Bulgaria Population: 6,981,642
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| Background | |
| 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. |
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| Geography | |
| Strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia | |
| Location: | Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey |
| Geographic coordinates: | 43 00 N, 25 00 E |
| Area: | total: 110,879 sq km land: 108,489 sq km water: 2,390 sq km Size comparison: slightly larger than Tennessee |
| Land Boundaries: | total: 1,808 km border countries: Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia 318 km, Turkey 240 km |
| Coastline: | 354 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 29.94% permanent crops: 1.9% other: 68.16% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 1,020 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | earthquakes; landslides |
| Current Environment 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 |
| International Environment Agreements: | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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| People | |
| Population: | 6,981,642 (July 2013 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 14.2% (male 506,968/female 481,962) 15-24 years: 10.5% (male 377,834/female 357,546) 25-54 years: 42.3% (male 1,467,339/female 1,486,062) 55-64 years: 14.1% (male 454,728/female 528,650) 65 years and over: 18.9% (male 532,084/female 788,469) (2013 est.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: | total: 42 years male: 39.8 years female: 44.2 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | -0.796% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 9.2 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: | 14.32 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -2.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 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: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 16.13 deaths/1,000 live births male: 19.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 73.84 years male: 70.24 years female: 77.65 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.43 children born/woman (2013 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.1% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 3,800 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | fewer than 200 (2009 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Bulgarian(s) adjective: Bulgarian |
| Ethnic groups: | Bulgarian 76.9%, Turk 8%, Roma 4.4%, other 0.7% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian), other (unknown) 10% (2011 census) |
| Religions: | Eastern Orthodox 59.4%, Muslim (Sunni) 7.4%, Muslim (Shia) 0.4%, other (including Catholic, Protestant, Armenian Apostolic Orthodox, and Judaism) 1.7%, other (unknown) 27.4%, none 3.7% (2011 census) |
| Languages: | Bulgarian (official) 76.8%, Turkish 8.2%, Roma 3.8%, other 0.7%, other (unknown) 10.5% (2011 census) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.4% male: 98.7% female: 98% (2011) |
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| Government | |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria conventional short form: Bulgaria local long form: Republika Balgariya local short form: Balgariya |
| Government type: | parliamentary democracy |
| Capital: | name: Sofia geographic coordinates: 42 41 N, 23 19 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
| 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 (Sofia), Sofiya-Grad (Sofia City), Stara Zagora, Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol |
| Independence: | 3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire) |
| National holiday: | Liberation Day, 3 March (1878) |
| Constitution: | adopted 12 July 1991 |
| Legal system: | civil law |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Rosen PLEVNELIEV (since 22 January 2012); Vice President Margarita POPOVA (since 22 January 2012) head of government: Prime Minister Boyko BORISOV (since 27 July 2009); Deputy Prime Ministers Simeon DJANKOV and Tsvetan TSVETANOV (since 27 July 2009) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) 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 on 23 and 30 October 2011 (next to be held in 2016); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly election results: Rosen PLEVNELIEV elected president in a runoff election; percent of vote - Rosen PLEVNELIEV 52.6%, Ivailo KALFIN 47.4%; Boyko BORISSOV elected prime minister; result of legislative vote - 162 to 77 with 1 abstention |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sabranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 5 July 2009 (next to be held in mid-2013) election results: percent of vote by party - GERB 39.7%, BSP 17.7%, MRF 14.4%, ATAKA 9.4%, Blue Coalition 6.8%, RZS 4.1%, other 7.9%; seats by party as of February 2013 - GERB 117, BSP 40, MRF 35, Blue Coalition 14, ATAKA 10, independents 24 |
| Judicial branch: | independent judiciary comprised of judges, prosecutors and investigating magistrates who are appointed, promoted, demoted, and dismissed by a 25-member Supreme Judicial Council (consists of the chairmen of the two Supreme Courts, the Chief Prosecutor, and 22 members, half of whom are elected by the National Assembly and the other half by the bodies of the judiciary for a 5-year term in office); three levels of case review; 182 courts of which two Supreme Courts act as the last instance on civil and criminal cases (the Supreme Court of Cassation) and appeals of government decisions (the Supreme Administrative Court) |
| Political parties and leaders: | Attack (Ataka) [Volen SIDEROV]; Blue Coalition [Ivan KOSTOV and Martin DIMITROV] (a parliamentary coalition of center-right parties dominated by UDF and DSB); Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]; Bulgaria of the Citizens [Meglena KUNEVA]; Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria or GERB [Boyko BORISOV]; Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB [Sergei STANISHEV] (coalition of parties dominated by BSP); Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Ivan KOSTOV]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or IMRO [Krasimir KARAKACHANOV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Lyutvi MESTAN]; National Movement for Stability and Progress or NDSV [Hristina HRISTOVA] (formerly National Movement Simeon II or NMS2); Order, Law, and Justice or RZS [Yane YANEV]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Emil KABAIVANOV]; United People's Party or ENP [Maria CAPONE] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB; Podkrepa Labor Confederation other: numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas |
| International organization participation: | Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Elena POPTODOROVA chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-0174 FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Marcie B. RIES embassy: 16 Kozyak Street, Sofia 1408 mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, US Department of State, 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740 telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100 FAX: [359] (2) 937-5320 |
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| Economy | |
