Compare Bulgaria (2004) - Lebanon (2003)

Compare Bulgaria (2004) z Lebanon (2003)

	Bulgaria (2004)	Lebanon (2003)

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	6 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beyrouth, Beqaa, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye
Age structure	0-14 years: 14.4% (male 553,801; female 526,856) 15-64 years: 68.5% (male 2,533,784; female 2,615,968) 65 years and over: 17.1% (male 535,954; female 751,610) (2004 est.)	0-14 years: 27.1% (male 514,447; female 494,166) 15-64 years: 66.1% (male 1,177,773; female 1,286,433) 65 years and over: 6.8% (male 115,693; female 139,191) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets	citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats
Airports	212 (2003 est.)	8 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 128 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 92 (2004 est.)	total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 85 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 72 (2004 est.)	total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Area	total: 110,910 sq km land: 110,550 sq km water: 360 sq km	total: 10,400 sq km land: 10,230 sq km water: 170 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than Tennessee	about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
Background	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 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. Today, reforms and democratization keep Bulgaria on a path toward eventual integration into the EU. The country joined NATO in 2004.	Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions since 1991 and the end of the devastating 16-year civil war. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese have established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater say in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war, the Lebanese have conducted several successful elections, most of the militias have been weakened or disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have extended central government authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, the radical Shi'a party, retains its weapons. Syria maintains about 16,000 troops in Lebanon, based mainly east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Syria's troop deployment was legitimized by the Arab League during Lebanon's civil war and in the Ta'if Accord. Damascus justifies its continued military presence in Lebanon by citing Beirut's requests and the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's withdrawal from its security zone in southern Lebanon in May 2000, however, has emboldened some Lebanese Christians and Druze to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well.
Birth rate	9.65 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)	19.68 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	revenues: $8.121 billion expenditures: $8.121 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)	revenues: $3.1 billion expenditures: $5.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Capital	Sofia	Beirut
Climate	temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers	Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows
Coastline	354 km	225 km
Constitution	adopted 12 July 1991	23 May 1926, amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989
Country name	conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria conventional short form: Bulgaria	conventional long form: Lebanese Republic conventional short form: Lebanon local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah local short form: Lubnan
Currency	lev (BGL)	Lebanese pound (LBP)
Death rate	14.25 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)	6.32 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	$12.05 billion (2003)	$9.3 billion (2002 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador James William PARDEW embassy: 16 Kozyak Street, Sofia 1407 mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, Department of State, 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740 telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100 FAX: [359] (2) 937-5230	chief of mission: Ambassador Vincent Martin BATTLE embassy: Awkar, Lebanon mailing address: P. O. Box 70840, Awkar, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002 telephone: 011-961-4-543-600/542-600 FAX: 011-961-4-544-136
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Elena B. POPTODOROVA chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-0174 FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973 consulate(s): New York	chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Farid ABBOUD chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6320 FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324 consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles
Disputes - international	none	Syrian troops in central and eastern Lebanon since October 1976; Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
Economic aid - recipient	$300 million (2000 est.)	$3.5 billion (pledges 1997-2001) $4.2 billion in pledges November 2002 Paris II Aid Conference
Economy - overview	Bulgaria, a former communist country striving to enter the European Union, has experienced macroeconomic stability and strong growth since a major economic downturn in 1996 led to the fall of the then socialist government. As a result, the government became committed to economic reform and responsible fiscal planning. A $300 million stand-by agreement negotiated with the IMF at the end of 2001 has supported government efforts to overcome high rates of poverty and unemployment.	The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. Peace enabled the central government to restore control in Beirut, begin collecting taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. Economic recovery was helped by a financially sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers. Family remittances, banking services, manufactured and farm exports, and international aid provided the main sources of foreign exchange. Lebanon's economy made impressive gains since the launch in 1993 of "Horizon 2000," the government's $20 billion reconstruction program. Real GDP grew 8% in 1994, 7% in 1995, 4% in 1996 and in 1997, but slowed to 1.2% in 1998, -1.6% in 1999, -0.6% in 2000, 0.8% in 2001, and 1.5% in 2002. During the 1990s annual inflation fell to almost 0% from more than 100%. Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure. The government nonetheless faces serious challenges in the economic arena. It has funded reconstruction by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In order to reduce the ballooning national debt, the re-installed HARIRI government began an economic austerity program to rein in government expenditures, increase revenue collection, and privatize state enterprises. The HARIRI government met with international donors at the Paris II conference in November 2002 to seek bilateral assistance restructuring its domestic debt at lower rates of interest. While privatization of state-owned enterprises had not occurred by the end of 2002, the government had successfully avoided a currency devaluation and debt default in 2002.
