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Compare Netherlands (2002) - Bulgaria (2001)

Compare Netherlands (2002) z Bulgaria (2001)

 Netherlands (2002)Bulgaria (2001)
 NetherlandsBulgaria
Administrative divisions 12 provinces (provincien, singular - provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland 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: 18.3% (male 1,502,687; female 1,437,141)


15-64 years: 67.9% (male 5,548,188; female 5,362,412)


65 years and over: 13.8% (male 913,020; female 1,304,306) (2002 est.)
0-14 years:
15.11% (male 597,765; female 567,030)

15-64 years:
68.17% (male 2,588,805; female 2,665,736)

65 years and over:
16.72% (male 543,665; female 744,494) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets
Airports 28 (2001) 215 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 21


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 7


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 2 (2002)
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 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 7


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 5 (2002)
total:
87

1,524 to 2,437 m:
2

914 to 1,523 m:
10

under 914 m:
75 (2000 est.)
Area total: 41,526 sq km


land: 33,883 sq km


water: 7,643 sq km
total:
110,910 sq km

land:
110,550 sq km

water:
360 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey slightly larger than Tennessee
Background The Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I but suffered a brutal invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EC, and participated in the introduction of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 1999. Bulgaria earned its independence from the Ottoman Empire 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 multi-party 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 11.58 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 8.06 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $134 billion


expenditures: $134 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
revenues:
$4.85 billion

expenditures:
$4.92 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Capital Amsterdam; The Hague is the seat of government Sofia
Climate temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Coastline 451 km 354 km
Constitution adopted 1814; amended many times, last time 17 February 1983 adopted 12 July 1991
Country name conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands


conventional short form: Netherlands


local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden


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

conventional short form:
Bulgaria
Currency euro (EUR); Netherlands guilder (NLG)


note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
lev (BGL)
Death rate 8.67 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 14.53 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external - $10.4 billion (2000 est.)
Dependent areas Aruba, Netherlands Antilles -
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Clifford M. SOBEL


embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ, The Hague


mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715


telephone: [31] (70) 310-9209


FAX: [31] (70) 361-4688


consulate(s) general: Amsterdam
chief of mission:
Ambassador Richard M. MILES

embassy:
1 Suborna Street, Sofia

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

telephone:
[359] (2) 980-52-41

FAX:
[359] (2) 981-89-77
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Boudewijn J. VAN EENENNAAM


chancery: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 244-5300


FAX: [1] (202) 362-3430


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York


consulate(s): Boston
chief of mission:
Ambassador Philip DIMITROV

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

telephone:
[1] (202) 387-7969

FAX:
[1] (202) 234-7973

consulate(s):
New York
Disputes - international none -
Economic aid - donor ODA, $3.5 billion (2000 est.) -
Economic aid - recipient - $1 billion (1999 est.)
Economy - overview The Netherlands is a prosperous and open economy depending heavily on foreign trade. The economy is noted for stable industrial relations, moderate inflation, a sizable current account surplus, and an important role as a European transportation hub. Industrial activity is predominantly in food processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A highly mechanized agricultural sector employs no more than 4% of the labor force but provides large surpluses for the food-processing industry and for exports. The Netherlands, along with 11 of its EU partners, began circulating the euro currency on 1 January 2002. The country continues to be one of the leading European nations for attracting foreign direct investment. Economic growth slowed considerably in 2001-02, as part of the global economic slowdown, but for the four years before that, annual growth averaged nearly 4%, well above the EU average. Bulgaria, a former communist country struggling to enter the European market economy, suffered a major economic downturn in 1996 and 1997, with triple digit inflation and GDP contraction of 10.6% and 6.9%. The current government - which took office in May 1997 after pre-term parliamentary elections - stabilized the economy and promoted growth by implementing a currency board, practicing sound financial policies, invigorating privatization, and pursuing structural reforms. Additionally, strong assistance from international financial institutions - most notably the IMF which approved a three-year Extended Fund Facility worth approximately $900 million in September 1998 - played a critical role in turning the economy around. After several years of tumult, Bulgaria's economy has stabilized. Its better-than-expected economic performance in 1999 - despite the impact of the Kosovo conflict, the 1998 Russian financial crisis, and structural reforms - and strong growth in 2000 portends solid growth over the next few years; this assumes continued fiscal restraint, additional structural reforms, aid from abroad, and prosperous times in the EU economy.
Electricity - consumption 100.71 billion kWh (2000) 33.182 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 4.031 billion kWh (2000) 2.2 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 22.946 billion kWh (2000) 1.7 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 87.953 billion kWh (2000) 36.217 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 90%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 4%


