CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Bulgaria


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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 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. Today, reforms and democratization keep Bulgaria on a path toward eventual integration into the EU. The country joined NATO in 2004.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 360 sq km land: 110,550 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia and Montenegro 318 km, Turkey 240 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Musala 2,925 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 1.92% other: 58.06% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 !| Geography - note:
 * Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
 * 43 00 N, 25 00 E
 * Europe
 * total: 110,910 sq km
 * slightly larger than Tennessee
 * total: 1,808 km
 * 354 km
 * territorial sea: 12 nm
 * temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
 * mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
 * lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
 * bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land
 * arable land: 40.02%
 * 8,000 sq km (1998 est.)
 * earthquakes, landslides
 * 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
 * party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, 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, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
 * strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
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!| Population: !| Age structure: 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: male: 38.4 years female: 42.4 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 17.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 25.15 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 68.14 years female: 75.59 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Bulgarian !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 98.6% male: 99.1% female: 98.2% (2003 est.)
 * 7,517,973 (July 2004 est.)
 * 0-14 years: 14.4% (male 553,801; female 526,856)
 * total: 40.5 years
 * -0.92% (2004 est.)
 * 9.65 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 14.25 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * -4.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
 * total: 21.31 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 71.75 years
 * 1.37 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * less than 0.1% - note: no country specific models provided (2001 est.)
 * 346 (2001 est.)
 * 100 (2001 est.)
 * noun: Bulgarian(s)
 * Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001)
 * Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Roman Catholic 1.7%, Jewish 0.1%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 3.4% (1998)
 * Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Bulgaria !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: 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), Lidiya SHULEVA (since 24 July 2001), and Plamen PANAYOTOV (since 17 July 2003) 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 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 and elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly election results: Georgi PURVANOV elected president; percent of vote - Georgi PURVANOV 54.13%, Petar STOYANOV 45.87% !| Legislative branch: elections: last held 17 June 2001 (next to be held NA June 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - NMS2 42.74%, UDF 18.18%, CfB 17.15%, MRF 7.45%; seats by party - NMS2 120, UDF 51, CfB 48, MRF 21; note - seating as of January 2005 - NMS2 98, CfB 49, UtDF 28, MRF 20, UDF 14, New Time 13, BANU 11, independents 7 !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: consulate(s): New York FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973 telephone: [1] (202) 387-0174 chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: 16 Kozyak Street, Sofia 1407 mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, Department of State, 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740 telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100 FAX: [359] (2) 937-5230 !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria
 * parliamentary democracy
 * Sofia
 * 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
 * 3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire)
 * Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)
 * adopted 12 July 1991
 * civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
 * 18 years of age; universal
 * chief of state: President Georgi PURVANOV (since 22 January 2002); Vice President Angel MARIN (since 22 January 2002)
 * unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
 * 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)
 * Bulgarian Agrarian National Union-People's Union or BANU [Anastasia MOZER]; Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]; Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by BSP) [Sergei STANISHEV]; Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Ivan KOSTOV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed DOGAN]; National Movement for Simeon II or NMS2 [Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]; New Time [Emil KOSHLUKOV]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Nadezhda MIKHAYLOVA]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces or UtDF (a coalition of center-right parties dominated by DSB)
 * Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas
 * ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Elena B. POPTODOROVA
 * chief of mission: Ambassador James William PARDEW
 * 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)
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 30% services: 58.6% (2003) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: 22.8% (1997) !| Distribution of family income - Gini index: !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $8.121 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.) !| Public debt: !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Oil - proved reserves: !| Natural gas - production: !| Natural gas - consumption: !| Natural gas - exports: !| Natural gas - imports: !| Natural gas - proved reserves: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: 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:
 * 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.
 * purchasing power parity - $57.13 billion (2003 est.)
 * 4.3% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $7,600 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 11.4%
 * 19.6% of GDP (2003)
 * 13.4% (2002 est.)
 * lowest 10%: 4.5%
 * 26.4 (2001)
 * 2.3% (2003 est.)
 * 3.333 million (2003 est.)
 * agriculture 26%, industry 31%, services 43% (1998 est.)
 * 14.3% (2003)
 * revenues: $8.121 billion
 * 48% of GDP (2003)
 * vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets
 * electricity, gas and water; food, beverages and tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel
 * 6.3% (2003 est.)
 * 41.38 billion kWh (2001)
 * 32.52 billion kWh (2001)
 * 6.79 billion kWh (2001)
 * 830 million kWh (2001)
 * 603 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 94,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * 8.1 million bbl (1 January 2002)
 * 4 million cu m (2001 est.)
 * 5.804 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 0 cu m (2001 est.)
 * 5.8 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 3.724 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
 * $-1.666 billion (2003)
 * $7.337 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels
 * Italy 14.1%, Germany 10.9%, Greece 10.5%, Turkey 9.2%, France 5.1%, US 4.5% (2003)
 * $9.723 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * fuels, minerals, and raw materials; machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; food, textiles
 * Germany 14.4%, Russia 12.6%, Italy 10.3%, Greece 6.7%, Turkey 6.2%, France 5.7% (2003)
 * $6.705 billion (2003)
 * $12.05 billion (2003)
 * $300 million (2000 est.)
 * lev (BGL)
 * BGN
 * leva per US dollar - 1.7327 (2003), 2.077 (2002), 2.1847 (2001), 2.1233 (2000), 1.8364 (1999)
 * calendar year
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: 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: country code - 359; direct dialing to 58 countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 2 Intelsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 2,868,200 (2002)
 * 2,597,500 (2002)
 * general assessment: extensive but antiquated
 * AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001)
 * 4.51 million (1997)
 * 39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001)
 * 3.31 million (1997)
 * .bg
 * 53,421 (2004)
 * 200 (2001)
 * 630,000 (2002)
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!| Railways: standard gauge: 4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710 km electrified) narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (2003) !| Highways: paved: 35,049 km (including 324 km of expressways) unpaved: 2,237 km (2000) !| Waterways: !| Pipelines: !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: by type: bulk 37, cargo 7, chemical tanker 4, container 2, petroleum tanker 3, rail car carrier 2, roll on/roll off 3, short-sea/passenger 1, specialized tanker 1 registered in other countries: 45 (2004 est.) !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 92 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 !| Airports - with unpaved runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 72 (2004 est.) !| Heliports:
 * total: 4,294 km
 * total: 37,286 km
 * 470 km (2004)
 * gas 2,425 km; oil 339 km; refined products 156 km (2004)
 * Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin
 * total: 60 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 757,972 GRT/1,115,238 DWT
 * 212 (2003 est.)
 * total: 128
 * total: 85
 * 1 (2003 est.)
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces
 * 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 9 months (2004)
 * males age 15-49: 1,829,203 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 1,530,657 (2004 est.)
 * males: 52,811 (2004 est.)
 * $356 million (FY02)
 * 2.6% (2003)
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