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Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey.
In the late 1300s the Bulgarians were overrun by the Ottoman Empire, from which they acquired their independence in 1908. They were on the losing side in both world wars and were occupied by the Soviet army at the end of World War II. They were within the Soviet sphere of influence until the collapse of communism in Europe around 1990. In 2004 they joined NATO.
Bulgaria is a parliamentary democracy.
Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.
Estimated per capita GDP:
2007 $11,800 (ranks 88th)
2006 $10,700
2005 $9,600
2004 $8,200
2003 $7,600
1999 $6,000
GDP annual growth rate estimated for 2007: 6.1 percent. (Ranks 64th)
Agriculture has been 12.5 percent of its GDP, declining as of the 2004 estimate to 11.5 percent.
The unemployment rate for 2003 was 14.3 percent, for 2004 down to 12.7 percent..
For 2008: deaths: 14.3; births: 9.58
For July 2008: 7.263 million, down from 7.45 million in 2005. Growth rate estimated for 2008: minus 0.813 percent per year.
More leaving than arriving, a net loss estimated for 2008 of 3.41 persons per 1,000, down from a loss of 4.30 per 1,000 population in 2005 and 4.58 in 2004.
Infant mortality estimated for 2008: 18.51, down from 20.55 in 2005 (deaths before the age of one year, per 1,000 live births)
Average life expectancy estimated for 2008: 72.83 years, up from 72.03 in 2005
Living with HIV/AIDS, ages 15 to 49: less than 0.1 percent (2001).
Turkic people from Central Asia mixed with local Slavic people in the late 600s.
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Copyright © 2008 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.