other: 5% (2000)
fossil fuel:
51.52%

hydro:
8.35%

nuclear:
40.12%

other:
0.01% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Zuidplaspolder -7 m


highest point: Vaalserberg 322 m
lowest point:
Black Sea 0 m

highest point:
Musala 2,925 m
Environment - current issues water pollution in the form of heavy metals, organic compounds, and nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates; air pollution from vehicles and refining activities; acid rain 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-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, 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, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups Dutch 83%, other 17% (of which 9% are non-western origin mainly Turks, Moroccans, Antilleans, Surinamese and Indonesians) (1999 est.) Bulgarian 83%, Turk 8.5%, Roma 2.6%, Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Gagauz, Circassian, others (1998)
Exchange rates euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Netherlands guilders per US dollar - 1.9837 (1998), 1.9513 (1997) leva per US dollar - 2.0848 (January 2001), 2.1233 (2000), 1.8364 (1999), 1,760.36 (1998), 1,681.88 (1997), 177.89 (1996)

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: Queen BEATRIX (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER (born 27 April 1967), son of the monarch


head of government: Prime Minister Jan Peter BALKENENDE (since 22 July 2002) and Vice Prime Ministers Johan REMKES (since NA 2002) and Roelf DE BOER (since NA 2002)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch


elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; following Second Chamber elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; vice prime ministers appointed by the monarch


note: there is also a Council of State composed of the monarch, heir apparent, and councilors that provides consultations to the prime minister on legislative and administrative policy
chief of state:
President Petar STOYANOV (since 22 January 1997); Vice President Todor KAVALDZHIEV (since 22 January 1997)

head of government:
Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) Ivan KOSTOV (since 19 May 1997); Deputy Prime Minister Petur ZHOTEV (since 21 December 1999)

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 27 October and 3 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) nominated by the president; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister

election results:
Petar STOYANOV elected president; percent of vote - Petar STOYANOV 59.73%
Exports $221.9 billion f.o.b. (2002) $4.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels
Exports - partners EU 77.6% (Germany 25.6%, Benelux 11.8%, UK 11.1%, France 10.3%, Italy 6.2%) (2001) Italy 14%, Turkey 10%, Germany 9%, Greece 8%, Yugoslavia 8%, Belgium 6%, France 5%, US 4% (2000)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue; similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer; one of the oldest flags in constant use, originating with William I, Prince of Orange, in the latter half of the 16th century 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 - $434 billion (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $48 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 3%


industry: 26%


services: 71% (2001 est.)
agriculture:
15%

industry:
29%

services:
56% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $26,900 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $6,200 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 0.3% (2002 est.) 5% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 52 30 N, 5 45 E 43 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde) strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
Heliports 1 (2002) 1 (2000 est.)
Highways total: 116,500 km


paved: 104,850 km (including 2,235 km of expressways)


unpaved: 11,650 km (1999)
total:
36,724 km

paved:
33,786 km (including 314 km of expressways)

