Compare Poland (2004) - Bulgaria (2003)

Compare Poland (2004) z Bulgaria (2003)

	Poland (2004)	Bulgaria (2003)

Administrative divisions	16 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Dolnoslaskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lodzkie, Lubelskie, Lubuskie, Malopolskie, Mazowieckie, Opolskie, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Pomorskie, Slaskie, Swietokrzyskie, Warminsko-Mazurskie, Wielkopolskie, Zachodniopomorskie	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: 17.1% (male 3,388,247; female 3,216,085) 15-64 years: 70% (male 13,454,820; female 13,591,814) 65 years and over: 12.9% (male 1,896,940; female 3,078,443) (2004 est.)	0-14 years: 14.2% (male 549,142; female 520,057) 15-64 years: 68.8% (male 2,551,548; female 2,632,978) 65 years and over: 17% (male 535,165; female 749,039) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork	vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets
Airports	122 (2003 est.)	216 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 84 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 40 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)	total: 128 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 20 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 92 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 39 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)	total: 88 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 74 (2002)
Area	total: 312,685 sq km land: 304,465 sq km water: 8,220 sq km	total: 110,910 sq km land: 110,550 sq km water: 360 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than New Mexico	slightly larger than Tennessee
Background	Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived around the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland amongst themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, but Poland currently suffers low GDP growth and high unemployment. Solidarity suffered a major defeat in the 2001 parliamentary elections when it failed to elect a single deputy to the lower house of Parliament, and the new leaders of the Solidarity Trade Union subsequently pledged to reduce the Trade Union's political role. Poland 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	10.64 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)	8.02 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	revenues: $39.13 billion expenditures: $48.64 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)	revenues: $5.57 billion expenditures: $5.68 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Capital	Warsaw	Sofia
Climate	temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers	temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Coastline	491 km	354 km
Constitution	adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997; passed by national referendum 25 May 1997; effective 17 October 1997	adopted 12 July 1991
Country name	conventional long form: Republic of Poland conventional short form: Poland local long form: Rzeczpospolita Polska local short form: Polska	conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria conventional short form: Bulgaria
Currency	zloty (PLN)	lev (BGL)
Death rate	9.97 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)	14.34 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	$86.82 billion (2003)	$10.3 billion (yearend 2002)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Victor ASHE embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31 00-540 Warsaw mailing address: American Embassy Warsaw, US Department of State, 5010 Warsaw Place, Washington, DC 20521-5010 (pouch) telephone: [48] (22) 504-2000 FAX: [48] (22) 504-2688 consulate(s) general: Krakow	chief of mission: Ambassador James William PARDEW embassy: 1 Suborna Street, Sofia 1000 mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, Department of State, 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740 telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100 FAX: [359] (2) 981-89-77
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Przemyslaw GRUDZINSKI chancery: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-3800 through 3802 FAX: [1] (202) 328-6270 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York	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
Disputes - international	none	joint boundary commission is rectifying boundary with Romania based on shifts in Danube since last delimitation in 1920
Economic aid - recipient	EU structural adjustment funds (2000)	$300 million (2000 est.)
Economy - overview	Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of economic liberalization throughout the 1990s and today stands out as a success story among transition economies. Even so, much remains to be done. The privatization of small and medium state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms has encouraged the development of the private business sector, but legal and bureaucratic obstacles alongside persistent corruption are hampering its further development. Poland's agricultural sector remains handicapped by structural problems, surplus labor, inefficient small farms, and lack of investment. Restructuring and privatization of "sensitive sectors" (e.g., coal, steel, railroads, and energy), while recently initiated, have stalled. Reforms in health care, education, the pension system, and state administration have resulted in larger than expected fiscal pressures. Further progress in public finance depends mainly on privatization of Poland's remaining state sector, the reduction of state employment, and an overhaul of the tax code to incorporate the growing gray economy and farmers, most of whom pay no tax. The government's determination to enter the EU has shaped most aspects of its economic policy and new legislation; in a nationwide referendum in November 2003, 77% of the voters voted in favor of Poland's EU accession, now scheduled for May 2004. Improving Poland's export competitiveness and containing the internal budget deficit are top priorities. Due to political uncertainty, the zloty has recently depreciated in relation to the euro, while currencies of the other euro-zone aspirants have been appreciating. GDP per capita equals that of the three Baltic states.	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.
