The 1994 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

Land use:

       arable land:

       34%

       permanent crops:

       3%

       meadows and pastures:

       18%

       forest and woodland:

       35%

       other:

       10%

       Irrigated land:

       10 sq km (1989 est.)

       Environment:

       current issues:

       air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw

       sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest damage from

       air pollution; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical

       plants and industrial wastes

       natural hazards:

       subject to earthquakes, landslides

       international agreements:

       party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

       Pollution-Sulphur, Antarctic Treaty, Endangered Species, Environmental

       Modification, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

       Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Volatile

       Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Biodiversity,

       Climate Change, Law of the Sea

       Note:

       strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from

       Europe to Middle East and Asia

      @Bulgaria, People

      Population:

       8,799,986 (July 1994 est.)

       Population growth rate:

       −0.32% (1994 est.)

       Birth rate:

       11.71 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

       Death rate:

       11.38 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

       Net migration rate:

       −3.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

       Infant mortality rate:

       12 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

       Life expectancy at birth:

       total population:

       73.24 years

       male:

       69.99 years

       female:

       76.67 years (1994 est.)

       Total fertility rate:

       1.71 children born/woman (1994 est.)

       Nationality:

       noun:

       Bulgarian(s)

       adjective:

       Bulgarian

       Ethnic divisions:

       Bulgarian 85.3%, Turk 8.5%, Gypsy 2.6%, Macedonian 2.5%, Armenian

       0.3%, Russian 0.2%, other 0.6%

       Religions:

       Bulgarian Orthodox 85%, Muslim 13%, Jewish 0.8%, Roman Catholic 0.5%,

       Uniate Catholic 0.2%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 0.5%

       Languages:

       Bulgarian; secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown

       Literacy:

       age 15 and over can read and write (1970 est.)

       total population:

       93%

       male:

       NA%

       female:

       NA%

       Labor force:

       4.3 million

       by occupation:

       industry 33%, agriculture 20%, other 47% (1987)

      @Bulgaria, Government

      Names:

       conventional long form:

       Republic of Bulgaria

       conventional short form:

       Bulgaria

       Digraph:

       BU

       Type:

       emerging democracy

       Capital:

       Sofia

       Administrative divisions:

       9 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Burgas, Grad Sofiya,

       Khaskovo, Lovech, Montana, Plovdiv, Ruse, Sofiya, Varna

       Independence:

       22 September 1908 (from Ottoman Empire)

       National holiday:

       Independence Day 3 March (1878)

       Constitution:

       adopted 12 July 1991

       Legal system:

       based on civil law system, with Soviet law influence; has accepted

       compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

       Suffrage:

       18 years of age; universal and compulsory

       Executive branch:

       chief of state:

       President Zhelyu Mitev ZHELEV (since 1 August 1990); Vice President

       (vacant); election last held January 1992; results - Zhelyu ZHELEV was

       elected by popular vote

       head of government:

       Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) Lyuben Borisov

       BEROV (since 30 December 1992); Deputy Chairman of the Council of

       Ministers (Deputy Prime Minister) Evgeniy MATINCHEV (since 30 December

       1992)

       cabinet:

       Council of Ministers; elected by the National Assembly

       Legislative branch:

       unicameral

       National Assembly (Narodno Sobranie):

       last held 13 October 1991; results - UDF (and breakaway factions) 34%,

       BSP 33%, MRF 7.5%; seats - (240 total) UDF 110, BSP 106, Movement for

       Rights and Freedoms 24

       note:

       the UDF split in March 1993 to form the New Union for Democracy (NUD)

       with 18 seats, and the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) with 92 seats

       Judicial branch:

       Supreme Court, Constitutional Court

       Political parties and leaders:

       Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), Filip DIMITROV, chairman, an

       alliance of approximately 20 pro-Democratic parties including United

       Democratic Center, Democratic Party, Radical Democratic Party,

       Christian Democratic Union, Alternative Social Liberal Party,

       Republican Party, Civic Initiative Movement, and about a dozen other

       groups; Movement for Rights and Freedoms (mainly ethnic Turkish party)

       (MRF), Ahmed DOGAN, chairman; Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), Zhan

       VIDENOV, chairman; New Union for Democracy (NUD), Dimitar