* βeta
Bulgaria
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 from the Ottoman Empire 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. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
Location :
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
Geographic Coordinates Center :
43 00 N, 25 00 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 22.37 |
| North | 44.22 |
| East | 28.61 |
| South | 41.24 |
Map references :
Europe
Area :
| total | 110 879 | square km |
| land | 108 489 | square km |
| water | 2 390 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 1 808 | km |
| Greece (gr) | 494 | km |
| Macedonia (mk) | 148 | km |
| Romania (ro) | 608 | km |
| Serbia (rs) | 318 | km |
| Turkey (tr) | 240 | km |
Coastline :
354.00 km
Climate :
temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Terrain :
mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 2 925 | metres |
Natural resources :
| arable land | bauxite |
| coal | copper |
| lead | timber |
| zinc |
Land use :
| arable land | 29.94 | % |
| permanent crops | 1.90 | % |
| other | 68.16 | % |
Irrigated land :
5 880 square km
Total renewable water resources :
19 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| earthquakes | lides |
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
international agreements :
| Air Pollution | Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides |
| Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants | Air Pollution-Sulfur 85 |
| Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 | Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds |
| Antarctic Treaty | Antarctic-Environmental Protocol |
| Antarctic-Marine Living Resources | Biodiversity |
| Climate Change | Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
| Desertification | Endangered Species |
| Environmental Modification | Hazardous Wastes |
| Law of the Sea | Marine Dumping |
| Ozone Layer Protection | Ship Pollution |
| Wetlands |
Population :
7 204 687
Indicators :
| Growth rate | -0.79 | % |
| Birth rate | 9.51 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 1.41 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 14.31 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | -3.11 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 13.80 | % |
| 15-64 years | 68.50 | % |
| 65 years and over | 17.70 | % |
Median age :
| total | 41.40 | years |
| male | 39.20 | years |
| female | 43.60 | years |
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 | 0.68 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 0.92 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 17.87 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 73.09 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 69.48 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 76.91 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 0.10 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 346 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 100 |
Religions :
| Orthodox | 82.60 | % |
| Muslim | 12.20 | % |
| other Christian | 1.20 | % |
| other | 4.00 | % |
Languages :
| Bulgarian | 84.50 | % |
| Turkish | 9.60 | % |
| Roma | 4.10 | % |
Literacy :
| total population | 98.20 | % |
| male | 98.70 | % |
| female | 97.70 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Republic of Bulgaria |
| conventional short form | Bulgaria |
| local long form | Republika Balgariya |
| local short form | Balgariya |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | BG |
| ISO Numeric | 100 |
| ISO3 | BGR |
| FIPS | BU |
| ccTLD | bg |
| English | Bulgaria |
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
Capital :
| name | Sofia |
| geographic coordinates | 42 41 N, 23 19 E |
| time difference | 2.00 |
| daylight saving time | 1 |
International organization participation :
| ACCT | Australia Group |
| BIS | BSEC |
| CE | CEI |
| CERN | EAPC |
| EBRD | EIB |
| EU | FAO |
| G- 9 | IAEA |
| IBRD | ICAO |
| ICC | ICCt |
| ICRM | IFC |
| IFRCS | ILO |
| IMF | IMO |
| IMSO | IOC |
| IOM | IPU |
| ISO | ITSO |
| ITU | ITUC |
| Interpol | MIGA |
| NATO | NSG |
| OAS (observer) | OIF |
| OPCW | OSCE |
| PCA | SECI |
| UN | UNCTAD |
| UNESCO | UNIDO |
| UNMIL | UNMIS |
| UNWTO | UPU |
| WCO | WEU (associate affiliate) |
| WFTU | WHO |
| WIPO | WMO |
| WTO | ZC |
Independence :
1878-03-03
National holiday :
Liberation Day
1878-03-03
Executive branch :
| President Georgi PARVANOV | Prime Minister Boyko BORISSOV |
Legislative branch :
| GERB | 39.70 | % |
| BSP | 17.70 | % |
| MRF | 14.40 | % |
| ATAKA | 9.40 | % |
| Blue Coalition | 6.80 | % |
| RZS | 4.10 | % |
| other | 7.90 | % |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 90 440 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 44 780 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | -4.90 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 12 600 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 7.50 | % |
| industry | 27.60 | % |
| services | 64.90 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 7.50 | % |
| industry | 36.40 | % |
| services | 56.10 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 3 200 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 9.10 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 14.00 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 29.80 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.60 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 25.00 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | - 5 812 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 17 680 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 49 280 000 000 | $ |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 1 392 000 000 | $ |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 47 310 000 000 | $ |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 8 858 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 2.60 | % of GDP |
| Public debt | 14.70 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 2.90 | % |
| highest 10% | 24.10 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 18 400 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 18 900 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| barley | fruits |
| livestock | sugar beets |
| sunflowers | tobacco |
| vegetables | wheat |
| wine |
Industries :
| base metals | beverages |
| chemical products | coke |
| electricity | equipment |
| food | gas |
| machinery | nuclear fuel |
| refined petroleum | tobacco |
| water |
Industrial production growth rate :
-14.00 %
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 44 830 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 29 900 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Exports | 5 407 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Imports | 3 097 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Production | 3 357 | bbl/day |
| Oil Consumption | 124 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Exports | 76 570 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 189 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Proved reserves | 15 000 000 | bbl |
| Natural gas Production | 218 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Consumption | 3 350 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Imports | 3 480 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Electricity Exports | 5 663 000 000 | cubic metres |
Value :
16 230 000 000 $
Partners :
| Greece (gr) | 9.80 | % |
| Germany (de) | 9.10 | % |
| Turkey (tr) | 8.90 | % |
| Italy (it) | 8.50 | % |
| Romania (ro) | 7.20 | % |
| Belgium (be) | 5.80 | % |
| France (fr) | 4.00 | % |
Commodities :
| clothing | footwear |
| fuels | iron and steel |
| machinery and equipment |
Value :
23 270 000 000 $
Partners :
| Russia (ru) | 14.60 | % |
| Germany (de) | 11.80 | % |
| Italy (it) | 7.90 | % |
| Ukraine (ua) | 7.30 | % |
| Romania (ro) | 5.60 | % |
| Turkey (tr) | 5.50 | % |
| Greece (gr) | 5.40 | % |
| Austria (at) | 4.10 | % |
Commodities :
| chemicals and plastics | fuels |
| machinery and equipment | metal ores |
| minerals | raw materials and semi-manufactures |
Currency-code :
BGN
Currency-name :
lev
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 2 258 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 10 633 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 63 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 39 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | bg | |
| Internet Hosts | 706 648 | |
| Internet Users | 2 647 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 132 | |
| Heliports | 3 | |
| Pipelines - gas | 2 926 | km |
| Pipelines - oil | 339 | km |
| Pipelines - refined products | 156 | km |
| Roadways - total | 40 231 | km |
| Roadways - expressways | 331 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 39 587 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 644 | km |
| Railways | 4 294 | km |
| Waterways | 470 | km |
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