Electricity - consumption	118.8 billion kWh (2001)	32.52 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	11.04 billion kWh (2001)	6.79 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	4.306 billion kWh (2001)	830 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	135 billion kWh (2001)	41.38 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 47.8% hydro: 8.1% nuclear: 44.1% other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m highest point: Rysy 2,499 m	lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Musala 2,925 m
Environment - current issues	situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy industry and increased environmental concern by post-Communist governments; air pollution nonetheless remains serious because of sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, and the resulting acid rain has caused forest damage; water pollution from industrial and municipal sources is also a problem, as is disposal of hazardous wastes; pollution levels should continue to decrease as industrial establishments bring their facilities up to European Union code, but at substantial cost to business and the government	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, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94	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	Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other 2.7% (2002)	Bulgarian 83.6%, Turk 9.5%, Roma 4.6%, other 2.3% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (1998)
Exchange rates	zlotych per US dollar - 3.8891 (2003), 4.08 (2002), 4.0939 (2001), 4.3461 (2000), 3.9671 (1999) note: zlotych is the plural form of zloty	leva per US dollar - 2.08 (2002), 2.18 (2001), 2.12 (2000), 1.84 (1999), 1.76 (1998) 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 Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI (since 23 December 1995) head of government: Prime Minister Marek BELKA (since 24 June 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Jerzy HAUSNER (since 11 June 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the prime minister and the Sejm; the prime minister proposes, the president appoints, and the Sejm approves the Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 8 October 2000 (next to be held NA October 2005); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm election results: Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI reelected president; percent of popular vote - Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI 53.9%, Andrzej OLECHOWSKI 17.3%, Marian KRZAKLEWSKI 15.6%, Lech WALESA 1%	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), and Lidiya SHULEVA (since 24 July 2001), Plamen PANAYOTOV (since 17 July 2003) 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	53,000 bbl/day (2001)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	machinery and transport equipment 30.2%, intermediate manufactured goods 25.5%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 20.9%, food and live animals 8.5% (1999)	clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels
Exports - partners	Germany 32.3%, France 6.1%, Italy 5.8%, UK 5%, Netherlands 4.5%, Czech Republic 4.1% (2003)	Italy 15.5%, Germany 9.6%, Turkey 9.4%, Greece 9.2%, France 5.3%, US 4.8% (2002)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white	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 - $427.1 billion (2003 est.)	purchasing power parity - $49.23 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 3.1% industry: 31% services: 65.9% (2003 est.)	agriculture: 13.7% industry: 28.5% services: 57.9% (2001)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $11,100 (2003 est.)	purchasing power parity - $6,500 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	3.7% (2003 est.)	4.8% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	52 00 N, 20 00 E	43 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note	historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain	strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
Heliports	3 (2003 est.)	1 (2002)
Highways	total: 364,656 km paved: 249,060 km (including 358 km of expressways) unpaved: 115,596 km (2000)	total: 37,286 km paved: 35,049 km (including 324 km of expressways) unpaved: 2,237 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 24.7% (1998)	lowest 10%: 4.5% highest 10%: 22.8% (1997)
Illicit drugs	major illicit producer of synthetic drugs for the international market; minor transshipment point for Asian and Latin American illicit drugs to Western Europe	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	413,700 bbl/day (2001)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	machinery and transport equipment 38.2%, intermediate manufactured goods 20.8%, chemicals 14.3%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 9.5% (1999)	fuels, minerals, and raw materials; machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; food, textiles
Imports - partners	Germany 24.4%, Italy 8.5%, Russia 7.7%, France 7.1%, China 4.3% (2003)	Russia 14.6%, Germany 14.4%, Italy 11.4%, Greece 6.1%, France 5.7%, Turkey 5% (2002)
Independence	11 November 1918 (independent republic proclaimed)	3 March 1878 (from Ottoman Empire)
Industrial production growth rate	8.6% (2003)	2% (2002 est.)
Industries	machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles	electricity, gas and water; food, beverages and tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel
Infant mortality rate	total: 8.73 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.82 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)	total: 13.7 deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.43 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	0.7% (2003 est.)	5.9% (2002 est.)
International organization participation	ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC	ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, 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, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	200 (2001)
Irrigated land	1,000 sq km (1998 est.)	8,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an indefinite period); Constitutional Tribunal (judges are chosen by the Sejm for nine-year terms)	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	16.92 million (2003 est.)	3.83 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 27.5%, industry 22.1%, services 50.4% (1999)	agriculture 26%, industry 31%, services 43% (1998 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 2,788 km border countries: Belarus 407 km, Czech Republic 658 km, Germany 456 km, Lithuania 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 206 km, Slovakia 444 km, Ukraine 526 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: 45.91% permanent crops: 1.12% other: 52.97% (2001)	arable land: 39% permanent crops: 1.8% other: 59.2% (1998 est.)
Languages	Polish	Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown
Legal system	mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and holdover Communist legal theory; changes being gradually introduced as part of broader democratization process; limited judicial review of legislative acts, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final; court decisions can be appealed to the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg	civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	bicameral legislature consisting of an upper house, the Senate or Senat (100 seats; members are elected by a majority vote on a provincial basis to serve four-year terms), and a lower house, the Sejm (460 seats; members are elected under a complex system of proportional representation to serve four-year terms); the designation of National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe is only used on those rare occasions when the two houses meet jointly elections: Sejm elections last held 23 September 2001 (next to be held by September 2005); Senate - last held 23 September 2001 (next to be held by September 2005) election results: Sejm - percent of vote by party - SLD-UP 41%, PO 12.7%, Samoobrona 10.2%, PiS 9.5%, PSL 9%, LPR 7.9%, AWSP 5.6% UW 3.1%, other 1%; seats by party (as of 10 December 2004) - SLD 154, PO 56, PiS 44, PSL 40, SDPL 33, SO 30, LPR 25, UP 15, PLD 11, SKL 6, RKN 5, Dom Ojczysty 4, PP 3, ROP 3, German minorities 2, independents 26; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party (as of 10 December 2004)- SLD-UP 74, Block Senate 2001 10, PSL and unaffiliated 5, UW 4, SO 2, LPR 2, independents 2, PiS 1 note: two seats are assigned to ethnic minority parties in the Sejm only	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: 74.16 years male: 70.04 years female: 78.52 years (2004 est.)	total population: 71.8 years male: 68.26 years female: 75.56 years (2003 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.7% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99.1% female: 98.2% (2003 est.)
