Geography
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the
Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
Geographic coordinates: 43 00 N, 25 00 E
Area:
Total: 110,910 sq km
Water: 360 sq km
Land: 110,550 sq km
Border countries:
Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608
km, Serbia 318 km, Turkey 240 km
Coastline: 354 km
Climate:
Temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry
summers
Terrain:
Mostly mountains with lowlands in the
Northern and Southeastern parts of the
country
Elevation extremes:
Lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
Highest point: Mussala 2,925 m
Natural resources:
Bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber,
arable land
Population:
7,262,675 (July 2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.813% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
9.58 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
14.3 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-3.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008
est.)
Nationality:
Noun: Bulgarian(s)
Ethnic groups:
Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma(gitans)
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
Government
Republic of 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 (from
Ottoman Empire)
National holiday : Liberation Day, 3
March (1878)
Constitution : adopted 12 July 1990
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 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) and Meglena PLUGCHIEVA (since 25 April
2008)
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 term)
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];
Agrarian National Union or ANU [Stefan
LICHEV];
Bulgarian New Democracy [Borislav RALCHEV];
Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei
STANISHEV];
Citizens for the European Development of
Bulgaria or GERB [Tsvetan TSVETANOV];
Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of
parties dominated by BSP) [Sergei STANISHEV];
Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Ivan
KOSTOV];
Gergyovden [Petar STOYANOVICH];
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary
Organization or IMRO [Krasimir KARAKACHANOV];
Liberal Initiative for Democratic European
Development or LIDER [Khristo KOVACHKI];
Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF
[Ahmed DOGAN];
Movement Forward (LIDER, IMRO, ANU,
Gergyovden);
National Movement for Stability and Progress
or NDSV [Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA] (formerly
National Movement Simeon II or NMS2);
New Time [Emil KOSHLUKOV]; Union of
Democratic Forces or UDF [Martin DIMITROV];
Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan
SOFIYANSKI];
United Agrarians [Anastasia MOZER];
United Democratic Forces or UtDF (a
coalition of center-right parties dominated
by UDF)
Economy
Bulgaria, a former Communist country that
entered the EU on 1 January 2007, has
experienced strong growth since a major
economic downturn in 1996. Successive
governments have demonstrated commitment to
economic reforms and responsible fiscal
planning, but have failed so far to rein in
rising inflation and large current account
deficits. Bulgaria has averaged more than 6%
growth since 2004, attracting significant
amounts of foreign direct investment, but
corruption in the public administration, a
weak judiciary, and the presence of
organized crime remain significant
challenges.
GDP: purchasing power parity – $95.88
billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity
$13,200 (2008 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 6.9%
industry: 32%
services: 61.1% (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
12.5% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
2.56 million (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 8.5%
industry: 33.6%
services: 57.9% (2nd qtr. 2006 est.)
Unemployment rate :6.3% (2008 est.)
Budget
revenues: $22.54 billion
expenditures: $20.52 billion (2008 est.)
Currency : Lev (BGL)
Exchange rates:
leva per US dollar –
1.30 (2007)
1.33(2008)
Brazilian REAL :
10 BRL = 6.808 LEVAS
Fiscal year -calendar year
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