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Compare Czech Republic (2006) - Bulgaria (2002)

Compare Czech Republic (2006) z Bulgaria (2002)

 Czech Republic (2006)Bulgaria (2002)
 Czech RepublicBulgaria
Administrative divisions 13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky Kraj, Jihomoravsky Kraj, Karlovarsky Kraj, Kralovehradecky Kraj, Liberecky Kraj, Moravskoslezsky Kraj, Olomoucky Kraj, Pardubicky Kraj, Plzensky Kraj, Praha (Prague)*, Stredocesky Kraj, Ustecky Kraj, Vysocina, Zlinsky Kraj 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
Age structure 0-14 years: 14.4% (male 755,098/female 714,703)


15-64 years: 71.2% (male 3,656,021/female 3,629,036)


65 years and over: 14.5% (male 576,264/female 904,333) (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 14.6% (male 572,961; female 543,004)


15-64 years: 68.5% (male 2,569,199; female 2,648,461)


65 years and over: 16.9% (male 540,109; female 747,603) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets
Airports 121 (2006) 215 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 46


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 10


1,524 to 2,437 m: 13


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 19 (2006)
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 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 75


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 25


under 914 m: 49 (2006)
total: 87


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 75 (2002)
Area total: 78,866 sq km


land: 77,276 sq km


water: 1,590 sq km
total: 110,910 sq km


land: 110,550 sq km


water: 360 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than South Carolina slightly larger than Tennessee
Background Following the First World War, the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, the new country's leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). After World War II, a truncated Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize Communist party rule and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution." On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. 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. Bulgaria regained its independence in 1878, but having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, it 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 NATO and the EU - with which it began accession negotiations in 2000.
Birth rate 9.02 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 8.05 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $48.16 billion


expenditures: $53.04 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues: $5.57 billion


expenditures: $5.68 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Capital name: Prague


geographic coordinates: 40 55 N, 21 00 E


time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Sofia
Climate temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 354 km
Constitution ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993 adopted 12 July 1991
Country name conventional long form: Czech Republic


conventional short form: Czech Republic


local long form: Ceska Republika


local short form: Cesko
conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria


conventional short form: Bulgaria
Currency - lev (BGL)
Death rate 10.59 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 14.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $49.14 billion (2005 est.) $10.3 billion (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Richard W. GRABER


embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [420] 257 022 000


FAX: [420] 257 022 809
chief of mission: Ambassador James William PARDEW


embassy: 1 Suborna Street, Sofia 1000


mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5740


telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100


FAX: [359] (2) 981-89-77
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Petr KOLAR


chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100


FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Elena POPTODOROVA


chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 387-7969


FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973


consulate(s): New York
Disputes - international in February 2005, the ICJ refused to rule on the restitution of Liechtenstein's land and property assets in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1945 as German property; individual Sudeten Germans seek restitution for property confiscated in connection with their expulsion from Czechoslovakia after World War II; Austrian anti-nuclear activists have revived blockades of the Czech-Austrian border to protest operation of the Temelin nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic because of a shift in the Danube course since the last correction of the boundary in 1920, a joint Bulgarian-Romanian team will recommend sovereignty changes to several islands and redefine the boundary
Economic aid - recipient $2.8 billion in committed EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06) $300 million (2000 est.)
Economy - overview The Czech Republic is one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Growth in 2000-05 was supported by exports to the EU, primarily to Germany, and a strong recovery of foreign and domestic investment. Domestic demand is playing an ever more important role in underpinning growth as interest rates drop and the availability of credit cards and mortgages increases. The current account deficit has declined to around 3% of GDP as demand for Czech products in the European Union has increased. Inflation is under control. Recent accession to the EU gives further impetus and direction to structural reform. In early 2004 the government passed increases in the Value Added Tax (VAT) and tightened eligibility for social benefits with the intention to bring the public finance gap down to 4% of GDP by 2006, but more difficult pension and healthcare reforms will have to wait until after the next elections. Privatization of the state-owned telecommunications firm Cesky Telecom took place in 2005. Intensified restructuring among large enterprises, improvements in the financial sector, and effective use of available EU funds should strengthen output growth. Bulgaria, a former communist country striving to enter the European Union, has experienced macroeconomic stability and positive growth rates since a major economic downturn in 1996 led to the fall of the then socialist government. A $300 million stand-by agreement negotiated with the IMF at the end of 2001 will help the government maintain economic stability as it seeks to overcome high rates of poverty and unemployment and, at the same time, cut the budget deficit and contain inflation.
Electricity - consumption 57.12 billion kWh (2004) 34.42 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 25.49 billion kWh (2004) 3.2 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 9.776 billion kWh (2004) 1.5 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production 84.33 billion kWh (2004) 38.84 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 48%


