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Bulgaria Country Guide
Explore Bulgaria in Europe
The topography includes mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast. The average density of population is approximately 65 per km². The notable climate conditions in Bulgaria can be described as temperate with cold, damp winters and hot, dry summers. Possible natural disasters include earthquakes or landslides.
To reach someone in Bulgaria dial +359 prior to a number. There are 2,164,000 installed telephones. And there are 10,617,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900/1800 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".bg". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 230V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Bulgaria
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.
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.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Europe Neighbours: Macedonia, Greece, Romania, , Turkey, Serbia Capital: Sofia |
| Size | 110,910 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 42,822 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly larger than Tennessee |
| Population | 7,262,000 |
| Currency | Name Lev, Currency Code:BGN |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .bg |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +359 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 10,617,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 2,164,000 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 110,879 (sq km) | 105 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 6,981,642 | 101 |
| Population growth rate | -0.81 (%) | 229 |
| Birth rate | 9.07 (births/1,000 population) | 206 |
| Death rate | 14.31 (deaths/1,000 population) | 8 |
| Net migration rate | -2.86 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 172 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 11.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 152 |
| Infant mortality rate | 15.60 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 105 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 74.08 (years) | 114 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.43 (children born/woman) | 199 |
| Health expenditures | 6.90 (% of GDP) | 84 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.10 (%) | 118 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 3,800 | 122 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 200 | 103 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 23.70 (%) | 72 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 1.60 (%) | 125 |
| Education expenditures | 4.60 (% of GDP) | 92 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 26.60 (%) | 34 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 105,500,000,000 | 72 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 0.80 (%) | 165 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 14,500 | 93 |
| Labor force | 2,451,000 | 113 |
| Unemployment rate | 9.90 (%) | 108 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 45.30 | 39 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 20.40 (% of GDP) | 91 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 33.70 (% of GDP) | 72 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -1.40 (% of GDP) | 70 |
| Public debt | 17.90 (% of GDP) | 134 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.40 (%) | 52 |
| Central bank discount rate | 0.22 (%) | 142 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 10.63 (%) | 81 |
| Stock of narrow money | 13,910,000,000 | 70 |
| Stock of broad money | 37,680,000,000 | 73 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 37,110,000,000 | 68 |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 7,276,000,000 | 76 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 5.90 (%) | 52 |
| Current account balance | 542,800,000 | 44 |
| Exports | 27,670,000,000 | 68 |
| Imports | 30,320,000,000 | 65 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 17,930,000,000 | 60 |
| Debt - external | 50,540,000,000 | 61 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 52,290,000,000 | 54 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 1,893,000,000 | 71 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 41,900,000,000 (kWh) | 56 |
| Electricity - consumption | 28,100,000,000 (kWh) | 65 |
| Electricity - exports | 12,000,000,000 (kWh) | 16 |
| Electricity - imports | 1,166,000,000 (kWh) | 60 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 12,000,000 (kW) | 51 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 46.40 (% of total installed capacity) | 163 |
| Electricity - from nuclear fuels | 20.30 (% of total installed capacity) | 11 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 22.20 (% of total installed capacity) | 85 |
| Electricity - from other renewable sources | 1.90 (% of total installed capacity) | 59 |
| Crude oil - production | 1,000 (bbl/day) | 96 |
| Crude oil - imports | 123,400 (bbl/day) | 45 |
| Crude oil - proved reserves | 15,000,000 (bbl) | 87 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 120,000 (bbl/day) | 69 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 112,700 (bbl/day) | 74 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 78,180 (bbl/day) | 47 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 29,940 (bbl/day) | 88 |
| Natural gas - production | 68,000 (cu m) | 94 |
| Natural gas - consumption | 2,170,000,000 (cu m) | 78 |
| Natural gas - imports | 2,480,000,000 (cu m) | 47 |
| Natural gas - proved reserves | 5,663,000,000 (cu m) | 88 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 42,170,000 (Mt) | 66 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 2,356,000 | 54 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 10,475,000 | 73 |
| Internet hosts | 976,277 | 47 |
| Internet users | 3,395,000 | 63 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 202 | 28 |
| Railways | 4,152 (km) | 40 |
| Roadways | 19,512 (km) | 109 |
| Waterways | 470 (km) | 84 |
| Merchant marine | 22 | 93 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 2.60 (% of GDP) | 49 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Ancient City of Nessebar Situated on a rocky peninsula on the Black Sea, the more than 3,000-year-old site of Nessebar was originally a Thracian settlement (Menebria). At the beginning of the 6th century BC, the city became a Greek colony. The city’s remains, which date most ... | 1983 |
| Boyana Church Located on the outskirts of Sofia, Boyana Church consists of three buildings. The eastern church was built in the 10th century, then enlarged at the beginning of the 13th century by Sebastocrator Kaloyan, who ordered a second two storey building to b ... | 1979 |
| Madara Rider The Madara Rider, representing the figure of a knight triumphing over a lion, is carved into a 100-m-high cliff near the village of Madara in north-east Bulgaria. Madara was the principal sacred place of the First Bulgarian Empire before Bulgaria’s c ... | 1979 |
| Pirin National Park Spread over an area of over 27,000 ha, at an altitude between 1008 and 2914 m in the Pirin Mountains, southwest Bulgaria, the site comprises diverse limestone mountain landscapes with glacial lakes, waterfalls, caves and predominantly coniferous fore ... | 1983 |
| Rila Monastery Rila Monastery was founded in the 10th century by St John of Rila, a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church. His ascetic dwelling and tomb became a holy site and were transformed into a monastic complex which played an important role in the spiritua ... | 1983 |
| Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo In the valley of the Roussenski Lom River, in north east Bulgaria, a complex of rock-hewn churches, chapels, monasteries and cells developed in the vicinity of the village of Ivanovo. This is where the first hermits had dug out their cells and church ... | 1979 |
| Srebarna Nature Reserve The Srebarna Nature Reserve is a freshwater lake adjacent to the Danube and extending over 600 ha. It is the breeding ground of almost 100 species of birds, many of which are rare or endangered. Some 80 other bird species migrate and seek refuge ther ... | 1983 |
| Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak Discovered in 1944, this tomb dates from the Hellenistic period, around the end of the 4th century BC. It is located near Seutopolis, the capital city of the Thracian king Seutes III, and is part of a large Thracian necropolis. The tholos has a narro ... | 1979 |
| Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari Discovered in 1982 near the village of Sveshtari, this 3rd-century BC Thracian tomb reflects the fundamental structural principles of Thracian cult buildings. The tomb has a unique architectural decor, with polychrome half-human, half-plant caryatids ... | 1985 |