tarctic 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 t