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| Introduction | 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 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. |
| People | Bulgaria |
| Population: | 7,517,973 (July 2004 est.) |
| 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.) |
| Median age: | total: 40.5 years male: 38.4 years female: 42.4 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | -0.92% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 9.65 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 14.25 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -4.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (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.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 21.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 25.15 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 71.75 years male: 68.14 years female: 75.59 years (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 - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 346 (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 100 (2001 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Bulgarian(s) adjective: Bulgarian |
| Ethnic groups: | Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001) |
| 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 |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99.1% female: 98.2% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Bulgaria |
| 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 Ottaman Empire) |
| National holiday: | Liberation Day, 3 March (1878) |
| Constitution: | adopted 12 July 1991 |
| Legal system: | civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| 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), and Lidiya SHULEVA (since 24 July 2001), Plamen PANAYOTOV (since 17 July 2003) 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 11 November and 18 November 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) nominated by the president; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister 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%, UtdDF 18.18%, CfB 17.15%, MRF 7.45%; seats by party - NMS2 120, UtdDF 51, CfB 48, MRF 21; note - seating as of January 2004 - NMS2 108, UtdDF 49, CfB 48, MRF 20, independents 15 |
| 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 Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]; Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by BSP) [Sergei STANISHEV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed DOGAN]; National Movement for Simeon II or NMS2 [Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Nadezhda MIKHAYLOVA]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces or UtdDF (a coalition between the UDF and other center-right parties) |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | agrarian movement; 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, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Elena B. POPTODOROVA consulate(s): New York FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973 telephone: [1] (202) 387-0174 chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador James William PARDEW embassy: 1 Suborna Street, Sofia 1000 mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, Department of State, 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740 telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100 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) |
| Communications | Bulgaria |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 2,868,200 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 2,597,500 (2002) |
| 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) |
| Radios: | 4.51 million (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001) |
| Televisions: | 3.31 million (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .bg |
| Internet hosts: | 53,421 (2004) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 200 (2001) |
| Internet users: | 630,000 (2002) |
| Transportation | Bulgaria |
| 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) |
| Waterways: | 470 km (2004) |
| 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 (2003 est.) |
| Airports: | 212 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 128 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 92 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 85 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 72 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: | 1 (2003 est.) |
| Military | Bulgaria |
| 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.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 52,811 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $356 million (FY02) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 2.6% (2003) |
| Transnational Issues | Bulgaria |
| Disputes - international: | none |
| 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 |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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