| Bulgaria, a former Communist country that entered the EU on 1 January 2007, averaged more than 6% annual growth from 2004 to 2008, driven by significant amounts of bank lending, consumption, and foreign direct investment. Successive governments have demonstrated a commitment to economic reforms and responsible fiscal planning, but the global downturn sharply reduced domestic demand, exports, capital inflows, and industrial production. GDP contracted by 5.5% in 2009, stagnated in 2010, despite a significant recovery in exports, grew 1.7% in 2011, and approximately 1% in 2012. Despite having a favorable investment regime, including low, flat corporate income taxes, significant challenges remain. Corruption in public administration, a weak judiciary, and the presence of organized crime continue to hamper the country's investment climate and economic prospects. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $103.7 billion (2012 est.) $102.7 billion (2011 est.) $101 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $50.81 billion (2012 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 1% (2012 est.) 1.7% (2011 est.) 0.4% (2010 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $14,200 (2012 est.) $14,000 (2011 est.) $13,500 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 5.6% industry: 31.2% services: 63.2% (2012 est.) |
| Labor force: | 2.451 million (2012 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 7.1% industry: 35.2% services: 57.7% (2009) |
| Unemployment rate: | 9.9% (2012 est.) 9.6% (2011 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 21.8% (2008) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 35.2% (2007) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 45.3 (2007) 26 (2001) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.4% (2012 est.) 4.2% (2011 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 20.4% of GDP (2012 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $17.19 billion expenditures: $17.93 billion (2012 est.) |
| Public debt: | 17.9% of GDP (2012 est.) 16.3% of GDP (2011 est.) defined by the EU's Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value, outstanding at the end of the year in the following categories of government liabilities: currency and deposits, securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives, and loans; general government sector comprises the subsectors: central government, state government, local government, and social security funds |
| Agriculture - products: | vegetables, fruits, tobacco, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets; livestock |
| Industries: | electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 5.9% (2011 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 41.9 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 56 |
| Electricity - consumption: | 28.1 billion kWh (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 12 billion kWh (2011 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 1.166 billion kWh (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 68,000 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 2.17 billion cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 2.48 billion cu m (2010) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.) |
| Current account balance: | $542.8 million (2012 est.) $502.2 million (2011 est.) |
| Exports: | $27.67 billion (2012 est.) $28.12 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels |
| Exports - partners: | Germany 12.2%, Romania 9.7%, Italy 8.7%, Turkey 8.1%, Greece 7.2%, Belgium 5.2%, France 4.3% (2011) |
| Imports: | $30.32 billion (2012 est.) $30.86 billion (2011 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials |
| Imports - partners: | Russia 17.8%, Germany 11.1%, Italy 7.2%, Romania 7%, Greece 5.7%, Spain 5.1%, Turkey 4.6% (2011) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $17.93 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $17.27 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $43.24 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $47.61 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $52.29 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $51.19 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $1.893 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $1.823 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $8.253 billion (31 December 2011) $7.276 billion (31 December 2010) $7.103 billion (31 December 2009) |
| Exchange rates: | leva (BGN) per US dollar - 1.533 (2012 est.) 1.4053 (2011 est.) 1.4774 (2010 est.) 1.404 (2009) 1.3171 (2008) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 2.356 million (2011) country comparison to the world: 54 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 10.475 million (2011) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: inherited an extensive but antiquated telecommunications network from the Soviet era; quality has improved with a modern digital trunk line now connecting switching centers in most of the regions; remaining areas are connected by digital microwave radio relay domestic: the Bulgaria Telecommunications Company's fixed-line monopoly terminated in 2005 in an effort to upgrade fixed-line services; mobile-cellular teledensity, fostered by multiple service providers, has reached 150 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 359; submarine cable provides connectivity to Ukraine and Russia; a combination submarine cable and land fiber-optic system provides connectivity to Italy, Albania, and Macedonia; satellite earth stations - 3 (1 Intersputnik in the Atlantic Ocean region, 2 Intelsat in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (2011) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .bg |
| Internet hosts: | 976,277 (2012) |
| Internet users: | 3.395 million (2009) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 202 (2012) country comparison to the world: 28 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 124 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 17 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 under 914 m: 90 (2012) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 78 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 72 (2012) |
| Heliports: | 2 (2012) |
| Pipelines: | gas 2,844 km; oil 346 km; refined products 156 km (2010) |
| Railways: | total: 4,152 km standard gauge: 4,072 km 1.435-m gauge (2,863 km electrified) narrow gauge: 80 km 0.760-m gauge (2011) |
| Roadways: | total: 19,512 km paved: 19,235 km (includes 458 km of expressways) unpaved: 277 km note: does not include Category IV local roads (2011) |
| Waterways: | 470 km (2009) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 22 by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 8, liquefied gas 2, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 14 (Germany 12, Russia 2) registered in other countries: 30 (Belize 1, Comoros 4, Georgia 1, Malta 8, Moldova 1, Panama 6, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 9) (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: | Burgas, Varna |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | Bulgarian Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Bulgarian Air Forces (Bulgarski Voennovazdyshni Sily, BVVS) (2011) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18-27 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription ended in January 2008; service obligation 6-9 months (2010) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,637,470 females age 16-49: 1,621,352 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,320,955 females age 16-49: 1,337,616 (2010 est.) |
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