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Communications

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border Troops, Internal Troops

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $352 million, 2.5% of GDP (1995)

Manpower availability [time series]

males age 15-49: 2,155,332 males fit for military service: 1,797,318 males reach military age (19) annually: 64,568 (1996 est.)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 20, FM 15, shortwave 0

Radios [time series]

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

almost two-thirds of the lines are residential; 67% of Sofia households have telephones (November 1988 est.) domestic: extensive but antiquated transmission system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay; telephone service is available in most villages international: direct dialing to 36 countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean Region); Intelsat available through a Greek earth station

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones) [time series]

2,773,293 (1993 est.)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

29 (Russian repeater in Sofia 1)

Televisions [time series]

2.1 million (May 1990 est.) Defense

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

grain, oilseed, vegetables, fruits, tobacco; livestock

Budget [time series]

revenues: $3.8 billion expenditures: $4.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 lev (Lv) = 100 stotinki

Economic aid [time series]

recipient: ODA, $39 million (1993) note: $700 million in balance of payments support from Western nations (1994)

Economic overview [time series]

One of the poorest countries of central Europe, Bulgaria has continued the difficult process of moving from its old command economy to a modern, market-oriented economy. GDP rose a moderate 2.4% in 1995; inflation was down sharply; and unemployment fell from an estimated 16% to 12%. Despite this progress, structural reforms necessary to underpin macroeconomic stabilization were not pursued vigorously. Mass privatization of state-owned industry continued to move slowly, although privatization of small-scale industry, particularly in the retail and service sectors, accelerated. The Bulgarian economy will continue to grow in 1996, but economic reforms will remain politically difficult as the population has become weary of the process.

Electricity [time series]

capacity: 11,500,000 kW production: 38.1 billion kWh consumption per capita: 4,342 kWh (1994)

Exchange rates [time series]

leva (Lv) per US$1 - 70.5 (December 1995), 54.2 (1994), 27.1 (1993), 23.3 (1992), 18.4 (1991); note - floating exchange rate since February 1991

Exports [time series]

$4.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: machinery and equipment 12.8%; agriculture and food 21.9%; textiles and apparel 14%; metals and ores 19.7%; chemicals 16.9%; minerals and fuels 9.3% partners: former CEMA countries 35.7%; OECD 46.6% (EU 33.5%); Arab countries 5.1%; other 12.6%

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$10.4 billion (1995)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $43.2 billion (1995 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 12% industry: 36% services: 52% (1994)

Real GDP per capita (GDP per capita) [time series]

$4,920 (1995 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP real growth rate) [time series]

2.4% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs [time series]

important transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and, to a lesser degree, South American cocaine transiting the Balkan route; limited producer of precursor chemicals

Imports [time series]

$4 billion (c.i.f., 1994) commodities: fuels, minerals, and raw materials 30.1%; machinery and equipment 23.6%; textiles and apparel 11.6%; agricultural products 10.8%; metals and ores 6.8%; chemicals 12.3%; other 4.8% partners: former CEMA countries 40.3%; OECD 48.3% (EU 34.1%); Arab countries 1.7%; other 9.7%

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

2% (1995)

Industries [time series]

machine building and metal working, food processing, chemicals, textiles, construction materials, ferrous and nonferrous metals

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

35% (1995)

Labor force [time series]

3.1 million by occupation: industry 41%, agriculture 18%, other 41% (1992)

Unemployment rate [time series]

11.9% (1995 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total area: 110,910 sq km land area: 110,550 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Tennessee

Climate [time series]

temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers

Coastline [time series]

354 km

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

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 natural hazards: earthquakes, landslides international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Biodiversity, Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates [time series]

43 00 N, 25 00 E

Geography - note (Geographic note) [time series]

strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

none

Irrigated land [time series]

10 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 1,808 km border countries: Greece 494 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia and Montenegro 318 km (all with Serbia), Turkey 240 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 34% permanent crops: 3% meadows and pastures: 18% forest and woodland: 35% other: 10%

Location [time series]

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey

Map references [time series]

Europe

Maritime claims [time series]

contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources [time series]

bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land

Terrain [time series]

mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Musala 2,925 m

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

9 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Burgas, Grad Sofiya, Khaskovo, Lovech, Montana, Plovdiv, Ruse, Sofiya, Varna

Capital [time series]

Sofia

Constitution [time series]

adopted 12 July 1991

Data code [time series]

