| 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) Ivan KOSTOV (since 19 May 1997);
Deputy Prime Minister Petur ZHOTEV (since 21 December 1999)
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
II, former king]; 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) 980-52-41
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 |
|
