Bulgaria

Republic of Bulgaria

emerging democracyIndependence 22 September 1908 (from Ottoman Empire)

Bulgaria as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 89 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalSofia
Position43 00 N, 25 00 E
Area110,910 sq km
LocationSoutheastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between
1996

Every edition of Bulgaria

Populationas each edition published it
8.61 million July 1996 est. · 8.93m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.46% 1996 est. · -0.39% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 40.5 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
71 years 1996 est. · 72.82 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.17 children per woman 1996 est. · 1.9 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
15.7 deaths per 1,000 live births 1996 est. · 13 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$4,920 1995 est. · $3,800 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
2.4% 1995 est. · -7.7% in 1993

Geography

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between | Romania and Turkey

15 fields

Land useshare of 110,910 sq km

arable land 34%permanent crops 3%meadows and pastures 18%forest and woodland 35%other 10%irrigated 10 sq km (1989 est.)
Area
110,910sq km
land area: 110,550 sq kmcomparative area: slightly larger than Tennessee
Coastline
354km
contiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm
Land boundaries
1,808km
border countries: Greece 494 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia and Montenegro 318 km (all with Serbia), Turkey 240 km

Location

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey

Geographic coordinates

43 00 N, 25 00 E

Climate

  • temperate;
  • cold, damp winters;
  • hot, dry summers

Terrain

mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast

lowest point:
Black Sea 0 m
highest point:
Musala 2,925 m

Natural resources

bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land

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
natural hazards:
earthquakes, landslides
international agreements:
  • party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands;
  • signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Biodiversity, Law of the Sea

Geographic note

strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia

People

15 fields
Population
8,612,757
(July 1996 est.)growth rate: 0.46% (1996 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1996 est.)

Birth
8.33Death
13.55Net migration
9.81

Male · female(1996 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years71
67.07 · 75.12
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy98%
99% · 97%
MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1992 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Bulgarian 85.3%Turk 8.5%Gypsy 2.6%Macedonian 2.5%Armenian 0.3%Russian 0.2%other 0.6%

Age structure

0-14 years:
17% (male 769,025; female 732,119)
15-64 years:
68% (male 2,891,197; female 2,923,440)
65 years and over:
15% (male 561,944; female 735,032) (July 1996 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.76 male(s)/female
all ages:
0.96 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate

15.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.17 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Bulgarian(s)
adjective:
Bulgarian

Religions

Bulgarian Orthodox 85%, Muslim 13%, Jewish 0.8%, Roman Catholic 0.5%, Uniate Catholic 0.2%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 0.5%

Languages

Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown

Government

Emerging democracy; President Zhelyu Mitev ZHELEV (since 1 August 1990, when he was elected by the National Assembly); Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) Zhan VIDENOV (since 25 January 1995) appointed by the president

22 fields

Legislature, 240 seatsone dot, one seat

BSP 125UDF 69PU 18MRF 15BBB 13

Name of country

conventional long form:
Republic of Bulgaria
conventional short form:
Bulgaria

Type of government

emerging democracy

Capital

Sofia

Administrative divisions

9 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Burgas, Grad Sofiya, Khaskovo, Lovech, Montana, Plovdiv, Ruse, Sofiya, Varna

Independence

22 September 1908 (from Ottoman Empire)

National holiday

Independence Day, 3 March (1878)

Constitution

adopted 12 July 1991

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch

chief of state:
  • President Zhelyu Mitev ZHELEV (since 1 August 1990, when he was elected by the National Assembly);
  • president and vice president elected for five-year terms by popular vote;
  • election last held NA January 1992 (next to be held NA 1997);
  • results - Zhelyu ZHELEV elected by popular vote;
  • Vice President (vacant)
head of government:
  • Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) Zhan VIDENOV (since 25 January 1995) appointed by the president;
  • Deputy Prime Ministers Doncho KONAKCHIEV (since 25 January 1995), Atanas PAPAKIZOV (since NA), Rumen GECHEV (since 25 January 1995), Svetoslav SHIVAROV (since 25 January 1995)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly

National Assembly (Narodno Sobranie)

  • last held 18 December 1994 (next to be held NA 1997);
  • results - BSP 43.5%, UDF 24.2%, PU 6.5%, MRF 5.4%, BBB 4.7%;
  • seats - (240 total) BSP 125, UDF 69, PU 18, MRF 15, BBB 13

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, chairman appointed for a seven-year term by the president; Constitutional Court, 12 justices appointed or elected for a nine-year term

Political parties and leaders

  • Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), Zhan VIDENOV, chairman;
  • Union of Democratic Forces (UDF - an alliance of pro-Democratic parties), Ivan KOSTOV;
  • People's Union (PU), Stefan SAVOV;
  • Movement for Rights and Freedoms (mainly ethnic Turkish party) (MRF), Ahmed DOGAN;
  • Bulgarian Business Bloc (BBB), George GANCHEV

Other political or pressure groups

  • Democratic Alliance for the Republic (DAR);
  • New Union for Democracy (NUD);
  • Ecoglasnost;
  • Podkrepa Labor Confederation;
  • Fatherland Union;
  • Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP);
  • Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria (KNSB);
  • Bulgarian Agrarian National Union - United (BZNS);
  • Bulgarian Democratic Center;
  • "Nikola Petkov" Bulgarian Agrarian National Union;
  • Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization - Union of Macedonian Societies (IMRO-UMS);
  • numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas

International organization participation

ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarset, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NACC, NAM (guest), NSG, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOT, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant), ZC

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Snezhana Damianova BOTUSHAROVA
chancery:
1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 387-7969

FAX

[1] (202) 234-7973

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant)
embassy:
1 Saborna Street, Sofia
mailing address:
Unit 1335, APO AE 09213-1335
telephone:
[359] (2) 88-48-01 through 05

FAX

[359] (2) 80-19-77

Flag

  • 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

One of the poorest countries of central Europe, | Bulgaria has continued the difficult process of moving from its old | command economy to a modern, market-oriented economy.

