Bulgaria

Republic of Bulgaria conventional short form: Bulgaria

parliamentary democracyIndependence 3 March 1878 (from Ottoman Empire)

Bulgaria as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 117 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 land: 110,550 sq km water: 360 sq km
LocationSoutheastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
2001

Every edition of Bulgaria

Populationas each edition published it
7.71 million July 2001 est. · 8.93m in 1990
Population growth% a year
-1.14% 2001 est. · -0.39% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 40.5 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
71.2 years 2001 est. · 72.82 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.13 children per woman 2001 est. · 1.9 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
14.65 deaths per 1,000 live births 2001 est. · 13 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$6,200 2000 est. · $3,800 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
5% 2000 est. · -7.7% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

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.

Geography

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

18 fields
Coastline
354km
contiguous zone: 24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Irrigated land
12,370sq km
(1993 est.)

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

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

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.)

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

People

18 fields
Population
7,707,495
(July 2001 est.)growth rate: -1.14% (2001 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2001 est.)

Birth
8.06Death
14.53Net migration
-4.9

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.)

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 - 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)

Government

Parliamentary democracy; President Petar STOYANOV (since 22 January 1997)

20 fields

National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie, 120 seatsone dot, one seat

UDF 51BSP 48DPS 21

Country name

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Capital

Sofia

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

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

32 fields
Real growth rate
5%
(2000 est.)industrial production growth: 10.8% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate
17.7%
(2000 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

Russia
24%
14%
Italy
8%
9%
Germany
14%
10%
Turkey
3%
8%
Greece
5%
8%
Yugoslavia
6%
Belgium
5%
France
5%
4%
US
3%
Romania
4%
Exports $4.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)Imports $5.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)(2000)

Electricity

Electricity production
36.217 billion (1999)Electricity consumption
33.182 billion (1999)Electricity exports
2.2 billion (1999)Electricity imports
1.7 billion (1999)

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 - per capita

purchasing power parity - $6,200 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 15% industry: 29% services: 56% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 22.5% (1995)

Labor force

3.83 million (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 26%, industry 31%, services 43% (1998 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

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 51.52% hydro: 8.35% nuclear: 40.12% other: 0.01% (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

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

Debt - external

$10.4 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$1 billion (1999 est.)

Currency

lev (BGL)

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

Communications

10 fields
Mobile cellular
596,000
(2000)
Fixed lines
3.255 million
(2000) · country code .bg

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 users

200,000 (2000)

Transportation

10 fields

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)

Waterways

470 km (1987)

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.)

Heliports

1 (2000 est.)

Military

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

7 fields

Military branches

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

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.)

Transnational Issues

1 field

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

Central Intelligence Agency. “Bulgaria.” The World Factbook 2001. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/bulgaria/2001.

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