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
43 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references
Europe
Area
total
110,910 sq km
land
110,550 sq km
water
360 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries
total
1,808 km
border countries
Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia 318 km, Turkey 240 km
Coastline
354 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
contiguous zone
24 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
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
29.94%
permanent crops
1.9%
other
68.16% (2005)
Irrigated land
5,880 sq km (2003)
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-Sulfur 94, 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, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified
none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
Population
7,322,858 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
13.9% (male 521,117/female 496,022)
15-64 years
68.7% (male 2,472,424/female 2,556,102)
65 years and over
17.4% (male 523,660/female 753,533) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
40.9 years
male
38.8 years
female
43.1 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
-0.837% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
9.62 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
14.28 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
-3.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.051 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.967 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.695 male(s)/female
total population
0.924 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
19.16 deaths/1,000 live births
male
22.75 deaths/1,000 live births
female
15.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
72.57 years
male
68.95 years
female
76.4 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.39 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
less than 0.1% (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 census)
Religions
Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4% (2001 census)
Languages
Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
98.2%
male
98.7%
female
97.7% (2001 census)
Country name
conventional long form
Republic of Bulgaria
conventional short form
Bulgaria
local long form
Republika Balgariya
local short form
Balgariya
Government type
parliamentary democracy
Capital
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
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
Legal system
civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state
President Georgi PARVANOV (since 22 January 2002); Vice President Angel MARIN (since 22 January 2002)
head of government
Prime Minister Sergei STANISHEV (since 16 August 2005); Deputy Prime Ministers Ivaylo KALFIN, Daniel VULCHEV, and Emel ETEM (since 16 August 2005)
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 a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 and 29 October 2006 (next to be held in 2011); 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 reelected president; percent of vote - Georgi PURVANOV 77.3%, Volen SIDEROV 22.7%; Sergei STANISHEV elected prime minister, result of legislative vote - 168 to 67
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 25 June 2005 (next to be held in June 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - CfB 31.1%, NMS2 19.9%, MRF 12.7%, ATAKA 8.2%, UDF 7.7%, DSB 6.5%, BPU 5.2%, other 8.7%; seats by party - CfB 83, NMS2 53, MRF 33, UDF 20, ATAKA 17, DSB 17, BPU 13, independents 4
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
ATAKA (Attack Coalition) (coalition of parties headed by the Attack National Union); Attack National Union [Volen SIDEROV]; Bulgarian Agrarian National Union-People's Union or BANU [Anastasia MOZER]; Bulgarian People's Union or BPU (coalition of UFD, IMRO, and BANU); 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]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or IMRO [Krasimir KARAKACHANOV]; 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 [Petar STOYANOV]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces or UtDF (a coalition of center-right parties dominated by UDF)
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
American Embassy Sofia, US Department of State, 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740
telephone
[359] (2) 937-5100
FAX
[359] (2) 937-5320
Flag description
three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; note - the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe, has been removed
Economy - overview
Bulgaria, a former communist country that entered the EU on 1 January 2007, 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. Minerals, including coal, copper, and zinc, play an important role in industry. In 1997, macroeconomic stability was reinforced by the imposition of a fixed exchange rate of the lev against the German D-mark - the currency is now fixed against the euro - and the negotiation of an IMF standby agreement. Low inflation and steady progress on structural reforms improved the business environment; Bulgaria has averaged 5.1% growth since 2000 and has begun to attract significant amounts of foreign direct investment. Corruption in the public administration, a weak judiciary, and the presence of organized crime remain the largest challenges for Bulgaria.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$78.68 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$28.06 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
6.3% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$10,700 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
13.6%
industry
32.1%
services
54.3% (2006 est.)
Labor force
3.51 million (30 September 2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
8.5%
industry
33.6%
services
57.9% (2nd qtr. 2006 est.)
Unemployment rate
9.6% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
14.1% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
2.9%
highest 10%
25.4% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
31.6 (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
6.5% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
23.8% of GDP (3rd qtr. 2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$13.28 billion
expenditures
$12.16 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
Public debt
25.6% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products
Industries
electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel
Industrial production growth rate
11.3% (Third Quarter, 2006 est.)
Electricity - production
45.7 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
47.8%
hydro
8.1%
nuclear
44.1%
other
0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
37.4 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - exports
7.8 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2006)
Oil - production
3,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption
131,400 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports
51,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - imports
128,400 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - proved reserves
15 million bbl (1 January 2006)
Natural gas - production
407,000 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
3.472 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports
3.065 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
5.947 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance
-$5.1 billion (2006 est.)
Exports
$15.5 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities
clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels
machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials
Imports - partners
Russia 16.8%, Germany 12.4%, Italy 8.7%, Turkey 6.4%, China 5.4%, Greece 5.1% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$11.43 billion (February 2007 est.)
Debt - external
$24.3 billion (30 November 2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
$742 million (2005-06 est.)
Currency (code)
lev (BGL)
Currency code
BGN
Exchange rates
leva per US dollar - 1.5576 (2006), 1.5741 (2005), 1.5751 (2004), 1.7327 (2003), 2.077 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
2.483 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular
6.245 million (2005)
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
184,975 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
200 (2001)
Internet users
2.2 million (2005)
Airports
217 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
132
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
96 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
85
1,524 to 2,437 m
2
914 to 1,523 m
11
under 914 m
72 (2006)
Heliports
4 (2006)
Pipelines
gas 2,505 km; oil 339 km; refined products 156 km (2006)
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 (2005)
Roadways
total
44,033 km
paved
43,593 km (includes 333 km of expressways)
unpaved
440 km (2004)
Waterways
470 km (2007)
Merchant marine
total
75 ships (1000 GRT or over) 872,653 GRT/1,294,877 DWT
by type
bulk carrier 40, cargo 17, chemical tanker 4, container 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 4
foreign-owned
2 (Germany 1, Russia 1)
registered in other countries
41 (Cambodia 1, Comoros 1, Malta 13, Panama 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 17, Slovakia 7, unknown 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Burgas, Varna
Military branches
Bulgarian Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Bulgarian Air Forces (Bulgarski Voennovazdyshni Sily, BVVS) (2006)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; service in the Army is mandatory for all men under the age of 27; conscript service obligation - 9 months; as of May 2006, 67% of the Bulgarian Army comprised of professional soldiers; conscription into the Army to end as of 1 January 2008; Air and Air Defense Forces and Naval Forces became fully professional at the end of 2006; Bulgarian Armed Forces encountered difficulties meeting conscript quotas in April 2007 (2007)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49
1,661,211
females age 18-49
1,660,982 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49
1,302,037
females age 18-49
1,365,126 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
51,023
females age 18-49
48,651 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
2.6% (2005 est.)
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
