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Compare West Bank (2004) - Bulgaria (2003)

Compare West Bank (2004) z Bulgaria (2003)

 West Bank (2004)Bulgaria (2003)
 West BankBulgaria
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
Age structure 0-14 years: 43.8% (male 518,470; female 493,531)


15-64 years: 52.8% (male 623,785; female 595,376)


65 years and over: 3.5% (male 34,226; female 45,816) (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 olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets
Airports 3 (2003 est.) 216 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (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: 88


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 74 (2002)
Area total: 5,860 sq km


land: 5,640 sq km


water: 220 sq km


note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
total: 110,910 sq km


land: 110,550 sq km


water: 360 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Delaware slightly larger than Tennessee
Background The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which includes the Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January 1996, as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external and internal security and for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bank that began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, were derailed by a second intifadah that broke out in September 2000. The resulting widespread violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel's military response, and instability within the Palestinian Authority continue to undermine progress toward a permanent agreement. Following the death of longtime Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT in November 2004, the election of his successor Mahmud ABBAS in January 2005 could bring a turning point in the conflict. 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 33.21 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 8.02 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $676.6 million


expenditures: $1.155 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (includes Gaza Strip) (2003 est.)
revenues: $5.57 billion


expenditures: $5.68 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Capital - Sofia
Climate temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 354 km
Constitution - adopted 12 July 1991
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: West Bank
conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria


conventional short form: Bulgaria
Currency new Israeli shekel (ILS); Jordanian dinar (JOD) lev (BGL)
Death rate 4.07 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 14.34 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $108 million (includes Gaza Strip) (1997 est.) $10.3 billion (yearend 2002)
Diplomatic representation from the US - 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 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 West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation joint boundary commission is rectifying boundary with Romania based on shifts in Danube since last delimitation in 1920
Economic aid - recipient $2 billion (includes Gaza Strip) (2001-02 est.) $300 million (2000 est.)
Economy - overview Real per capita GDP for the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) declined by about one-third between 1992 and 1996 due to the combined effect of falling aggregate incomes and rapid population growth. The downturn in economic activity was largely the result of Israeli closure policies - the imposition of border closures in response to security incidents in Israel - which disrupted labor and commodity market relationships between Israel and the WBGS. The most serious social effect of this downturn was rising unemployment, which in the WBGS during the 1980s was generally under 5%; by 1995 it had risen to over 20%. Israel's use of comprehensive closures during the next three years decreased and, in 1998, Israel implemented new policies to reduce the impact of closures and other security procedures on the movement of Palestinian goods and labor. These changes fueled an almost three-year-long economic recovery in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; real GDP grew by 5% in 1998 and 6% in 1999. Recovery was upended in the last quarter of 2000 with the outbreak of violence, which triggered tight Israeli closures of Palestinian self-rule areas and severely disrupted trade and labor movements. In 2001, and even more severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in Palestinian Authority areas resulted in the destruction of much capital plant and administrative structure, widespread business closures, and a sharp drop in GDP. Including Gaza Strip, the UN estimates that more than 100,000 Palestinians out of the 125,000 who used to work in Israel, in Israeli settlements, or in joint industrial zones have lost their jobs. In addition, about 80,000 Palestinian workers inside the Territories are losing their jobs. International aid of $2 billion in 2001-02 to the West Bank and Gaza Strip prevented the complete collapse of the economy. In 2004, on-going border issues and the death of Yasser ARAFAT continued to complicate the economic situation. 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 NA kWh 32.52 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports - 6.79 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports NA kWh 830 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants 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: Dead Sea -408 m


highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m


highest point: Musala 2,925 m
Environment - current issues adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment 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-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 Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17% Bulgarian 83.6%, Turk 9.5%, Roma 4.6%, other 2.3% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (1998)
Exchange rates new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001), 4.0773 (2000), 4.1397 (1999); Jordanian dinars per US dollar - fixed rate of 0.7090 (from 1996) 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 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 $603 million f.o.b., includes Gaza Strip NA (2001)
Exports - commodities olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels
Exports - partners Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2000) Italy 15.5%, Germany 9.6%, Turkey 9.4%, Greece 9.2%, France 5.3%, US 4.8% (2002)
Fiscal year calendar year (since 1 January 1992) calendar year
Flag description - three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; the national emblem formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe has been removed - it contained a rampant lion within a wreath of wheat ears below a red five-pointed star and above a ribbon bearing the dates 681 (first Bulgarian state established) and 1944 (liberation from Nazi control)
GDP purchasing power parity - $1.7 billion (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $49.23 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 9%