Electricity - consumption	32.52 billion kWh (2001)	7.44 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	6.79 billion kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	830 million kWh (2001)	1.183 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	41.38 billion kWh (2001)	6.728 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 97.2% hydro: 2.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Musala 2,925 m	lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m
Environment - current issues	air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and resulting acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants and industrial wastes	deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills
Environment - international agreements	party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups	Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001)	Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
Exchange rates	leva per US dollar - 1.7327 (2003), 2.077 (2002), 2.1847 (2001), 2.1233 (2000), 1.8364 (1999) note: on 5 July 1999, the lev was redenominated; the post-5 July 1999 lev is equal to 1,000 of the pre-5 July 1999 lev	Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2002), 1,507.5 (2001), 1,507.5 (2000), 1,507.84 (1999), 1,516.13 (1998)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Georgi PURVANOV (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), Lidiya SHULEVA (since 24 July 2001), and Plamen PANAYOTOV (since 17 July 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and 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 and elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly election results: Georgi PURVANOV elected president; percent of vote - Georgi PURVANOV 54.13%, Petar STOYANOV 45.87%	chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998) head of government: Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI (since 23 October 2000); Deputy Prime Minister Issam FARES (since 23 October 2000); note - HARIRI resigned on 15 April 2003, but was reappointed the next day cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term; election last held 15 October 1998 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly; by custom, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim election results: Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions
Exports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels	foodstuffs and tobacco, textiles, chemicals, precious stones, metal products, electrical products, jewelry, paper products
Exports - partners	Italy 14.1%, Germany 10.9%, Greece 10.5%, Turkey 9.2%, France 5.1%, US 4.5% (2003)	Switzerland 10.8%, Saudi Arabia 9%, UAE 8.6%, US 6.7%, Jordan 4.6%, Turkey 4.3% (2002)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
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)	three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double width), and red with a green cedar tree centered in the white band
GDP	purchasing power parity - $57.13 billion (2003 est.)	purchasing power parity - $17.61 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 11.4% industry: 30% services: 58.6% (2003)	agriculture: 12% industry: 21% services: 67% (2000)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $7,600 (2003 est.)	purchasing power parity - $4,800 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	4.3% (2003 est.)	2% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	43 00 N, 25 00 E	33 50 N, 35 50 E
Geography - note	strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia	Nahr el Litani only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, and ethnicity
Heliports	1 (2003 est.)	-
Highways	total: 37,286 km paved: 35,049 km (including 324 km of expressways) unpaved: 2,237 km (2000)	total: 7,300 km paved: 6,198 km unpaved: 1,102 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 4.5% highest 10%: 22.8% (1997)	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	major European transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and, to a lesser degree, South American cocaine for the European market; limited producer of precursor chemicals; some money laundering of drug-related proceeds through financial institutions	cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to US and European markets
Imports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	fuels, minerals, and raw materials; machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; food, textiles	foodstuffs, electrical products, vehicles, minerals, chemicals, textiles, fuels
Imports - partners	Germany 14.4%, Russia 12.6%, Italy 10.3%, Greece 6.7%, Turkey 6.2%, France 5.7% (2003)	Italy 11.3%, France 10.7%, Germany 8.4%, US 5.6%, Syria 5.4%, China 4.8%, Belgium 4.5%, UK 4.2% (2002)
Independence	3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire)	22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Industrial production growth rate	6.3% (2003 est.)	NA%
Industries	electricity, gas and water; food, beverages and tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel	banking; food processing; jewelry; cement; textiles; mineral and chemical products; wood and furniture products; oil refining; metal fabricating
Infant mortality rate	total: 21.31 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)	total: 26.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 29.22 deaths/1,000 live births female: 23.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2.3% (2003 est.)	3.5% (2002 est.)
International organization participation	ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC	ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	22 (2000)
Irrigated land	8,000 sq km (1998 est.)	1,200 sq km (1998 est.)
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)	four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime minister as needed)
Labor force	3.333 million (2003 est.)	1.5 million note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 26%, industry 31%, services 43% (1998 est.)	services NA%, industry NA%, agriculture NA%
Land boundaries	total: 1,808 km border countries: Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia and Montenegro 318 km, Turkey 240 km	total: 454 km border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
Land use	arable land: 40.02% permanent crops: 1.92% other: 58.06% (2001)	arable land: 17.6% permanent crops: 12.51% other: 69.89% (1998 est.)
