2002 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2002 (Project Gutenberg)
Introduction
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. Bulgaria regained its independence in 1878, but having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, it 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 NATO and the EU - with which it began accession negotiations in 2000.
Geography
Area
total: 110,910 sq km water: 360 sq km land: 110,550 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly larger than Tennessee
Coastline
354 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Musala 2,925 m
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-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Geography - note: strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
Geographic coordinates
43 00 N, 25 00 E
Irrigated land
8,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Land boundaries
total: 1,808 km border countries: Greece 494 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Yugoslavia 318 km, Turkey 240 km
Land use
arable land: 39% permanent crops: 2% other: 59% (1998 est.)
Location
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
Map references
Europe
Maritime claims
200 NM territorial sea: Climate: temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Natural hazards
earthquakes, landslides
Natural resources
bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land
Terrain
mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 14.6% (male 572,961; female 543,004) 15-64 years: 68.5% (male 2,569,199; female 2,648,461) 65 years and over: 16.9% (male 540,109; female 747,603) (2002 est.)
Birth rate
8.05 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate
14.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Ethnic groups
Bulgarian 83.6%, Turk 9.5%, Roma 4.6%, other 2.3% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (1998)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
less than 100 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
346 (2000)
Infant mortality rate
14.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Languages
Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown
Life expectancy at birth
75.22 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 1.13 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1999)
Nationality
noun: Bulgarian(s) adjective: Bulgarian
Net migration rate
-4.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Population
7,621,337 (July 2002 est.)
Population growth rate
-1.11% (2002 est.)
Religions
Bulgarian Orthodox 83.8%, Muslim 12.1%, Roman Catholic 1.7%, Jewish 0.8%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 1.6% (1998)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Government
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
Sofia
Constitution
adopted 12 July 1991
Country name
Republic of Bulgaria conventional short form: Government type: parliamentary democracy
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard M. MILES embassy: 1 Suborna Street, Sofia mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5740 telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100 FAX: [359] (2) 981-89-77
Diplomatic representation in the US
Ambassador-designate Elena
Executive branch
chief of state: President Georgi PARVANOV (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), Kostadin PASKALEV (since 24 July 2001), and Lidiya SHULEVA (since 24 July 2001) 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: 54.13%, Petar STOYANOV 45.87%
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)
Independence
3 March 1878 (from Ottoman Empire)
International organization participation
ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, 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, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
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)
Legal system
civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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%, UHdDF 18.18%, CFB 17.15%, MRF 7.45%; seats by party - NMS2 120, UHdDF 51, CFB 48, MRF 21; note - seating as of February 2002 - NMS2 115, UHdDF 51, CFB 48, MRF 21, independents 5
National holiday
Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)
Political parties and leaders
Bulgarian Radical Union [Evgeniy BAKURDZHIEV]; Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]; Coalition for Bulgaria or CFB (bloc led by BSP, includes Ecoglasnost Political Club and Bulgarian Agrarian National Union) [leader NA]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or VMRO [Krasimir KARAKACHNOV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed DOGAN]; National Movement for Simeon II or NMS2 [Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]; New Civic Party for Bulgaria [Bogomil BONEV]; People's Union or PU (includes Bulgarian Agrarian National Union and Democratic Party) [Anastasiya MOZER]; St. George's Day [Lyuben DILOV, Jr.]; Union of Democratic Forces or UHdDF [Ekaterina MIKHAYLOVA]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces (consisting of UHdDF and People's Union) [Ekaterina MIKHAYLOVA]
Political pressure groups and leaders
agrarian movement; Bulgarian Democratic Center; Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB; Democratic Alliance for the Republic or DAR; New Union for Democracy or NUD; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas
POPTODOROVA consulate(s)
1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture - products
vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets
Budget
revenues: $5.57 billion expenditures: $5.68 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Currency
lev (BGL)
Currency code
BGL
Debt - external
$10.2 billion (2001 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
34.1 (1997)
Economic aid - recipient
$1 billion (1999 est.)
Electricity - consumption
34.42 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports
3.2 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports
1.5 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production
38.84 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 47.9% hydro: 7.54% other: 0.1% (2000) nuclear: 44.46%
Exchange rates
leva per US dollar - 2.2147 (January 2002), 2.1847 (2001), 2.1233 (2000), 1.8364 (1999), 1,760.36 (1998), 1,681.88 (1997) note: on 5 July 1999, the lev was redenominated; the post-5 July 1999 lev is equal to 1,000 of the pre-5 July 1999 lev
Exports
$4.6 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities
clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels
Exports - partners
Italy 14%, Turkey 10%, Germany 9%, Greece 8%, Yugoslavia 8% (2000)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power parity - $48 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 14.5% industry: 27.8% services: 57.7% (2000)
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $6,200 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
4% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 4.5% highest 10%: 22.8% (1997)
Imports
$6.2 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities
fuels, minerals, and raw materials; machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; food, textiles
Imports - partners
Russia 24%, Germany 14%, Italy 8%, Greece 5%, France 5% (2000)
Industrial production growth rate
2% (2001 est.)
Industries
electricity, gas and water; food, beverages and tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
7.5% (2001 est.)
Labor force
3.83 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture 26%, industry 31%, services 43% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line
35% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate
17.5% (2001 est.)
Communications
Internet country code
.bg
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
200 (2001)
Internet users
585,000 (2001)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001)
Radios
4.51 million (1997)
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: direct dialing to 58 countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 2 Intelsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions)
Telephones - main lines in use
3,186,731 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular
1.054 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations
39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001)
Televisions
3.31 million (1997)
Transportation
Airports
215 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 129 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 93 (2001) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 86 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 74 (2001)
Heliports
1 (2001)
Highways
total: 37,288 km paved: 33,786 km (including 324 km of expressways) unpaved: 3,502 km (2001)
Merchant marine
total: 77 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 881,758 GRT/1,312,833 DWT ships by type: bulk 43, cargo 15, chemical tanker 4, container 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 1 (2002 est.)
Pipelines
petroleum products 525 km; natural gas 1,500 km (1999)
Ports and harbors
Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin
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 (2002)
Waterways
470 km (1987)
Military and Security
Military branches
Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (subordinate to Ministry of Defense), Internal Forces (subordinate to Ministry of Interior), Civil Defense Forces (subordinate to the president)
Military expenditures - dollar figure
$356 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
2.7% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability
males age 15-49: 1,873,052 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service
males age 15-49: 1,566,816 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age
19 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually
males: 56,104 (2002 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
because of a shift in the Danube course since the last correction of the boundary in 1920, a joint Bulgarian-Romanian team will recommend sovereignty changes to several islands and redefine the boundary
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 This page was last updated on 1 January 2002 Bouvet Island