hydro: 8%


nuclear: 44%


other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Elbe River 115 m


highest point: Snezka 1,602 m
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m


highest point: Musala 2,925 m
Environment - current issues air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution 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
Environment - international agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, 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: none of the selected agreements
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4% (2001 census) Bulgarian 83.6%, Turk 9.5%, Roma 4.6%, other 2.3% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (1998)
Exchange rates koruny per US dollar - 23.957 (2005), 25.7 (2004), 28.209 (2003), 32.739 (2002), 38.035 (2001) leva per US dollar - 2.2147 (January 2002), 2.1847 (2001), 2.1233 (2000), 1.8364 (1999), 1,760.36 (1998), 1,681.88 (1997)


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
Executive branch chief of state: President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March 2003)


note: the Czech Republic's first president Vaclav HAVEL stepped down from office on 2 February 2003 having served exactly 10 years; parliament finally elected a successor on 28 February 2003 after two inconclusive elections in January 2003


head of government: Prime Minister Mirek TOPOLANEK (since 4 September 2006), Deputy Prime Minister Petr NECAS (since 4 September 2006)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister


elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); last successful election held 28 February 2003 (after earlier elections held 15 and 24 January 2003 were inconclusive; next election to be held January 2008); prime minister appointed by the president


election results: Vaclav KLAUS elected president on 28 February 2003; Vaclav KLAUS 142 votes, Jan SOKOL 124 votes (third round; combined votes of both chambers of parliament)
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), Kostadin PASKALEV (since 24 July 2001), and Lidiya SHULEVA (since 24 July 2001)


cabinet: Council of Ministers 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; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister


election results: Georgi PURVANOV elected president; percent of vote - Georgi PURVANOV 54.13%, Petar STOYANOV 45.87%
Exports 26,670 bbl/day (2001) $5.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities machinery and transport equipment 52%, chemicals 5%, raw materials and fuel 9% (2003) clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels
Exports - partners Germany 33.5%, Slovakia 8.7%, Austria 5.5%, Poland 5.5%, France 5.3%, UK 4.6%, Italy 4.3% (2005) Italy 14%, Turkey 10%, Germany 9%, Greece 8%, Serbia and Montenegro 8% (2001)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia) 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)
GDP - purchasing power parity - $50.6 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 3.4%


industry: 39.3%


services: 57.3% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 14%


industry: 29%


services: 58% (2001)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $6,600 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6.1% (2005 est.) 3.4% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 49 45 N, 15 30 E 43 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note landlocked; strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube in central Europe strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
Heliports 2 (2006) 1 (2002)
Highways - total: 37,288 km


paved: 33,786 km (including 324 km of expressways)


unpaved: 3,502 km (2001)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 4.3%


highest 10%: 22.4% (1996)
lowest 10%: 5%


highest 10%: 23% (1997)
Illicit drugs transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and minor transit point for Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for local and regional markets; susceptible to money laundering related to drug trafficking, organized crime 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
Imports 182,000 bbl/day (2004) $6.9 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment 46%, raw materials and fuels 15%, chemicals 10% (2003) fuels, minerals, and raw materials; machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; food, textiles
Imports - partners Germany 30%, Russia 5.7%, Slovakia 5.4%, China 5.1%, Poland 5%, Italy 4.8%, France 4.5%, Netherlands 4% (2005) Russia 19.9%, Germany 15.3%, Italy 9.6%, France 6.0% (2001)
Independence 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia) 3 March 1878 (from Ottoman Empire)
Industrial production growth rate 5.7% (2005) 2% (2002 est.)
Industries metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments electricity, gas and water; food, beverages and tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel
Infant mortality rate total: 3.89 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 4.24 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 3.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
14.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.9% (2005 est.) 5.9% (2002 est.)
International organization participation ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 200 (2001)
Irrigated land 240 sq km (2003) 8,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term 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)
Labor force 5.27 million (2005 est.) 3.83 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 4.1%


industry: 37.6%


services: 58.3% (2003)
agriculture 26%, industry 31%, services 43% (1998 est.)
Land boundaries total: 2,290.2 km


border countries: Austria 466.3 km, Germany 810.3 km, Poland 761.8 km, Slovakia 251.8 km
total: 1,808 km


border countries: Greece 494 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia and Montenegro 318 km, Turkey 240 km
Land use arable land: 38.82%