Languages	Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown	Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
Legal system	civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction	mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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%, UDF 18.18%, CfB 17.15%, MRF 7.45%; seats by party - NMS2 120, UDF 51, CfB 48, MRF 21; note - seating as of January 2005 - NMS2 98, CfB 49, UtDF 28, MRF 20, UDF 14, New Time 13, BANU 11, independents 7	unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 August and 3 September 2000 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - Muslim 57% (of which Sunni 25%, Sh'ite 25%, Druze 6%, Alawite less than 1%), Christian 43% (of which Maronite 23%); seats by party - Muslim 64 (of which Sunni 27, Sh'ite 27, Druze 8, Alawite 2), Christian 64 (of which Maronite 34)
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 71.75 years male: 68.14 years female: 75.59 years (2004 est.)	total population: 72.07 years male: 69.64 years female: 74.61 years (2003 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99.1% female: 98.2% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.4% male: 93.1% female: 82.2% (2003 est.)
Location	Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey	Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria
Map references	Europe	Middle East
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	total: 60 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 757,972 GRT/1,115,238 DWT by type: bulk 37, cargo 7, chemical tanker 4, container 2, petroleum tanker 3, rail car carrier 2, roll on/roll off 3, short-sea/passenger 1, specialized tanker 1 registered in other countries: 45 (2004 est.)	total: 56 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 230,142 GRT/306,442 DWT ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 28, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, container 4, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 9, roll on/roll off 4, vehicle carrier 3 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: France 1, Greece 10, Netherlands 4, Panama 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Spain 1, Syria 2 (2002 est.)
Military branches	Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces	Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$356 million (FY02)	$541 million (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.6% (2003)	4.8% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 1,829,203 (2004 est.)	males age 15-49: 1,025,984 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 1,530,657 (2004 est.)	males age 15-49: 630,657 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	males: 52,811 (2004 est.)	-
National holiday	Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)	Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
Nationality	noun: Bulgarian(s) adjective: Bulgarian	noun: Lebanese (singular and plural) adjective: Lebanese
Natural hazards	earthquakes, landslides	dust storms, sandstorms
Natural resources	bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land	limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land
Net migration rate	-4.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines	gas 2,425 km; oil 339 km; refined products 156 km (2004)	oil 209 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders	Bulgarian Agrarian National Union-People's Union or BANU [Anastasia MOZER]; Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]; Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by BSP) [Sergei STANISHEV]; Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Ivan KOSTOV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed DOGAN]; National Movement for Simeon II or NMS2 [Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]; New Time [Emil KOSHLUKOV]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Nadezhda MIKHAYLOVA]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces or UtDF (a coalition of center-right parties dominated by DSB)	political party activity is organized along largely sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist, consisting of individual political figures and followers motivated by religious, clan, and economic considerations
Political pressure groups and leaders	Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas	NA
Population	7,517,973 (July 2004 est.)	3,727,703 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	13.4% (2002 est.)	28% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate	-0.92% (2004 est.)	1.34% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin	Antilyas, Batroun, Beirut, Chekka, El Mina, Ez Zahrani, Jbail, Jounie, Naqoura, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre
Radio broadcast stations	AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001)	AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)
Railways	total: 4,294 km standard gauge: 4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710 km electrified) narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (2003)	total: 401 km standard gauge: 319 km 1.435-m narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050-m note: rail system is unusable because of damage in civil war (2002)
Religions	Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Roman Catholic 1.7%, Jewish 0.1%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 3.4% (1998)	Muslim 70% (including Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 30% (including Orthodox Christian, Catholic, Protestant), Jewish NEGL%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education
Telephone system	general assessment: extensive but antiquated domestic: more than two-thirds of the lines are residential; telephone service is available in most villages; a fairly modern digital cable trunk line now connects switching centers in most of the regions, the others are connected by digital microwave radio relay international: country code - 359; direct dialing to 58 countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 2 Intelsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions)	general assessment: telecommunications system severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding well underway domestic: primarily microwave radio relay and cable international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables
Telephones - main lines in use	2,868,200 (2002)	700,000 (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular	2,597,500 (2002)	580,000 (1999)
Television broadcast stations	39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001)	15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain	mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast	narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Total fertility rate	1.37 children born/woman (2004 est.)	1.98 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	14.3% (2003)	18% (1997 est.)
Waterways	470 km (2004)	none

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