Location	Central Europe, east of Germany	Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
Map references	Europe	Europe
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: defined by international treaties	contiguous zone: 24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	total: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 154,710 GRT/228,132 DWT by type: bulk 7, cargo 3, chemical tanker 3, roll on/roll off 1 registered in other countries: 100 (2004 est.)	total: 69 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 829,421 GRT/1,252,496 DWT ships by type: bulk 42, cargo 10, chemical tanker 4, container 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, railcar carrier 2, roll on/roll off 2, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches	Land Forces, Navy, Air Force	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	$3.5 billion (2002)	$356 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	1.71% (2002)	2.7% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 10,291,628 (2004 est.)	males age 15-49: 1,854,049 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 8,034,577 (2004 est.)	males age 15-49: 1,551,485 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age	-	19 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	males: 329,743 (2004 est.)	males: 54,107 (2003 est.)
National holiday	Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)	Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)
Nationality	noun: Pole(s) adjective: Polish	noun: Bulgarian(s) adjective: Bulgarian
Natural hazards	flooding	earthquakes, landslides
Natural resources	coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land	bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land
Net migration rate	-0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)	-4.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines	gas 13,552 km; oil 1,772 km (2004)	gas 2,425 km; oil 339 km; refined products 156 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders	Catholic-National Movement or RKN [Antoni MACIEREWICZ]; Citizens Platform or PO [Donald TUSK]; Coalition Electoral Action Solidarity of the Right or AWSP; Conservative Peasants Party or SKL-RNP [Artur BALAZS]; Democratic Left Alliance or SLD [Krzysztof JANIK]; Freedom Union or UW [Wladyslaw FRASYNIUK]; German Minority of Lower Silesia or MNSO [Henryk KROLL]; Law and Justice or PiS [Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI]; League of Polish Families or LPR [Marek KOTLINOWSKI]; Movement for the Reconstruction of Poland or ROP [Jan OLSZEWSKI]; Peasant-Democratic Party or PLD [Roman JAGIELINSKI]; Polish Accord or PP [Jan LOPUSZANSKI]; Polish Peasant Bloc or PBL [Wojciech MOJZESOWICZ]; Polish Peasant Party or PSL [Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI]; Polish Raison d'Etat or PRS [Piotr MUSIAL]; Samoobrona or SO [Andrzej LEPPER]; Social Democratic Party of Poland or SDPL [Marek BOROWSKI]; Social Movement or RS [Krzysztof PIESIEWICZ]; Union of Labor or UP [Izabela JARUAGA-NOWACKA]	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]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Nadezhda MIKHAYLOVA]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces or UtdDF (a coalition between the UDF and other center-right parties)
Political pressure groups and leaders	All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union) [Maciej MANICKI]; Roman Catholic Church [Cardinal Jozef GLEMP]; Solidarity Trade Union [Janusz SNIADEK]	agrarian movement; Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas
Population	38,626,349 (July 2004 est.)	7,537,929 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	18.4% (2000 est.)	12.6% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate	0.02% (2004 est.)	-1.09% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	Gdansk, Gdynia, Gliwice, Kolobrzeg, Szczecin, Swinoujscie, Ustka, Warsaw, Wroclaw	Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin
Radio broadcast stations	AM 14, FM 777, shortwave 1 (1998)	AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001)
Railways	total: 23,852 km broad gauge: 629 km 1.524-m gauge standard gauge: 23,223 km 1.435-m gauge (11,962 km electrified) (2003)	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 95% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, and other 5%	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: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 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: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: underdeveloped and outmoded system in the process of being overhauled; partial privatization of the state-owned telephone monopoly is underway; the long waiting list for main line telephone service has resulted in a boom in mobile cellular telephone use domestic: cable, open-wire, and microwave radio relay; 3 cellular networks; local exchanges 56.6% digital international: country code - 48; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat, NA Eutelsat, 2 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)	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	12.3 million (2003)	3,186,731 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular	17.4 million (2003)	1.054 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations	179 (plus 256 repeaters) (September 1995)	39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001)
Terrain	mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border	mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Total fertility rate	1.38 children born/woman (2004 est.)	1.13 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	20% (2003)	18% (2002 est.)
Waterways	3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2003)	470 km (1987)

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