Republic of Bulgaria

COUNTRY NAME:

• Conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria
• Conventional short form: Bulgaria
• Local long form: Republika Balgariya
• Local short form: Balgariya

ETYMOLOGY:

• In the 7th century,  Bulgaria is named after the Bulgar people who invaded the region

CAPITAL CITY:

• Sofia is the capital city of Bulgaria.
• It is also the largest city.
  

CURRENCY:

• Lev is the official currency of Bulgaria.

HISTORY:

• The Thracians inhabited the region as early as 3500 BC.
• Later, the region was included in the Roman Empire.
• The Goths, Huns, Bulgars and Avars invaded the region after the decline of the Roman Empire.
• In 679, the Bulgars took control of the land that is now known as Bulgaria.
• The Bulgar language and culture was gradually replaced by a Slavic language, writing, and religion.
• The Bulgars took over most parts of the Balkan peninsula between 893 and 1280.
• in 1396 they were invaded by the Ottoman Empire which established Turkish rule in the region.
• In 1878, the Russo-Turkish war took place for Bulgaria’s independence.
• The European nations intervened at the Congress of Berlin in 1878.
• As a result, Bulgaria’s territory was only partially claimed which came under the rule of  Alexander of Battenburg.
• In 1887, Alexander was succeeded by Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who declared a kingdom independent of the Ottoman Empire on Oct. 5, 1908. I
• The lost territory of Bulgaria was reclaimed in the First Balkan War (1912–1913).
• In the Second Balkan War (June–Aug. 1913) , Bulgaria fought against Turkey for the territory of Macedonia but lost the war.
• During World War I, Bulgaria joined forces with Germany to fight for the territory of Macedonia but lost again.
• Boris III misused Bulgaria's resources and assumed dictatorial powers in 1934–1935.
• Bulgaria fought in the favor of the Nazis in World War II but switched sides after Russia declared war on Bulgaria on Sept. 5, 1944.
• On Sept. 9, 1944, a Communist coalition took over and set up a government under Kimon Georgiev.
• A Soviet-style People's Republic was founded in 1947.
• in 1989, Peter Mladenov ended the Communist rule monopoly and held free elections in May 1990 that were won by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP).
• Mladenov was forced to resign in July 1990.
• In 1991, the Union of Democratic Forces won the elections and formed Bulgaria's first non-Communist government since 1946.
• Due to an unstable government, the economy declined and crime escalated.
• A new UDF government, led by Prime Minister Ivan Kostov, was elected in 1997.
• Since the new government could not contribute much to the progress of the nation, it lost the elections in 2001.
• The former king of Bulgaria, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Simeon II), leader of the Simeon II National Movement (SNM) took over in 2001.
• Bulgaria became a member of NATO in 2004.
• It was made part of the EU in 2007.
• A coalition government was formed in 2005.

DEMOGRAPHICS:

• Majority of the population is ethnic Bulgarian in origin.
• Turks and Roma are also present in considerable numbers.
• Smaller minorities include Russians, Armenians, Vlachs, Jews, Crimean Tatars and Sarakatsani (Karakachans).
• 96.3% of the population talks Bulgarian as their mother tongue.
• Bulgarian belongs to the Slavic language group.
• It is also the only official language of Bulgaria.
• Turkish and Romany are also widely spoken.
• Over 80% of the population belongs to Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
• Other religions are the Eastern Orthodox Church, Islam, Protestant denominations and Roman Catholicism.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS:

• Bulgaria is ruled by a parliamentary democratic government.
• Administrative divisions comprise of 28 provinces namely Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Plovdiv, Pleven , Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofiya, Sofiya-Grad, Stara Zagora, Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa and Yambol.
• Liberation Day is observed as a national holiday on 3 March (1878).
• The legal system for civil and criminal law is based on Roman law.
• Bulgaria accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations.
• The president is the chief of state.
• The prime minister is the head of government.
• The cabinet consists of a Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly.
• The president and vice president are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term.
• The chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) is nominated by the president and  will be elected by the National Assembly.
• The deputy prime ministers are nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly.
• The legislative branch is represented by a unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie.
• The National Assembly consists of 240 seats and members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms.
• The judicial branch is represented by Supreme Administrative Court; Supreme Court of Cassation; Constitutional Court and the Supreme Judicial Council.

CULTURE:

• Bulgaria is often known as a cultural blend of East and West.
• Bulgarian culture has a rich Slavic influence in its culture, literature and religion.
• The Cyrillic alphabet was developed by the Bulgarians.
• It is the second most-widely used alphabet in the world.
• Bulgarian culture also has influences of the Thracians, Greeks, Romans and Slavs.
• A unique custom called nestinarstvo is peculiar to the Strandja region.
• Other traditional customs include dancing into fire or over live embers.

