OFFICIAL NAME:
Republic of Bulgaria

Geography
Area: 110,910 sq. km. (slightly larger than Tennessee).
Major cities: Capital--Sofia 1.2 million.
Others: Plovdiv--368,568, Varna--349,482.
Terrain: Bulgaria is located in South Central Europe. The terrain is varied, containing large mountainous areas, fertile valleys, plains and a coastline along the Black Sea.
Climate: Continental--mild summers and cold, snowy winters.

People
Population (2006 est.): 7,385,367.
Growth rate (2006 est.): -0.86.
Ethnic groups (2001): Bulgarian 83.94%, Turkish 9.42%, Roma 4.68%, and other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian).
Religions (2001): Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Roman Catholic 0.6%, Protestant 0.5%, others.
Language: Bulgarian 84.5%, other 15.5%.
Health: Life expectancy (2006)--male 68.68 years; female 76.13 years. Infant mortality rate (2006)--19.85 deaths/1,000 live births.
Work force (2005 est.): 3.34 million. Agriculture--11%; industry--32.7%; services--32% (3rd qtr. 2004 est.).

Government
Type: Parliamentary democracy.
Constitution: Adopted July 12, 1991.
Independence: 1908 (from the Ottoman Empire).
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state), prime minister (head of government), Council of Ministers (cabinet). Legislative--unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Subranie--240 seats. Members are elected by popular vote of party/coalition lists of candidates for 4-year terms. Based on results of June 2005 elections, seat allocation is as follows: CfB--83, NMS2--53, MRF--33, Ataka--17, UDF--20, DSB--17, BPU--13, and independents--4. Judicial--three-tiered system.
Administrative divisions: 28 provinces plus the capital region of Sofia.
Suffrage: Universal at 18 years of age.
Main political parties: Coalition of Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by BSP); Bulgarian Peoples Union (BPU); Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP); National Movement Simeon II (NMS2); Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF); United Democratic Forces (UDF); Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB); and Attack Coalition (ATAKA). Results from the June 25, 2005 general election are as follows: CfB 31.1%, NMS2 19.9%, MRF 12.7%, ATAKA 8.2%, UDF 7.7%, DSB 6.5%, BPU 5.2%.

Economy
GDP (2006 est.): $27.85 billion.
Real GDP growth: 5.5% (2006 est.); 5.5% (2005); 4.3% (2003).
Per Capita GDP (PPP, 2006 est.): $10,400.
Inflation rate: 6.5% (2006); 5% (2005); 6% (2004); 5.6% (2003).
Unemployment rate: 9.61% (2006 average); 11.5% (2005); 12.7% (2004 average); 14.25% (2003 average).
Natural resources: Bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, and timber.
Official exchange rate: Lev per $1 U.S.--1.56 (2006); 1.57 (2005 average); 1.58 (2004 average); 1.73 (2003 average).