Bulgaria

About Bulgaria

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. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.

PEOPLE

Population:
7,204,687 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98

Nationality:
noun: Bulgarian(s)
adjective: Bulgarian

Ethnic groups:
Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 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 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)

GOVERNMENT

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria
conventional short form: Bulgaria
local long form: Republika Balgariya
local short form: Balgariya

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: Sofia
geographic coordinates: 42 41 N, 23 19 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Independence:
3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire)

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; the pan-Slavic white-blue-red colors were modified by substituting a green band (representing freedom) for the blue
note: the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe, has been removed

ECONOMY

Economy - overview:
Bulgaria, a former Communist country that entered the EU on 1 January 2007, averaged more than 6% growth from 2004 to 2008, driven by significant amounts of foreign direct investment. Successive governments have demonstrated a commitment to economic reforms and responsible fiscal planning, but the global downturn is reducing exports, capital inflows, and industrial production. GDP in 2009 contracted by approximately 5%. Corruption in the public administration, a weak judiciary, and the presence of organized crime remain significant challenges.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$90.44 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
$95.1 billion (2008 est.)
$89.72 billion (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$12,600 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
$13,100 (2008 est.)
$12,300 (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars

Budget:
revenues: $18.4 billion
expenditures: $18.9 billion (2009 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.6% (2009)
country comparison to the world: 54
7.2% (2008)

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

Exports:
$16.23 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
$22.71 billion (2008 est.)

Imports:
$23.27 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
$35.64 billion (2008 est.)

Exchange rates:
leva (BGN) per US dollar - 1.4352 (2009), 1.3171 (2008), 1.4366 (2007), 1.5576 (2006), 1.5741 (2005)