Bulgaria

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

total:

6.12 cu km/yr (16%/68%/16%)

per capita:

821.8 cu m/yr (2009)

• 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

noun:

Bulgarian(s)

adjective:

Bulgarian

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.68 male(s)/female

total population:

0.92 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Bulgaria

conventional short form:

Bulgaria

local long form:

Republika Balgariya

local short form:

Balgariya

name:

Sofia

geographic coordinates:

42 41 N, 23 19 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

• 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 (Sofia), Sofiya-Grad (Sofia City), Stara Zagora, Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol

• several previous;
• latest drafted between late 1990 and early 1991, adopted 12 July 1991;
• amended several times, last in 2007 (2007)

chief of state:

President Rosen PLEVNELIEV (since 22 January 2012); Vice President Margarita POPOVA (since 22 January 2012)

head of government:

Prime Minister Plamen ORESHARSKI (since 29 May 2013), Deputy Prime Ministers Zinaida ZLATANOVA (since 29 May 2013), Tsvetlin YOVCHEV (since June 2013), and Daniela BOBEVA (since June 2013)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 23 and 30 October 2011 (next to be held in 2016);
• chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) elected by the National Assembly;
• deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly

election results:

• Rosen PLEVNELIEV elected president in a runoff election;
• percent of vote - Rosen PLEVNELIEV 52.6%, Ivailo KALFIN 47.4%;
• Plamen ORESHARSKI elected prime minister;
• result of legislative vote - 120 to 97

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court of Cassation (consists of a chairman and approximately 72 judges organized into penal, civil, and commercial colleges);
• Supreme Administrative Court (organized in 2 colleges with various panels of 5 judges each);
• Constitutional Court (consists of 12 justices);
• note - Constitutional Court resides outside the Judiciary

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court of Cassation and Supreme Administrative judges elected by the Supreme Judicial Council or SJC (consists of 25 members with extensive legal experience) and appointed by the president;
• judge tenure NA;
• Constitutional Court justices elected by the National Assembly and appointed by the president and the SJC;
• justices appointed for 9-year terms with renewal of four justices every 3 years

subordinate courts:

• appeals courts;
• regional and district courts;
• administrative courts;
• courts martial

• Attack (Ataka) [Volen Nikolov SIDEROV]
• Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]
• Bulgaria of the Citizens [Meglena KUNEVA]
• Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria or GERB [Boyko BORISOV]
• Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB [Sergei STANISHEV] (coalition of parties dominated by BSP)
• Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Radan KANEV]
• Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or IMRO [Krasimir KARAKACHANOV]
• Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Lyutvi MESTAN]
• National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria or NFSB [Valeri SIMEONOV]
• National Movement for Stability and Progress or NDSV [Hristina HRISTOVA] (formerly National Movement Simeon II or NMS2)
• Order, Law, and Justice or RZS [Yane YANEV]
• Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Bozhidar LUKARSKI]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Elena POPTODOROVA (since 4 August 2010)

chancery:

1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 387-0174

FAX:

[1] (202) 234-7973

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Marcie B. RIES (since 5 September 2012)

embassy:

16 Kozyak Street, Sofia 1408

mailing address:

American Embassy Sofia, US Department of State, 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740

telephone:

[359] (2) 937-5100

FAX:

[359] (2) 937-5320

• three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red;
• the pan-Slavic white-blue-red colors were modified by substituting a green band (representing freedom) for the blue

note: the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe, has been removed

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

agriculture:

7.1%

industry:

35.2%

services:

57.7% (2009)

lowest 10%:

2%

highest 10%:

35.2% (2007)

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

general assessment:

• inherited an extensive but antiquated telecommunications network from the Soviet era;
• quality has improved with a modern digital trunk line now connecting switching centers in most of the regions;
• remaining areas are connected by digital microwave radio relay

domestic:

• the Bulgaria Telecommunications Company's fixed-line monopoly terminated in 2005 in an effort to upgrade fixed-line services;
• mobile-cellular teledensity, fostered by multiple service providers, has reached 150 telephones per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 359;
• submarine cable provides connectivity to Ukraine and Russia;
• a combination submarine cable and land fiber-optic system provides connectivity to Italy, Albania, and Macedonia;
• satellite earth stations - 3 (1 Intersputnik in the Atlantic Ocean region, 2 Intelsat in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (2011)

• 4 national terrestrial TV stations with 1 state-owned and 3 privately owned;
• a vast array of TV stations are available from cable and satellite TV providers;
• state-owned national radio broadcasts over 3 networks;
• large number of private radio stations broadcasting, especially in urban areas (2010)

total:

4,152 km

country comparison to the world: 41

standard gauge:

4,072 km 1.435-m gauge (2,863 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

80 km 0.760-m gauge (2011)

total:

19,512 km

country comparison to the world: 111

paved:

19,235 km (includes 458 km of expressways)

unpaved:

277 km

note: does not include Category IV local roads (2011)

• 18-27 years of age for voluntary military service;
• conscription ended in January 2008;
• service obligation 6-9 months (2012)

males age 16-49:

1,637,470

females age 16-49:

1,621,352 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

1,320,955

females age 16-49:

1,337,616 (2010 est.)

male:

33,444

female:

32,075 (2010 est.)

• 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;
• vulnerable to money laundering because of corruption, organized crime;
• some money laundering of drug-related proceeds through financial institutions (2008)