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Compare Bulgaria (2005) - British Virgin Islands (2006)

Compare Bulgaria (2005) z British Virgin Islands (2006)

 Bulgaria (2005)British Virgin Islands (2006)
 BulgariaBritish Virgin Islands
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 none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure 0-14 years: 14.1% (male 539,005/female 512,762)


15-64 years: 68.7% (male 2,516,368/female 2,599,524)


65 years and over: 17.2% (male 531,008/female 751,682) (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 20.5% (male 2,403/female 2,331)


15-64 years: 74.3% (male 8,811/female 8,340)


65 years and over: 5.3% (male 636/female 577) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports 213 (2004 est.) 3 (2006)
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: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
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: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Area total: 110,910 sq km


land: 110,550 sq km


water: 360 sq km
total: 153 sq km


land: 153 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke
Area - comparative slightly larger than Tennessee about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
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. First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were granted autonomy in 1967. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.
Birth rate 9.66 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 14.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $9.67 billion


expenditures: $9.619 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $204.7 million


expenditures: $180.4 million; including capital expenditures of $33.8 million (1997)
Capital Sofia name: Road Town


geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline 354 km 80 km
Constitution adopted 12 July 1991 1 June 1977, amended in 2000
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria


conventional short form: Bulgaria
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: British Virgin Islands


abbreviation: BVI
Death rate 14.26 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $16.1 billion (November 2004 est.) $36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
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
none (overseas territory of the UK)
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) general: Chicago and New York


consulate(s): Los Angeles
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international none none
Economic aid - recipient $300 million (2000 est.) $NA
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. Minerals, including coal, copper, and zinc play an important role in industry. In 1997, macroeconomic stability was reinforced by the imposition of a fixed exchange rate of the lev against the German D-mark and the negotiation of an IMF standby agreement. Low inflation and steady progress on structural reforms improved the business environment; Bulgaria has averaged 4% growth since 2000 and has begun to attract significant amounts of foreign direct investment. Corruption in the public administration, a weak judiciary, and the presence of organized crime remain the largest challenges for Bulgaria. The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1998. Tourism suffered in 2002 because of the lackluster US economy. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, made the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the US dollar as its currency since 1959.
Electricity - consumption 32.71 billion kWh (2002) 32.13 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 8.3 billion kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 960 million kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 43.07 billion kWh (2002) 34.55 million kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Black Sea 0 m


highest point: Musala 2,925 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Sage 521 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 limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments)
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
-
Ethnic groups Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001 census) black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates leva per US dollar - 1.5751 (2004), 1.7327 (2003), 2.077 (2002), 2.1847 (2001), 2.1233 (2000)


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
the US dollar is used
Executive branch chief of state: President Georgi PURVANOV (since 22 January 2002); Vice President Angel MARIN (since 22 January 2002)


head of government: Prime Minister Sergei STANISHEV (since 16 August 2005); Deputy Prime Minister Ivaylo KALFIN (since 16 August 2005)


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 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%; Sergei STANISHEV elected prime minister, result of legislative vote - 168 to 67
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor David PEAREY (since 18 April 2006)


head of government: Chief Minister Dr. Orlando D. SMITH (since 17 June 2003)


cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor
Exports NA NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners Italy 13.1%, Germany 11.6%, Turkey 9.3%, Belgium 6.1%, Greece 5.6%, US 5.3%, France 4.9% (2004) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; note - the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe, has been removed blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 11.5%


industry: 30.1%


services: 58.4% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 1.8%


industry: 6.2%


services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $8,200 (2004 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 5.3% (2004 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 43 00 N, 25 00 E 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Heliports 1 (2004 est.) -
Highways total: 37,077 km


paved: 34,111 km (including 328 km of expressways)


unpaved: 2,966 km (2002)
-
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 transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering
Imports NA NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners Germany 15.1%, Italy 10.2%, Russia 7.9%, Greece 7.5%, Turkey 6.9%, France 4.4% (2004) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004)
Independence 3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate 5.2% (2004 est.) NA%
Industries electricity, gas and water; food, beverages and tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate total: 20.55 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 24.31 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 16.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
total: 16.72 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 19.5 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 13.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 6.1% (2004 est.) 2% (2005)
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, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU
Irrigated land 8,000 sq km (1998 est.) NA
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) Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Labor force 3.398 million (2004 est.) 12,770 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 11%, industry 32.7%, services 56.3% (3rd quarter 2004 est.) agriculture: 0.6%


industry: 40%


services: 59.4%
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
0 km
Land use arable land: 40.02%


permanent crops: 1.92%


other: 58.06% (2001)
arable land: 20%


permanent crops: 6.67%


other: 73.33% (2005)
Languages Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census) English (official)
Legal system civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction English law
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 25 June 2005 (next to be held June 2009)


election results: percent of vote by party - CfB 31.1%, NMS2 19.9%, MRF 12.7%, ATAKA 8.2%, UDF 7.7%, DSB 6.5%, BPU 5.2%; seats by party - CfB 83, NMS2 53, MRF 33, ATAKA 21, UDF 20, DSB 17, BPU 13
unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, 1 member from each of nine electoral districts, 4 at-large members; members serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 16 May 2003 (next to be held in 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NDP 8, VIP 5
Life expectancy at birth total population: 72.03 years


male: 68.41 years


female: 75.87 years (2005 est.)
total population: 76.68 years


male: 75.56 years


female: 77.84 years (2006 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: 97.8% (1991 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references Europe Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 64 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 757,972 GRT/1,115,238 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 34, cargo 13, chemical tanker 4, container 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 3


registered in other countries: 45 (2005)
registered in other countries: 1 (North Korea 1) (2006)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $356 million (FY02) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.6% (2003) -
National holiday Liberation Day, 3 March (1878) Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality noun: Bulgarian(s)


adjective: Bulgarian
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards earthquakes, landslides hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land NEGL
Net migration rate -4.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 9.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Pipelines gas 2,425 km; oil 339 km; refined products 156 km (2004) -
Political parties and leaders Attack National Union [Volen Siderov]; ATAKA (Attack Coalition) (coalition of parties headed by the Attack National Union); Bulgarian Agrarian National Union-People's Union or BANU [Anastasia MOZER]; Bulgarian People's Union or BPU (coalition of UFD, IMRO, and BANU); 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]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or IMRO [Krasimir KARAKACHANOV]; 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 UDF) Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL]
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 7,450,349 (July 2005 est.) 23,098 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 13.4% (2002 est.) NA%
Population growth rate -0.89% (2005 est.) 1.97% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Burgas, Varna -
Radio broadcast stations AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001) AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
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 (2004)
-
Religions Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4% (2001 census) Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2% (1991)
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 (2005 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female


total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
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: worldwide telephone service


domestic: NA


international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use 2,868,200 (2002) 11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 2,597,500 (2002) 8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001) 1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate 1.38 children born/woman (2005 est.) 1.72 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 12.7% (2004 est.) 3.6% (1997)
Waterways 470 km (2004) -
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