ECONOMY:

• Bulgaria has made remarkable economical progress since 1996.
• Rising inflation and current account deficits still remain a concern.
• Foreign investments have increased but corruption and crime have hindered economic growth.
• GDP (purchasing power parity) as calculated in 2007 was $86.32 billion.
• 7.7% of the population is unemployed (2007 est.)
• 14.1% of the population is below poverty line (2007 est.)
• Agricultural produce consists of vegetables, fruits, tobacco, wine, wheat, barley, sugar beets, sunflowers, and livestock.
• The main industries are gas, electricity, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum and nuclear fuel.
• Export commodities include clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery, equipment and fuels.
• Import commodities include machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; minerals, fuels, and raw materials.

INFRASTRUCTURE:

• Telecommunication services are widespread and well established.
• Mobile-cellular phones are more popular than fixed line telephones.
• There are 96 Radio broadcast stations in all.
• There are 39 television broadcast stations.
• Internet facilities are well established and readily available.
• Bulgaria has 214 airports of which 214 have paved runways.
• The railway line spans over 4,294 km.
• The roadway network covers an area of 44,033 km.
• Bulgaria’s merchant marine is equipped with 71 ships.
• The main ports and terminals are located in Burgas and Varna.

EDUCATION:

• The Ministry of Education and Science is responsible for the education in Bulgaria.
• The basic education system in Bulgaria was established in the early nineteenth century.
• During the communist regime, a new pattern of education was introduced which emphasized on technical training over liberal arts.
• Russian language was made a compulsory subject in all schools.
• Zhivkov created the Unified Secondary Polytechnical School in 1979 , and which was a twelve-grade program that focused mainly on technical subjects.
• After the end of the Zhivkov Era, the educational system underwent a complete transformation.
• The system now consisted of three levels- primary, basic and secondary.
• Admission to secondary level requires a student to qualify an entrance examination.
• English is widely taught in schools.
• With help from France and Germany, Bulgaria has been able to improve the quality of university education.
• The present educational system comprises of basic and secondary levels.
• There are two main types of secondary schools – secondary comprehensive (high school) and secondary vocational (technical school).
• The grading system is based on numerals (6-2).
• Where 6 is the highest and 2 is the lowest grade a student can obtain.
• Higher education can be obtained at  Universities, Colleges and Specialized Higher Schools.
• In 2003 Bulgaria’s literacy rate was estimated at 98.6 percent.
• The current system of primary and secondary education has 12 grades.

NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES:

Bulgaria is surrounded by:

• Romania (north)
• Republic of Macedonia (west)
• Serbia (west)
• Greece (south)
• Turkey (south)
• The Black Sea (east)

GEOGRAPHICAL SETTINGS:

• Bulgaria is located in Southeastern Europe.
• Its geographic coordinates are 43 00 N, 25 00 E.
• The country covers a total area of 110,910 sq km.
• The coastline is 354 km long.
• The climate is mostly temperate with cold, damp winters and hot, dry summers.
• Terrain is mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast.
• The highest point is Musala standing at 2, 925 km.
• Natural resources include bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber and arable land.
• 29.94% of the land is arable.
• Earthquakes and landslides are common in the region.
• Bulgaria directs key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia.

FREEDOM:

• Bulgaria became an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire on 3 March 1878.
• It gained complete independence from the Ottoman Empire on 22 September 1908.

NOTABLE PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY:

• Khan Asparukh (Founder of modern Bulgaria)
  
• Vasil Levski - 1837-1873 (Leader of the national revolutionary movement against the Ottoman empire for Bulgaria's liberation)
  
• Georgi Ivanov (First Bulgarian Cosmonaut)
  
• Veselin Topalov – 1975- present (FIDE World Chess Champion)
  
• Hristo Stoitchkov (Footballer and team captain)

• John Atanasoff (father of the digital computer)
• Opera Singers: Nicolai Ghiaurov, Boris Christoff, Raina Kabaivanska, Ghena Dimitrova and Anna Veleva.
• Anna-Maria Ravnopolska-Dean (harpist)
• Christo Yavashev, Pascin, Vladimir Dimitrov (writers)
• Valya Balkanska (artist)

COUNTRY FAMOUS FOR:

Bulgaria is a popular skiing destination and tourist location.
The country has also nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

TOTAL POPULATION:

According to a 2008 census, the total population of Bulgaria was estimated to be 7,262,675.
The annual population growth rate is -0.813% (2008 est.)
Birth rate: 9.58 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: 14.3 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

PREVIOUS RECORDS MEDALS

• Bulgaria has been competing at the Olympic Games since 1896.
• The country has contributed in every Summer Games except for 1932 (during the Great Depression), 1948 (after World War II), and 1984 (Soviet-led boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics)
• Bulgaria has participated in all Winter Olympic Games since 1936.
• Bulgarian athletes have won a total of 213 medals.
• The country has dominated the Games in wrestling and weightlifting events.

• Bulgaria’s Olympic records are as follows:

Medals by Summer Games

Medals by Winter Games