permanent crops: 3%


other: 58.18% (2005)
arable land: 39%


permanent crops: 1.8%


other: 59.2% (1998 est.)
Languages Czech Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown
Legal system civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 20-21 and 27-28 October 2006 (next to be held October 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2-3 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2010)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ODS 41, CSSD 12, KDU-CSL 10, others 15, independents 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - ODS 35.4%, CSSD 32.3%, KSCM 12.8%, KDU-CSL 7.2%, Greens 6.3%, other 6%; seats by party - ODS 81, CSSD 74, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13, Greens 6
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%, UtdDF 18.18%, CFB 17.15%, MRF 7.45%; seats by party - NMS2 120, UtdDF 51, CFB 48, MRF 21; note - seating as of March 2003 - NMS2 110, UtdDF 50, CFB 48, MRF 20, independents 12
Life expectancy at birth total population: 76.22 years


male: 72.94 years


female: 79.69 years (2006 est.)
total population: 71.5 years


male: 67.98 years


female: 75.22 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: 99%


male: 99%


female: 99% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98%


male: 99%


female: 98% (1999)
Location Central Europe, southeast of Germany Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
Map references Europe Europe
Maritime claims none (landlocked) contiguous zone: 24 NM


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006) total: 77 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 881,758 GRT/1,312,833 DWT


ships by type: bulk 43, cargo 15, chemical tanker 4, container 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches Army of the Czech Republic (ACR): Joint Forces Command (includes air forces), Support and Training Forces Command (2006) Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (subordinate to Ministry of Defense), Internal Forces (subordinate to Ministry of Interior), Civil Defense Forces (subordinate to the president)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $2.17 billion (2004) $356 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.81% FY05 2.7% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 1,873,052 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 1,566,816 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 19 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 56,104 (2002 est.)
National holiday Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918) Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)
Nationality noun: Czech(s)


adjective: Czech
noun: Bulgarian(s)


adjective: Bulgarian
Natural hazards flooding earthquakes, landslides
Natural resources hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land
Net migration rate 0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) -4.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines gas 7,010 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2006) petroleum products 525 km; natural gas 1,500 km (1999)
Political parties and leaders Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Jan KASAL, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Jirina NOVAKOVA, chairwoman]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek TOPOLANEK, chairman]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech FILIP, chairman]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Jiri PAROUBEK, chairman]; Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Jan HADRAVA, chairman]; Green Party [Martin BURSIK, chairman]; Independent Democrats (NEZDEM) [Vladimir ZELEZNY, chairman]; Party of Open Society (SOS) [Pavel NOVACEK, chairman]; Path of Change [Jiri LOBKOWITZ, chairman]; SNK-European Democrats or SNK-ED [Jana HYBASKOVA, chairman] Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]; Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by BSP) [Sergei STANISHEV]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or VMRO [Krasimir KARAKACHANOV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed DOGAN]; National Movement for Simeon II or NMS2 [Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]; People's Union or PU (includes Bulgarian Agrarian National Union and Democratic Party) [Anastasiya MOZER]; St. George's Day [Lyuben DILOV, Jr.]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Ekaterina NADEZHDA]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces or UtdDF (a coalition between the UDF and PU, dominated by the former)
Political pressure groups and leaders Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Milan STECH] agrarian movement; Bulgarian Democratic Center; Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB; Democratic Alliance for the Republic or DAR; New Union for Democracy or NUD; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas
Population 10,235,455 (July 2006 est.) 7,621,337 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line At risk of poverty after social transfers: 8% 35% (2000 est.)
Population growth rate -0.06% (2006 est.) -1.11% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors - Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin
Radio broadcast stations AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000) AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001)
Radios - 4.51 million (1997)
Railways total: 9,572 km


standard gauge: 9,473 km 1.435-m gauge (2,951 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 99 km 0.760-m gauge (2005)
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 (2002)
Religions Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%, unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59% (2001 census) Bulgarian Orthodox 83.8%, Muslim 12.1%, Roman Catholic 1.7%, Jewish 0.1%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 2.3% (1998)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female


total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; growth in the use of mobile cellular telephones is particularly vigorous


domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay


international: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar
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: direct dialing to 58 countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 2 Intelsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions)
Telephones - main lines in use 3,217,300 (2005) 3,186,731 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular 11.776 million (2005) 1.054 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations 150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000) 39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001)
Terrain Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Total fertility rate 1.21 children born/woman (2006 est.) 1.13 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 7.9% (2005) 18% (2002 est.)
Waterways 664 km (principally on Elbe as well as Vltava and Oder rivers) (2005) 470 km (1987)
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