migration rate: -4.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 75.22 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 1.13 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 346 (2000)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Bulgarian(s) adjective: Bulgarian
Ethnic groups: Bulgarian 83.6%, Turk 9.5%, Roma 4.6%, other 2.3% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (1998)
Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox 83.8%, Muslim 12.1%, Roman Catholic 1.7%,
Jewish 0.8%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 1.6% (1998)
Languages: Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1999)
Government Bulgaria
Country name: Republic of Bulgaria conventional short form: Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Sofia
Administrative divisions: 28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast);
Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil,
Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse,
Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofiya, Sofiya-Grad, Stara Zagora,
Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol
Independence: 3 March 1878 (from Ottoman Empire)
National holiday: Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)
Constitution: adopted 12 July 1991
Legal system: civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Georgi PARVANOV (since 22 January 2002); Vice President Angel MARIN (since 22 January 2002) head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA (since 24 July 2001); Deputy Prime Ministers Nikolay VASILEV (since 24 July 2001), Kostadin PASKALEV (since 24 July 2001), and Lidiya SHULEVA (since 24 July 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 11 November and 18 November 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) nominated by the president; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister election results: 54.13%, Petar STOYANOV 45.87%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 17 June 2001 (next to be held NA June 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - NMS2 42.74%, UHdDF 18.18%, CFB 17.15%, MRF 7.45%; seats by party - NMS2 120, UHdDF 51, CFB 48, MRF 21; note - seating as of February 2002 - NMS2 115, UHdDF 51, CFB 48, MRF 21, independents 5
Judicial branch: Supreme Administrative Court; Supreme Court of Cassation; Constitutional Court (12 justices appointed or elected for nine-year terms); Supreme Judicial Council (consists of the chairmen of the two Supreme Courts, the Chief Prosecutor, and 22 other members; responsible for appointing the justices, prosecutors, and investigating magistrates in the justice system; members of the Supreme Judicial Council elected for five-year terms, 11 elected by the National Assembly and 11 by bodies of the judiciary)
Political parties and leaders: Bulgarian Radical Union [Evgeniy
BAKURDZHIEV]; Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV];
Coalition for Bulgaria or CFB (bloc led by BSP, includes Ecoglasnost
Political Club and Bulgarian Agrarian National Union) [leader NA];
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or VMRO [Krasimir
KARAKACHNOV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed DOGAN];
National Movement for Simeon II or NMS2 [Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]; New
Civic Party for Bulgaria [Bogomil BONEV]; People's Union or PU (includes
Bulgarian Agrarian National Union and Democratic Party) [Anastasiya
MOZER]; St. George's Day [Lyuben DILOV, Jr.]; Union of Democratic Forces
or UHdDF [Ekaterina MIKHAYLOVA]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan
SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces (consisting of UHdDF and People's
Union) [Ekaterina MIKHAYLOVA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: agrarian movement; Bulgarian Democratic Center; Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB; Democratic Alliance for the Republic or DAR; New Union for Democracy or NUD; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas
International organization participation: ACCT, Australia Group, BIS,
BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer),
OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate partner),
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: Ambassador-designate Elena
POPTODOROVA consulate(s): 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Richard M. MILES embassy: 1 Suborna Street, Sofia mailing address:
American Embassy Sofia, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5740
telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100 FAX: [359] (2) 981-89-77
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; the national emblem formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe has been removed - it contained a rampant lion within a wreath of wheat ears below a red five-pointed star and above a ribbon bearing the dates 681 (first Bulgarian state established) and 1944 (liberation from Nazi control)
Economy