21 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$4,920
(1995 est.)
Real growth rate
2.4%
(1995 est.)industrial production growth: 2% (1995)
Unemployment rate
11.9%
(1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector(1994)

agriculture 12%industry 36%services 52% (1994)

Budget

Revenues
$3.8 billionExpenditures
$4.4 billion (1994)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Installed generating capacity, 11,500,000 kW

Electricity production
38.1 billionElectricity consumption per capita
4,342 (1994)

Economic overview

One of the poorest countries of central Europe, Bulgaria has continued the difficult process of moving from its old command economy to a modern, market-oriented economy. GDP rose a moderate 2.4% in 1995; inflation was down sharply; and unemployment fell from an estimated 16% to 12%. Despite this progress, structural reforms necessary to underpin macroeconomic stabilization were not pursued vigorously.

Mass privatization of state-owned industry continued to move slowly, although privatization of small-scale industry, particularly in the retail and service sectors, accelerated. The Bulgarian economy will continue to grow in 1996, but economic reforms will remain politically difficult as the population has become weary of the process.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $43.2 billion (1995 est.)

Labor force

3.1 million; by occupation: industry 41%, agriculture 18%, other 41% (1992)

Industries

machine building and metal working, food processing, chemicals, textiles, construction materials, ferrous and nonferrous metals

Agriculture

grain, oilseed, vegetables, fruits, tobacco; livestock

Illicit drugs

important transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and, to a lesser degree, South American cocaine transiting the Balkan route; limited producer of precursor chemicals

Exports

$4.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities:
  • machinery and equipment 12.8%;
  • agriculture and food 21.9%;
  • textiles and apparel 14%;
  • metals and ores 19.7%;
  • chemicals 16.9%;
  • minerals and fuels 9.3%
partners:
  • former CEMA countries 35.7%;
  • OECD 46.6% (EU 33.5%);
  • Arab countries 5.1%;
  • other 12.6%

Imports

$4 billion (c.i.f., 1994)

commodities:
  • fuels, minerals, and raw materials 30.1%;
  • machinery and equipment 23.6%;
  • textiles and apparel 11.6%;
  • agricultural products 10.8%;
  • metals and ores 6.8%;
  • chemicals 12.3%;
  • other 4.8%
partners:
  • former CEMA countries 40.3%;
  • OECD 48.3% (EU 34.1%);
  • Arab countries 1.7%;
  • other 9.7%

External debt

$10.4 billion (1995)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $39 million (1993) note: $700 million in balance of payments support from Western nations (1994)

Currency

1 lev (Lv) = 100 stotinki

Exchange rates

leva (Lv) per US$1 - 70.5 (December 1995), 54.2 (1994), 27.1 (1993), 23.3 (1992), 18.4 (1991); note - floating exchange rate since February 1991

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 355 in all

1
over 3 047 m
17
2 438 to 3 047 m
2
10
1 524 to 2 437 m
1
88
under 914 m
226
914 to 1 523 m
10
PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways
36,932Railways
4,292Waterways
470 (1987)
Highways: paved: 33,904 km (including 276 km of expressways) · unpaved: 3,028 km (1992 est.) · Railways: standard gauge: 4,047 km 1.435-m gauge (2,650 km electrified; 917 double track) · other: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (1995)

Railways

total:
4,292 km
standard gauge:
4,047 km 1.435-m gauge (2,650 km electrified; 917 double track)
other:
245 km 0.760-m gauge (1995)

Highways

total:
36,932 km
paved:
33,904 km (including 276 km of expressways)
unpaved:
3,028 km (1992 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 193 km; petroleum products 525 km; natural gas 1,400 km (1992)

Ports

Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin

Merchant marine

total:
103 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,084,090 GRT/1,596,735 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 45, cargo 27, chemical tanker 4, container 2, oil tanker 13, passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, short-sea passenger 2, refrigerated cargo 1

note: Bulgaria owns an additional 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 135,016 DWT operating under the registries of Liberia and Malta (1995 est.)

Communications

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border Troops, | Internal Troops

9 fields
Fixed lines
2,773,293
(1993 est.)

Telephone system

almost two-thirds of the lines are residential; 67% of Sofia households have telephones (November 1988 est.)

domestic:
extensive but antiquated transmission system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay; telephone service is available in most villages
international:
  • direct dialing to 36 countries;
  • satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean Region);
  • Intelsat available through a Greek earth station

Radio broadcast stations

AM 20, FM 15, shortwave 0

Television broadcast stations

29 (Russian repeater in Sofia 1)

Televisions

2.1 million (May 1990 est.) Defense

Branches

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border Troops, Internal Troops

Manpower availability

males age 15-49:
2,155,332
males fit for military service:
1,797,318
males reach military age (19) annually:
64,568 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $352 million, 2.5% of GDP (1995)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Bulgaria.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/bulgaria/1996.

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