Location: The Republic of Bulgaria is situated
in the South-East part of Europe and more precisely
in the Eastern part of the Balkan peninsula. On
the North it has a common boundary with Romania
and on the West with Yugoslavia. On the South-West
it is conterminous with Macedonia while on the South-East
it is contiguous to Turkey. On the East the country
is bounded by the Black Sea. The total length of
the Bulgarian border- line is 2245 km, 1181
of which are land frontier, 686 km river and 378
km sea-frontage.
Relief: Most diverse. Average height above
sea level - 470 m. Some 31.5% of the country’s
territory is plain (up to 200 m above sea
level), 41% are lowlands and hilly regions
(from 200 to 600 m above
sea level), and 27.5% are mountains (from 600 to
more than 1,600 m above sea level).
Climate: moderate continental with Black Sea influence
in the East and Mediterranean in the South.
Waters: Rivers (main rivers are Danube, Maritsa,
Mesta, Strouma, Iskar, Yantra); warm and cold
mineral springs (more than 600); lakes - coast al
(some with curative mineral mud) and of glacial
origin (in the Rila and Pirin mountains). Republic
of Bulgaria
State system: Parliamentary Republic. Head
of state. President, elected by direct vote for
5-year term. Legislative body. National Assembly
(one-chamber parliament) of 240 national representatives
with 4-year term. Government. Council of Ministers,
elected by the National Assembly.
President: Georgi Purvanov (2002)
Prime Minister: Sergei Stanishev (2005)
Land area: 42,683 sq mi (110,549 sq km).
Total area: 42,823 sq mi (110,910 sq km).
Administrative regions: 28
Population (2006 est.): 7,385,367 (growth rate:
–x0.9%); birth rate: 9.7/1000; infant mortality
rate: 19.9/1000; life expectancy: 72.3; density
per sq mi: 173
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Sofia,
1,088,700
Other large cities: Plovdiv, 338,200; Varna,
312,300; Burgas, 192,000; Ruse, 161,000
Monetary unit: Lev
Languages: Bulgarian 85%, Turkish 10%, Roma
4%
Ethnicity/race: Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%,
Roma 4.7%, other (including Macedonian, Armenian,
Tatar, Circassian) 2% (2001)
Religions: There is freedom of religious
confessions. Traditional religion in the Republic
of Bulgaria is Eastern Orthodox Christianity 83%,
Islam 12%, other Christian 1% (2001), named
after their respective regional centres.
National holiday: March 3, the day of the
Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman domination
(1878)
Economy: Bulgaria has been an associated
member of the European Union (EU) since 1992.
In 1997 an agreement was signed with the International
Monetary Fund and the World Bank for economic
stabilization and for the carrying through of economic
reforms in the country. A currency board was
introduced. The national monetary unit has been
referred to the EURO. A structural reform
is underway aimed at an economic growth, a functioning
market economy and at paving the way for foreign
investments in the country.
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $67.29
billion; per capita $9,000. Real growth rate:
5.7%. Inflation: 4.5%. Unemployment: 11.5%. Arable
land: 40%.
Agriculture: vegetables, fruits,tobacco,
wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets; livestock.
Labor force: 3.34 million; agriculture 11%, industry
32.7%, services 56.3% (3rd quarter 2004 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.
Exports: $11.67 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.):
hing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment,
fuels.
Imports: $15.9 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.):machinery
and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals
and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials.
Major trading partners: Italy, Germany,
Turkey, Belgium, Greece, U.S., France, Russia (2004).
Communications:
Telephones: main lines in use: 2,868,200
(2002);
International telephone code: +359
Mobile
cellular: 2,597,500 (2002).
Radio broadcast stations: AM 31, FM 63, shortwave
2 (2001).
Television broadcast: stations: 39 (plus
1,242 repeaters) (2001).
Internet hosts: 53,421 (2004).
Internet users: 630,000 (2002).
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).
International automobile sign: BG
Waterways:
470 km (2004).
Ports and harbours: Burgas, Varna.
Airports: 213 (2004 est.).
Plant and animal world:
extremely diverse. An Act on the Protected
Territories is operating in Bulgaria, aimed
at the preservation of the country’s flora and fauna.
It has specified the following categories in the
country: a national and nature park, a reserve
and a tended reserve, a natural sight, a protected
locality.. |
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