Bulgaria Overview
Official
Name
Republic
of Bulgaria
Geography
Area: 110,994 sq. km. (slightly larger than Tennessee).
Major cities: Capital - Sofia (1.2 million). Others - Plovdiv (350,000),
Varna (300,000).
Terrain: Bulgaria is located in South Central Europe. The terrain
is varied, containing large mountainous areas, fertile valleys,
plains and a coastline along the Black Sea. Bulgaria shares a border
with Turkey and Greece to the south, Macedonia and Yugoslavia to
the west, Romania to the north and the Black Sea to the east. The
capital, Sofia, lies in the western region of the country.
Climate: Continental - mild summers and cold, snowy winters.
Demographics
Population (July 2001 est.): 7,707,495.
Growth rate (July 2001 est.): -1.14%.
Ethnic groups (1998): Bulgarian 83%, Turkish 8.5%, Roma 2.6%, and
others.
Religions (1998): Bulgarian Orthodox 83.5%, Muslim 13%, Roman Catholic
1.5%, others.
Language: Bulgarian (official).
Health: Life expectancy (2001 est.) - male: 67.72 years; female:
74.89 years. |