unpaved:
2,938 km (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3%


highest 10%: 25% (1994)
lowest 10%:
3.4%

highest 10%:
22.5% (1995)
Illicit drugs major European producer of illicit amphetamine and other synthetic drugs; important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe; major source of US-bound ecstasy; large financial sector vulnerable to money laundering 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
Imports $201.1 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) $5.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs, clothing fuels, minerals, and raw materials; machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; food, textiles
Imports - partners EU 54.6% (Germany 18.4%, Benelux 9.2%, UK 8.9%, France 5.8%), US 9.9% (2001) Russia 24%, Germany 14%, Italy 8%, Greece 5%, France 5%, Romania 4%, Turkey 3%, US 3% (2000)
Independence 1579 (from Spain); note - the northern provinces of the Low Country concluded the Union of Utrecht, but it was 1648 before Spain finally recognized their independence 3 March 1878 (from Ottoman Empire)
Industrial production growth rate 2% (2002 est.) 10.8% (2000 est.)
Industries agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing electricity, gas and water; food, beverages and tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel
Infant mortality rate 4.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) 14.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.4% (2002 est.) 10.4% (2000 est.)
International organization participation AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC ACCT, 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, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 52 (2000) 26 (2000)
Irrigated land 5,650 sq km (1998 est.) 12,370 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Hoge Raad (justices are nominated for life by the monarch) 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 7.2 million (2000) 3.83 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation services 73%, industry 23%, agriculture 4% (1998 est.) agriculture 26%, industry 31%, services 43% (1998 est.)
Land boundaries total: 1,027 km


border countries: Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km
total:
1,808 km

border countries:
Greece 494 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Yugoslavia 318 km, Turkey 240 km
Land use arable land: 26.53%


permanent crops: 1.03%


other: 72.44% (1998 est.)
arable land:
43%

permanent crops:
2%

permanent pastures:
14%

forests and woodland:
38%

other:
3% (1999 est.)
Languages Dutch Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown
Legal system civil law system incorporating French penal theory; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral States General or Staten Generaal consists of the First Chamber or Eerste Kamer (75 seats; members indirectly elected by the country's 12 provincial councils for four-year terms) and the Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: First Chamber - last held 25 May 1999 (next to be held 15 May 2003); Second Chamber - last held 22 January 2003 (next to be held NA January 2007)


election results: First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDA 20, VVD 19, PvdA 15, D66 4, other 17; Second Chamber - percent of vote by party - CDA 28.6%, PvdA 27.3%, VVD 12.9%, Socialist Party 6.3%, List Pim Fortuyn 5.7%, Green Party 5.1%, D66 4.1%; seats by party - CDA 44, PvdA 42, VVD 28, Socialist Party 9, List Pim Fortuyn 8, Green Party 8, D66 6, other 5
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 - NA%; seats by party - National Movement for Simeon II 120, UDF 51, BSP 48, DPS 21
Life expectancy at birth total population: 78.58 years


male: 75.7 years


female: 81.59 years (2002 est.)
total population:
71.2 years

male:
67.72 years

female:
74.89 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99% (2000 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
98%

male:
99%

female:
98% (1999)
Location Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
Map references Europe Europe
Maritime claims exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
contiguous zone:
24 NM

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
Merchant marine total: 622 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,587,662 GRT/5,251,529 DWT


ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 380, chemical tanker 46, container 64, liquefied gas 16, livestock carrier 2, multi-functional large-load carrier 15, passenger 9, petroleum tanker 28, refrigerated cargo 34, roll on/roll off 18, short-sea passenger 2, specialized tanker 5


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 1, Canada 1, Denmark 5, Finland 5, Germany 55, Ireland 12, Norway 12, Sweden 17, United Kingdom 33, United States 12 (2002 est.)
total:
81 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 938,706 GRT/1,440,374 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 44, cargo 16, chemical tanker 4, container 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 6, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.)
Military branches Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (including Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force, Royal Constabulary Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Civil Defense Forces, Internal Troops
Military expenditures - dollar figure $6.5 billion (FY00/01 est.) $344 million (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.5% (FY00/01 est.) 2.4% (FY00)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 4,077,917 (2002 est.) males age 15-49:
1,891,498 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 3,546,030 (2002 est.) males age 15-49:
1,581,697 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age 20 years of age (note - age 17 for cadets and midshipmen) (2002 est.) 19 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 96,082


