms, aid from abroad, and
prosperous times in the EU economy. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $48 billion (2000
est.) |
| GDP - real
growth rate: |
5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP - per
capita: |
purchasing power parity - $6,200 (2000
est.) |
| GDP -
composition by sector: |
agriculture: 15%
industry: 29%
services: 56% (2000 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
35% (2000 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 3.4%
highest 10%: 22.5% (1995) |
| Inflation rate
(consumer prices): |
10.4% (2000 est.) |
| Labor force: |
3.83 million (2000 est.) |
| Labor force -
by occupation: |
agriculture 26%, industry 31%, services 43%
(1998 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
17.7% (2000 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $4.85 billion
expenditures: $4.92 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
electricity, gas and water; food, beverages
and tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals,
chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
10.8% (2000 est.) |
| Electricity -
production: |
36.217 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity -
production by source: |
fossil fuel: 51.52%
hydro: 8.35%
nuclear: 40.12%
other: 0.01% (1999) |
| Electricity -
consumption: |
33.182 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity -
exports: |
2.2 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity -
imports: |
1.7 billion kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture -
products: |
vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock,
wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets |
| Exports: |
$4.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Exports -
commodities: |
clothing, footwear, iron and steel,
machinery and equipment, fuels |
| Exports -
partners: |
Italy 14%, Turkey 10%, Germany 9%, Greece
8%, Yugoslavia 8%, Belgium 6%, France 5%, US 4% (2000) |
| Imports: |
$5.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Imports -
commodities: |
fuels, minerals, and raw materials;
machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and
plastics; food, textiles |
| Imports -
partners: |
Russia 24%, Germany 14%, Italy 8%, Greece
5%, France 5%, Romania 4%, Turkey 3%, US 3% (2000) |
| Debt -
external: |
$10.4 billion (2000 est.) |
| Economic aid -
recipient: |
$1 billion (1999 est.) |
| Exchange
rates: |
leva per US dollar - 2.0848 (January 2001),
2.1233 (2000), 1.8364 (1999), 1,760.36 (1998), 1,681.88
(1997), 177.89 (1996)
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 |
| Fiscal year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones -
main lines in use: |
3.255 million (2000) |
| Telephones -
mobile cellular: |
596,000 (2000) |
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment: extensive
but antiquated
domestic: more than two-thirds of the lines
are residential; telephone service is available in most
villages; a fairly modern digital cable trunk line now
connects switching centers in most of the regions, the
others are connected by digital microwave radio relay
international: direct dialing to 58
countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik
(Atlantic Ocean region); 2 Intelsat (Atlantic and Indian
Ocean regions) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 24, FM 93, shortwave 2 (1998) |
| Radios: |
4.51 million (1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
96 (plus 1,030 repeaters) (1995) |
| Televisions: |
3.31 million (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.bg |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
26 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
200,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total: 4,294 km
standard gauge: 4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710
km electrified; 917 km double-track)
narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (1998) |
| Highways: |
total: 36,724 km
paved: 33,786 km (including 314 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 2,938 km (1999) |
| Pipelines: |
petroleum products 525 km; natural gas
1,500 km (1999) |
| Ports and
harbors: |
Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin |
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 81 ships (1,000 GRT or
over) totaling 938,706 GRT/1,440,374 DWT
ships by type: bulk 44, cargo 16, chemical
tanker 4, container 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker
6, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll
off 3, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 1 (2000
est.) |
| Airports: |
215 (2000 est.) |
| Airports -
with paved runways: |
total: 128
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 19
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 92 (2000 est.) |
| Airports -
with unpaved runways: |
total: 87
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 75 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces,
Civil Defense Forces, Internal Troops |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
19 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49: 1,891,498
(2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49: 1,581,697
(2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 56,104 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$344 million (FY00) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.4% (FY00) |
| Illicit drugs: |
major European transshipment point for
Southwest Asian heroin and, to a lesser degree, South
American cocaine for the European market; limited producer
of precursor chemicals |
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