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Background Note: Bulgaria
PROFILE
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).
GEOGRAPHY AND PEOPLE
Bulgaria shares a border with Turkey and Greece to the
south, Macedonia and Serbia to the west, Romania to the north,
and the Black Sea to the east. The capital, Sofia, lies in the
western region of the country. Ethnic groups include Bulgarian,
Turkish, Roma, and others. The official language is Bulgarian. |