industry: 28%


services: 63%


note: includes Gaza Strip (1999 est.)
agriculture: 13.7%


industry: 28.5%


services: 57.9% (2001)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $800 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $6,500 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate -22% (2002 est.) 4.8% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 32 00 N, 35 15 E 43 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 244 West Bank settlements and 29 East Jerusalem settlements in addition to at least 20 occupied outposts(August 2003 est.) strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
Heliports - 1 (2002)
Highways total: 4,500 km


paved: 2,700 km


unpaved: 1,800 km


note: Israelis have developed many highways to service Jewish settlements (1997 est.)
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%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 4.5%


highest 10%: 22.8% (1997)
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
Imports $1.9 billion c.i.f., includes Gaza Strip NA (2001)
Imports - commodities food, consumer goods, construction materials fuels, minerals, and raw materials; machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; food, textiles
Imports - partners Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2000) Russia 14.6%, Germany 14.4%, Italy 11.4%, Greece 6.1%, France 5.7%, Turkey 5% (2002)
Independence - 3 March 1878 (from Ottoman Empire)
Industrial production growth rate NA 2% (2002 est.)
Industries generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers electricity, gas and water; food, beverages and tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel
Infant mortality rate total: 20.16 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 22.28 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 17.91 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) 2.2% (includes Gaza Strip) (2001 est.) 5.9% (2002 est.)
International organization participation - 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 NA sq km 8,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch - Supreme Administrative Court; Supreme Court of Cassation; Constitutional Court (12 justices appointed or elected for nine-year terms); Supreme Judicial Council (consists of the chairmen of the two Supreme Courts, the Chief Prosecutor, and 22 other members; responsible for appointing the justices, prosecutors, and investigating magistrates in the justice system; members of the Supreme Judicial Council elected for five-year terms, 11 elected by the National Assembly and 11 by bodies of the judiciary)
Labor force NA 3.83 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 13%, industry 21%, services 66% (1996) agriculture 26%, industry 31%, services 43% (1998 est.)
Land boundaries total: 404 km


border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 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: 16.9%


permanent crops: 18.97%


other: 64.13% (2001)
arable land: 39%


permanent crops: 1.8%


other: 59.2% (1998 est.)
Languages Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood) Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown
Legal system - civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch - unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 17 June 2001 (next to be held NA June 2005)


election results: percent of vote by party - NMS2 42.74%, 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: 72.88 years


male: 71.14 years


female: 74.72 years (2004 est.)
total population: 71.8 years


male: 68.26 years


female: 75.56 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA


male: NA


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


total population: 98.6%


male: 99.1%


female: 98.2% (2003 est.)
Location Middle East, west of Jordan Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
Map references Middle East Europe
Maritime claims none (landlocked) contiguous zone: 24 NM


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine - 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 - 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 NA $356 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA 2.7% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 1,854,049 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - 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: 54,107 (2003 est.)
National holiday - Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)
Nationality noun: NA


adjective: NA
noun: Bulgarian(s)


adjective: Bulgarian
Natural hazards droughts earthquakes, landslides
Natural resources arable land bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land
Net migration rate 2.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) -4.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines - gas 2,425 km; oil 339 km; refined products 156 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders - 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 - 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 2,311,204


note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2004 est.)
7,537,929 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 60% (2003 est.) 12.6% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 3.21% (2004 est.) -1.09% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors none Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0


note: the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts from an AM station in Ramallah on 675 kHz; numerous local, private stations are reported to be in operation (2000)
AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001)
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 (2002)
Religions Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8% 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: 1.05 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female


total population: 1.04 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
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: NA


international: NA


note: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for communication services in the West Bank
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 301,600 (total for West Bank and Gaza Strip) (2002) 3,186,731 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular 480,000 (cellular subscribers in both West Bank and Gaza Strip) (2003) 1.054 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations NA 39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001)
Terrain mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Total fertility rate 4.52 children born/woman (2004 est.) 1.13 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 50% (includes Gaza Strip) (2002 est.) 18% (2002 est.)
Waterways - 470 km (1987)
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