Bulgaria

The Republic of Bulgaria is situated in the Southeastern Europe. Bulgaria is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south. The Black Sea decides its eastern territorial limitation. The territory of Bulgaria comprises Moesia, Thrace, and Macedonia. The country is a member of NATO since 2004. The capital Sofia is located at 42 41 N, 23 19 E. The defense responsibilities are distributed among three departments: the Bulgarian Land Forces, the Bulgarian Navy and the Bulgarian Air Force.


HISTORY:- In 188 BC, the Roman Empire governed the nation. After the fall of Roman Empire, Goths, Huns, Bulgars, and Avars invaded the land. After the decline of First Bulgarian Empire, Byzantine rule was established. The second Bulgarian Empire was re-established in 1185. In 1396, the country was attacked by the Ottoman Empire. Ottomans ruled the land for 5 centuries. In 1876, the biggest rebellion was broke out against the Ottomans. After the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), Bulgaria gained independence. But fearing the Bulgarian dominance over the region, the territory of Bulgaria had been shrunk into Moesia and the region of Sofia in the Treaty of Berlin (1878). Alexander von Battenberg became the first Prince. In the First Balkan War (1912–1913), Bulgaria fought against the Turk to take back the Balkan territory, which Bulgaria lost again after the Second Balkan War (1913). Though initially started with a coalition with the Germany, Bulgaria swapped its participation from Germany to USSR at the end of the World War II. Post World War II, Bulgaria gained People's Republic in 1946 but lost with the fall of USSR. In 1990, first free elections were held and first non-Communist government took control in 1946.

 

GEOGRAPHY:- Bulgaria is located at 43 00 N, 25 00 E in the Southeastern Europe. Bulgaria’s total land area is 110,550 sq km and water area is 360 sq km. The lowest point is located at the Black Sea (0 m) and the highest point is Musala (2,925 m). Bulgaria is mostly mountainous with lowlands in north and southeast. Earthquakes, landslides occasionally cause hazards to the land.

 

CLIMATE:- The climate of Bulgaria is temperate, with cold, moist winters and hot, dry summers.

 

GOVERNMENT:- Bulgaria is a parliamentary democratic country. The constitution was adopted on 12th July 1991. The civil and criminal laws are based on the Roman codes. The three branches of the government are:

Executive branch comprises the President (chief of state), the Prime minister (head of government), cabinet. The council of ministers is elected by the National Assembly, with the nomination of the Prime minister.

Legislative branch comprises the unicameral National Assembly (240 seats).

Judicial branch comprises a three-tiered system. It has Supreme Administrative Court; Supreme Court of Cassation; Constitutional Court, Supreme Judicial Council.

Largest political parties are Coalition of Bulgaria, Bulgarian Socialist Party, National Movement Simeon II, Movement for Rights and Freedoms, United Democratic Forces, Democrats for Strong Bulgaria, Bulgarian Peoples Union. Suffrage is universal at 18.

President  Georgi Parvanov

Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev

 

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:- Bulgaria is divided into 28 provinces, which again subdivided into 264 municipalities.

 

CULTURE:- Bulgaria is considered as the fusion-line of East and West. Bulgarian culture is highly influenced by the Thracians, Greeks, Romans, Slavs, and Bulgars. It has 9 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Football is the most popular sport in Bulgaria. Boxing, martial-arts, judo and karate are also very famous.

 

ECONOMY:- Bulgaria has an upper-middle-income economy as acclaimed by the World Bank. It is a member of the European Union since 2007. The economy is fast growing since 1996.

GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $77.13 billion; per capita $10,400.

Real growth rate: 6.5% (2006).

Inflation: 6.5% (2006).

Unemployment: 9.6% (2006 est.).

Arable land: 40%.

Agriculture: vegetables, fruits, tobacco, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets; livestock.

Labor force: 3.51 million; agriculture 8.5%, industry 33.6%, services 57.9% (2rd quarter 2006 est.).

Industries: electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel.

Natural resources: bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land.

Budget:  

Revenues: $16.84 billion

Expenditures: $15.35 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt: 12.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Debt - external: $34.44 billion (30 June 2007)

Exports: $15.5 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.): clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels.

Exports - partners: Turkey 11.6%, Italy 10.1%, Germany 9.6%, Greece 8%, Belgium 6.5%, France 4.2% (2006)

Imports: $23.8 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.): machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials.

Imports - partners: Germany 14.8%, Italy 10.5%, Turkey 7.1%, Greece 6.2%, China 5%, France 4.9%, Romania 4.5% (2006)

Major trading partners: Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belgium, Greece, U.S., France, Russia (2004).

Monetary unit: Lev

 

LANGUAGE:- Bulgarian is the official language, spoken by 85% Bulgarians.

Other language:

Turkish 10%

Roma 4%

Unspecified 1%

 

CITIES:- The capital city Sofia is the largest city. Other large cities are Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Ruse.

 

POPULATION:- the estimated population of Bulgaria is 7,322,858 with the growth rate of –0.8%.

Density per sq mi: 172

Literacy rate: 99% (2003 est.)

 

RACE:-

Bulgarian 83.9%

Turk 9.4%

Roma 4.7%

Other (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) 2% (2001)

 

RELIGION:-

Bulgarian Orthodox 83%

Islam 12%

Other Christian 1% (2001)

 

HEALTH:-

Birth rate: 9.58 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 14.3 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 18.51 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.83 years

Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 100 (2001 est.)

Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2005): 734

 

UNICEF:- Iodine-deficiency disorders are completely eliminated in Bulgaria. After 2005 floods, UNICEF worked with the Civil Protection Agency to supply pure water, sanitation equipment and other required assistance. ‘Baby friendly’ hospitals are being promoted in two new hospitals to reduce the risk at deliveries and to campaign for breastfeeding. Alternatives of institutionalization have been adopted by the government. UNICEF with the State Agency for Child Protection has trained 65 teachers and 55 other professionals to fight against child-violence. HIV+ cases are low as well as the awareness on it is also very limited among Bulgarians.

 

TRANSPORTATION:-

Railways: total: 4,294 km (2004).

Highways: total: 37,077 km; paved: 34,111 km (including 328 km of expressways); unpaved: 2,966 km (2002).

Waterways: 470 km (2004).

Ports and harbors: Burgas, Varna.

Airports: 217 (2006 est.).

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