Bulgaria

Republic of Bulgaria

parliamentary democracy

Bulgaria as the 2004 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 129 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 Romania and Turkey
2004

Every edition of Bulgaria

Populationas each edition published it
7.52 million July 2004 est. · 8.93m in 1990
Population growth% a year
-0.92% 2004 est. · -0.39% in 1993
Median ageyears
40.5 years 2004 est. · 40.5 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
71.75 years 2004 est. · 72.82 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.37 children per woman 2004 est. · 1.9 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
21.31 deaths per 1,000 live births 2004 est. · 13 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$7,600 2003 est. · $3,800 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
4.3% 2003 est. · -7.7% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

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.

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 110,910 sq km

arable land 40.02%permanent crops 1.92%other 58.06% (2001)irrigated 8,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Area
110,910sq km
land: 110,550 sq kmwater: 360 sq kmslightly larger than Tennessee
Coastline
354km
territorial sea: 12 nmcontiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Highest point
2,925m
Musalalowest point: Black Sea 0 m
Land boundaries
1,808km
border countries: Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia and Montenegro 318 km, 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

Natural resources

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

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-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
signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Sulfur 94

Geography - note

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

People

19 fields
Population
7,517,973
(July 2004 est.)growth rate: -0.92% (2004 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2004 est.)

Birth
9.65Death
14.25Net migration
-4.58

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2004 est.)71.75
68.14 · 75.59Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)21.31
25.15 · 17.23
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2003 est.)98.6%
99.1% · 98.2%Median age years (2004 est.)40.5
38.4 · 42.4
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups(2001)

Bulgarian 83.9%Turk 9.4%Roma 4.7%other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001)

Age structure

0-14 years:
14.4% (male 553,801; female 526,856)
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.)

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:
0.71 male(s)/female
total population:
0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.37 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% - note: no country specific models provided (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

100 (2001 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Bulgarian(s)
adjective:
Bulgarian

Religions

Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Roman Catholic 1.7%, Jewish 0.1%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 3.4% (1998)

Languages

Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown

Government

Parliamentary democracy; President Georgi PURVANOV (since 22 January 2002); Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA (since 24 July 2001)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

54.13%
Georgi PURVANOV 54.13%Petar STOYANOV 45.87%election last held 11 November and 18 November 2001 (next to be held NA 2006)

National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie, 240 seats, elected 17 June 2001one dot, one seat

NMS2 120UDF 51CfB 48MRF 21

Percent of vote

NMS2 42.74%UDF 18.18%CfB 17.15%MRF 7.45%

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 (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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
President Georgi PURVANOV (since 22 January 2002); Vice President Angel MARIN (since 22 January 2002)
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

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 - 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

  • 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

  • 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)

Political pressure groups and leaders

  • Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB;
  • Podkrepa Labor Confederation;
  • numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas

International organization participation

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Elena B. POPTODOROVA
chancery:
1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 387-0174
FAX:
[1] (202) 234-7973
consulate(s):
New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador James William PARDEW
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

  • 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

46 fields
Real growth rate
4.3%
(2003 est.)industrial production growth: 6.3% (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2003)

agriculture 11.4%industry 30%services 58.6% (2003)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

10.9%
Germany
14.4%
14.1%
Italy
10.3%
Russia
12.6%
10.5%
Greece
6.7%
9.2%
Turkey
6.2%
5.1%
France
5.7%
4.5%
US
Exports $7.337 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)Imports $9.723 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)(2003)

Budget

Revenues
$8.121 billionExpenditures
$8.121 billion (2003 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of NA

Electricity

Electricity production
41.38 billion (2001)Electricity consumption
32.52 billion (2001)Electricity exports
6.79 billion (2001)Electricity imports
830 million (2001)

Economy - overview

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.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $57.13 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $7,600 (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

19.6% of GDP (2003)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%:
4.5%
highest 10%:
22.8% (1997)

Labor force

3.333 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 26%, industry 31%, services 43% (1998 est.)

Public debt

48% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products

vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets

Industries

  • electricity, gas and water;
  • food, beverages and tobacco;
  • machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel

Oil - production

603 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption

94,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves

8.1 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production

4 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

5.804 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

5.8 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

3.724 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance

$-1.666 billion (2003)

Exports

$7.337 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities

clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels

Imports

$9.723 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities

  • fuels, minerals, and raw materials;
  • machinery and equipment;
  • metals and ores;
  • chemicals and plastics;
  • food, textiles

Debt - external

$12.05 billion (2003)

Economic aid - recipient

$300 million (2000 est.)

Currency

lev (BGL)

Exchange rates

leva per US dollar - 1.7327 (2003), 2.077 (2002), 2.1847 (2001), 2.1233 (2000), 1.8364 (1999) 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

8 fields
Mobile cellular
2,597,500
(2002)
Internet users
53,421
(2004)
Fixed lines
2,868,200
(2002) · 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:
  • 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

AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001)

Television broadcast stations

39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001)

Internet users

630,000 (2002)

Transportation

10 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

1
over 3,047 m
19
2,438 to 3,047 m
15
1,524 to 2,437 m
2
1
914 to 1,523 m
11
92
under 914 m
72
Paved 128Unpaved 85

Networkskm

Highways
37,286Railways
4,294Waterways
470 (2004)
Highways: paved: 35,049 km (including 324 km of expressways) · unpaved: 2,237 km (2000) · Railways: standard gauge: 4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710 km electrified) · narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (2003)

Railways

total:
4,294 km
standard gauge:
4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710 km electrified)
narrow gauge:
245 km 0.760-m gauge (2003)

Highways

total:
37,286 km
paved:
35,049 km (including 324 km of expressways)
unpaved:
2,237 km (2000)

Pipelines

gas 2,425 km; oil 339 km; refined products 156 km (2004)

Ports and harbors

Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin

Merchant marine

total:
60 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 757,972 GRT/1,115,238 DWT
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

212 (2003 est.)

Heliports

1 (2003 est.)

Military

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces

7 fields

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces

Military manpower - military age and obligation

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 9 months (2004)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 1,829,203 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 1,530,657 (2004 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

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;
  • some money laundering of drug-related proceeds through financial institutions

Central Intelligence Agency. “Bulgaria.” The World Factbook 2004. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/bulgaria/2004.

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