Some Facts and Statistics About Bulgaria

Not many people know about Bulgaria, so I have given some facts and statistics about the country that may help to put it in perspective.

(The picture is of the Alexander Nevski Cathedral in Sofia.)

Geography:

Area: 110,910 sq. km.

Major cities:

Capital--Sofia 1.2 million.

Others:

Plovdiv--368,568, Varna--349,482.

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.

Climate:

Continental--mild summers and cold, snowy winters.

People:

Population (2008): 7,606,551.

Growth rate (2008): -0.43%.

Ethnic groups (2001): Bulgarian 83.94%, Turkish 9.42%, Roma 4.68%, and other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian).

Religions (2001): Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Roman Catholic 0.6%, Protestant 0.5%, others.

Language: Bulgarian 84.5%, other 15.5%.

Health:

Life expectancy (2008) - male 69.5 years; female 76.6 years.
Infant mortality rate (2008)--8.6 deaths/1,000 live births.

Work force (2008 est.):

4.806 million. Agriculture--11%; industry--32.7%; services--32% (3rd qtr. 2004 est.)

Image via Wikipedia

Statistics from http://www.state.gov