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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. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria 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 the EU. The country joined NATO in 2004.
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Common Name: Bulgaria
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Local Official Name: Bulgaria
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Abbreviated Name: Republic of Bulgaria
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Official Name: Republika Balgariya
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Official Script Name: Bulgaria
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Local Common Name: Bulgaria
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Former Name: Bulgaria
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: President Georgi PARVANOV
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Government Type: parliamentary democracy
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Independence: 1878 March 3 (from Ottoman Empire)
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Constitution: 1991 July 12 (adopted)
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National Holiday: Liberation Day, 3 March
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International Organization Participation: ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
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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
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage: 18 years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: 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: Georgi PARVANOV elected president; percent of vote - Georgi PARVANOV 54.13%, Petar STOYANOV 45.87%
Legislative Branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 25 June 2005 (next to be held June 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - CfB 31.1%, NMS2 19.9%, MRF 12.7%, ATAKA 8.2%, UDF 7.7%, DSB 6.5%, BPU 5.2%; seats by party - CfB 83, NMS2 53, MRF 33, UDF 20, ATAKA 17, DSB 17, BPU 13, independents 4
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)
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Party Leaders: ATAKA (Attack Coalition) (coalition of parties headed by the Attack National Union); Attack National Union [Volen Siderov]; Bulgarian Agrarian National Union-People's Union or BANU [Anastasia MOZER]; Bulgarian People's Union or BPU (coalition of UFD, IMRO, and BANU); Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]; Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by BSP) [Sergei STANISHEV]; Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Ivan KOSTOV]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or IMRO [Krasimir KARAKACHANOV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed DOGAN]; National Movement for Simeon II or NMS2 [Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]; New Time [Emil KOSHLUKOV]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Petar STOYANOV]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces or UtDF (a coalition of center-right parties dominated by UDF)
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International Disputes:
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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; some money laundering of drug-related proceeds through financial institutions
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Location of Bulgaria: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
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Continent: Europe
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Land Area Total: 110,910 sq km
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Region: South Eastern Europe |
Land Area Land: 110,550 sq km
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Capitol City: Sofia
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Land Area Water: 360 sq km
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Current: +2
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Latitude: 043 00 N
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Border Boundary Land: 1,808 km
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Longitude: 025 00 E
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Border Boundary Coastline: 354 km
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Arable Land: 29.94 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 1.90 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 2,925 m
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Location: Musala
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Lowest Elevation: 0 m
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Location: Black Sea
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Largest City in Bulgaria: Sofia
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Sofia Largest City Population: 1,192,000
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Threatened Species: 45
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Environmental 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
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94
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Irrigated Land: 5,880
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Bordering Countries: Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia 318 km, Turkey 240 km
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Natural Resources: bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land
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Geographical Terrain: mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
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Comparative Area of Bulgaria: slightly larger than Tennessee
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Bulgaria's Geography: strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Bulgaria.
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General Climate: temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
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Natural Hazards: earthquakes, landslides
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Economic Overview: Bulgaria, a former communist country striving to enter the European Union, has experienced macroeconomic stability and strong growth since a major economic downturn in 1996 led to the fall of the then socialist government. As a result, the government became committed to economic reform and responsible fiscal planning. Minerals, including coal, copper, and zinc, play an important role in industry. In 1997, macroeconomic stability was reinforced by the imposition of a fixed exchange rate of the lev against the German D-mark and the negotiation of an IMF standby agreement. Low inflation and steady progress on structural reforms improved the business environment; Bulgaria has averaged 4% growth since 2000 and has begun to attract significant amounts of foreign direct investment. Corruption in the public administration, a weak judiciary, and the presence of organized crime remain the largest challenges for Bulgaria.
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GDP: $71,540,000,000 USD
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Currency: lev
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GDP per Capita: $9,600 USD
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Currency Code: BGL
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GDP Growth Rate: 5.50 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% BGL
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Currency Exchange Rate History: leva per US dollar - 1.5741 (2005), 1.5751 (2004), 1.7327 (2003), 2.077 (2002), 2.1847 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 9.30 %
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GDP of Industry: 30.40 %
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GDP of Services: 60.30 % |
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Inflation Rate: 5.00 % |
Population in Poverty: 13.40 %
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Unemployment Rate: 11.50 %
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Tourism: 2,472,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 4.50 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $11,180,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 22.80 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $10,900,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 38,070,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 5,449,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 31,750,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 1,800,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 47.90%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 44.46%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 7.54%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.10%
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Oil Production: 2,908 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 1,000,000 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 107,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 5,401,000,000 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 5,800,000,000 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 8,100,000 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 5,947,000,000 cu m
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External Debt: $15,320,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $300,000,000 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: vegetables, fruits, tobacco, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets; livestock
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Primary Industries: electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel
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Industrial Growth Rate: 7.30 %
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Import Amount in USD: $15,900,000,000 USD - machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials
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Import Partners: Russia 15.6%, Germany 13.6%, Italy 9%, Turkey 6.1%, Greece 5%, France 4.7%
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Export Amount in USD: $11,670,000,000 USD - clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels
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Export Partners: Italy 12%, Turkey 10.5%, Germany 9.8%, Greece 9.5%, France 4.6%
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GINI Index: 31.90%
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Labor Force Number of People: 3,340,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: agriculture 11%, industry 32.7%, services 56.3%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 96 |
Number of People with Radios: 4,510,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 39 |
Number of People with Televisions: 3,310,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 2,726,800 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 4,729,700 |
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Internet Service Providers: 95,539 |
Internet Users: 630,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .bg |
Newspapers: 116 |
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Two Letter Country Code: BG |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: 359 |
Electricity Voltage: 230 Volts |
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Telephone Systems: 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: country code - 359; direct dialing to 58 countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 2 Intelsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions)
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Highways: 93,855 km |
Railways: 4,294 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 2,920 km |
Waterways: 470 km
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Airports: 132 |
Heliports: 4
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Motor Vehicles: 266 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 55,150,000 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 5.90 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: total: 75 ships (1000 GRT or over) 872,653 GRT/1,294,877 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 40, cargo 17, chemical tanker 4, container 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 4
foreign-owned: 2 (Germany 1, Russia 1)
registered in other countries: 41 (Cambodia 1, Comoros 1, Malta 13, Panama 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 17, Slovakia 7, unknown 1)
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Ports and Harbors: Burgas, Varna
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Population: 7,385,367 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 9.65 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 71.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 14.27 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: -0.86% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 1.38 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 527,881 |
Population Female 0-14: 502,334 |
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Population Male 15-64: 2,496,054 |
Population Female 15-64: 2,579,680 |
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Population Male 65+: 527,027 |
Population Female 65+: 752,391 |
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Population 0-14: 13.90% |
Literacy Rate: 98.60% |
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Population 15-64: 68.70% |
Literacy rate of Males: 99.10% |
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Population 65+: 17.30% |
Literacy rate of Females: 98.20% |
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Population that is Male: 46.50
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Population that is Female: 53.50% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 72.30 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 19.85 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 68.68 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 76.13 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.10%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 346
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 100 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: -4.01
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Nationality: BULGARIAN
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Ethnic Groups: Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian)
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Primary Language: Bulgarian
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Other Languages: Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and unspecified 1.8%
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Primary Religion: Bulgarian Orthodox
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Other Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4%
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Branches: Bulgarian Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Force
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 18 years
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Manpower Available: 3,322,193 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 2,667,163 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 99,674 People per year
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Expenditures: $356,000,000 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 2.60
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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Bulgaria Spa and Resort Directory
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