note: Netherlands has an all-volunteer, 74,100 force in 2001 (2002 est.)
males:
56,104 (2001 est.)
National holiday Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)
Nationality noun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)


adjective: Dutch
noun:
Bulgarian(s)

adjective:
Bulgarian
Natural hazards flooding earthquakes, landslides
Natural resources natural gas, petroleum, arable land bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land
Net migration rate 2.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) -4.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 418 km; petroleum products 965 km; natural gas 10,230 km petroleum products 525 km; natural gas 1,500 km (1999)
Political parties and leaders Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Jan Peter BALKENENDE]; Christian Union Party [M. VAN DAALEN]; Democrats 66 or D66 [Thom DE GRAAF]; Green Party [Femke HALSEMA]; Labor Party or PvdA [Wouter BOS]; List Pim Fortuyn [Mat HERBEN]; People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Liberal) or VVD [Gerrit ZALM]; Socialist Party [Jan MARIJNISSEN]; a host of minor parties Alliance for National Salvation or ANS (coalition led mainly by Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF) [Ahmed DOGAN]; Bulgarian Business Bloc or BBB [Georgi GANCHEV]; Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Georgi PURVANOV, chairman]; Democratic Left or DL (bloc led by BSP, includes Ecoglasnost Political Club and Bulgarian Agrarian National Union) [leader NA]; Euro-left [Aleksandur TOMOV]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or UMRO [Aleksander KARAKACHNOV]; Kingdom of Bulgaria Federation [leader NA]; Movement for Rights and Freedom or DPS [Ahmed DOGAN]; National Movement for Simeon II [Simeon II, former king]; New Civic Party for Bulgaria [Bogomil BONEV]; People's Union or PU (includes Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union and Democratic Party) [Anastasiya MOZER]; St. George's Day [Lyuben DILOV]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF (an alliance of pro-democratic parties) [Ivan KOSTOV]
Political pressure groups and leaders Federation of Netherlands Trade Union Movement (comprising Socialist and Catholic trade unions) and a Protestant trade union; Federation of Catholic and Protestant Employers Associations; Interchurch Peace Council or IKV; large multinational firms; the nondenominational Federation of Netherlands Enterprises 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 16,067,754 (July 2002 est.) 7,707,495 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 35% (2000 est.)
Population growth rate 0.53% (2002 est.) -1.14% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Dordrecht, Eemshaven, Groningen, Haarlem, Ijmuiden, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Utrecht, Vlissingen Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin
Radio broadcast stations AM 4, FM 58, shortwave 3 (1998) AM 24, FM 93, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios 15.3 million (1996) 4.51 million (1997)
Railways total: 2,808 km


standard gauge: 2,808 km 1.435-m gauge (2,061 km electrified) (2001)
total:
4,294 km

standard gauge:
4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710 km electrified; 917 km double track)

narrow gauge:
245 km 0.760-m gauge (1998)
Religions Roman Catholic 31%, Protestant 21%, Muslim 4.4%, other 3.6%, unaffiliated 40% (1998) Bulgarian Orthodox 83.5%, Muslim 13%, Roman Catholic 1.5%, Uniate Catholic 0.2%, Jewish 0.8%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 1% (1998)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
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:
0.73 male(s)/female

total population:
0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: highly developed and well maintained


domestic: the existing system of multi-conductor cables is gradually being replaced by fiber-optic cables; the density of cellular telephone traffic is rapidly increasing and further modernization of the system is expected in 2001, with the introduction of the third generation of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)


international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (1996)
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 9,132,400 (1999) 3.255 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular 4,081,891 (April 1999) 596,000 (2000)
Television broadcast stations 21 (plus 26 repeaters) (1995) 96 (plus 1,030 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Total fertility rate 1.65 children born/woman (2002 est.) 1.13 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 3% (2002 est.) 17.7% (2000 est.)
Waterways 5,046 km (of which 3,745 km are canals)


note: 47% of total route length is usable by craft of 1,000-metric-ton capacity or larger
470 km (1987)
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