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Snezhana Damianova BOTUSHAROVA chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-7969

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Zhelyu Mitev ZHELEV (since 1 August 1990, when he was elected by the National Assembly); president and vice president elected for five-year terms by popular vote; election last held NA January 1992 (next to be held NA 1997); results - Zhelyu ZHELEV elected by popular vote; Vice President (vacant) head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) Zhan VIDENOV (since 25 January 1995) appointed by the president; Deputy Prime Ministers Doncho KONAKCHIEV (since 25 January 1995), Atanas PAPAKIZOV (since NA), Rumen GECHEV (since 25 January 1995), Svetoslav SHIVAROV (since 25 January 1995) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

[1] (202) 234-7973

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

[359] (2) 80-19-77

Flag [time series]

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 [time series]

22 September 1908 (from Ottoman Empire)

International organization participation [time series]

ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarset, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NACC, NAM (guest), NSG, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOT, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant), ZC

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court, chairman appointed for a seven-year term by the president; Constitutional Court, 12 justices appointed or elected for a nine-year term

Legal system [time series]

based on civil law system with Soviet law influence; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral

Country name (Name of country) [time series]

conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria conventional short form: Bulgaria

Legislative branch (National Assembly (Narodno Sobranie)) [time series]

last held 18 December 1994 (next to be held NA 1997); results - BSP 43.5%, UDF 24.2%, PU 6.5%, MRF 5.4%, BBB 4.7%; seats - (240 total) BSP 125, UDF 69, PU 18, MRF 15, BBB 13

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 3 March (1878)

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

Democratic Alliance for the Republic (DAR); New Union for Democracy (NUD); Ecoglasnost; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; Fatherland Union; Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP); Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria (KNSB); Bulgarian Agrarian National Union - United (BZNS); Bulgarian Democratic Center; "Nikola Petkov" Bulgarian Agrarian National Union; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization - Union of Macedonian Societies (IMRO-UMS); numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), Zhan VIDENOV, chairman; Union of Democratic Forces (UDF - an alliance of pro-Democratic parties), Ivan KOSTOV; People's Union (PU), Stefan SAVOV; Movement for Rights and Freedoms (mainly ethnic Turkish party) (MRF), Ahmed DOGAN; Bulgarian Business Bloc (BBB), George GANCHEV

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Government type (Type of government) [time series]

emerging democracy

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) embassy: 1 Saborna Street, Sofia mailing address: Unit 1335, APO AE 09213-1335 telephone: [359] (2) 88-48-01 through 05

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 17% (male 769,025; female 732,119) 15-64 years: 68% (male 2,891,197; female 2,923,440) 65 years and over: 15% (male 561,944; female 735,032) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

8.33 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate [time series]

13.55 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Bulgarian 85.3%, Turk 8.5%, Gypsy 2.6%, Macedonian 2.5%, Armenian 0.3%, Russian 0.2%, other 0.6%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

15.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages [time series]

Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 71 years male: 67.07 years female: 75.12 years (1996 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 15 and over can read and write (1992 est.) total population: 98% male: 99% female: 97%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Bulgarian(s) adjective: Bulgarian

Net migration rate [time series]

9.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population [time series]

8,612,757 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

0.46% (1996 est.)

Religions [time series]

Bulgarian Orthodox 85%, Muslim 13%, Jewish 0.8%, Roman Catholic 0.5%, Uniate Catholic 0.2%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 0.5%

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female all ages: 0.96 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.17 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

total: 355 with paved runways over 3 047 m: 1 with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 17 with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 10 with paved runways under 914 m: 88 with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 2 with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 1 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 10 with unpaved runways under 914 m: 226 (1994 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 36,932 km paved: 33,904 km (including 276 km of expressways) unpaved: 3,028 km (1992 est.)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 103 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,084,090 GRT/1,596,735 DWT ships by type: bulk 45, cargo 27, chemical tanker 4, container 2, oil tanker 13, passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, short-sea passenger 2, refrigerated cargo 1 note: Bulgaria owns an additional 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 135,016 DWT operating under the registries of Liberia and Malta (1995 est.)

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil 193 km; petroleum products 525 km; natural gas 1,400 km (1992)

Ports [time series]

Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin

Railways [time series]

total: 4,292 km standard gauge: 4,047 km 1.435-m gauge (2,650 km electrified; 917 double track) other: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (1995)

Waterways [time series]

470 km (1987)