About
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 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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Source: The World Factbook
Population: 7,450,349 (July 2005 est.)
Capital: Sofia
Languages: Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%,
Roma 4.1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4% (2001 census)
Government: parliamentary
democracy
Climate: temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Terrain: mostly mountains with
lowlands in north and southeast
Geography: strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
Ethnic groups: Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma
4.7%, other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001 census)
Economy: 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.
GDP per capita: purchasing power parity - $9,000 (2005
est.)
GDP real growth: 5.4% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate: 11.5% (2005 est.)
Internet country code: .bg
Dial code: +359
Cities
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Find a flight to any city in Bulgaria
Local currency is the Bulgarian New Lev
Airlines based in Bulgaria
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