Bulgaria: Facts and Figures - Facts and Figures

Official name

Republic of Bulgaria

Capital

Sofia

Area

110,994 sq km

42,855 sq mi

Largest cities (population)

Sofia

1,194,164 (2002 estimate)

Plovdiv

340,638 (2001)

Varna

314,539 (2001)

Burgas

193,316 (2001)

Ruse

162,128 (2001)

Stara Zagora

143,989 (2001)

Pleven

122,149 (2001)

Sliven

100,695 (2001)

Dobrich

100,379 (2001)

Population

7,322,858 (2007 estimate)

Population growth rate

-0.84 per cent (2007 estimate)

Population density

66 persons per sq km (2007 estimate)

171 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)

Urbanization

Per cent urban

71 per cent (2005 estimate)

Per cent rural

29 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total

72.6 years (2007 estimate)

Female

76.4 years (2007 estimate)

Male

69 years (2007 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

19 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total

98.8 per cent (2005 estimate)

Female

98.4 per cent (2005 estimate)

Male

99.2 per cent (2005 estimate)

Ethnic divisions

Bulgarian

85.3 per cent

Turkish

8.5 per cent

Romany (Gypsy)

2.6 per cent

Armenian

0.3 per cent

Russian

0.2 per cent

Other

3.1 per cent

Languages

Bulgarian (official), Turkish (official), Romani, Gagauz, Crimean Turkish, Gheg Albanian, other languages

Religions

Bulgarian Orthodox, Muslim, other

Type of government

Multi-party republic

Independence

October 5, 1908 (from the Ottoman Empire)

Constitution

Adopted July 12, 1991

Voting rights

Universal and compulsory at age 18

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)

26,648 million (2005)

GDP per capita (US$)

3,442.90 (2005)

GDP by economic sector

GDP, agriculture

9.6 per cent (2005)

GDP, industry

31.6 per cent (2005)

GDP, services

58.7 per cent (2005)

National budget (US$)

Total revenue

9,145 million (2005)

Total expenditure

10,406 million (2005)

Monetary unit

1 lev (Lv), consisting of 100 stotinki

Exports

Machinery and equipment, agricultural products (especially tobacco), manufactured consumer goods, fuels, minerals, raw materials, metals

Imports

Fuels, minerals, raw materials, machinery and equipment, manufactured consumer goods, agricultural products

Major trading partners for exports

Republics of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Germany, Italy, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Major trading partners for imports

Republics of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Germany, Italy, Greece, France

Industries

Machine building and metalworking, food processing, chemicals, textiles, building materials, ferrous and non-ferrous metals

Agriculture

Grain crops, oilseeds, vegetables, fruits, and tobacco

Natural resources

Bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, iron ore, timber, arable land

Basic Facts and People sections

Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).

Health and Education section

Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).

Government section

Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data are from Military Balance.

Economy section

Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.

Energy, Communication, and Transportation section

Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).

Note

Figures may not total 100 per cent due to rounding.