BULGARIA
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LAND
111,852 km2; 41% arable, 11% other agricultural, 33% forested, 15% other
Land boundaries: 1,883 km
WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed): 12 nm
Coastline: 354 km
PEOPLE
Population: 8,940,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 0.4%
Nationality: noun—Bulgarian(s); adjective—Bulgarian
Ethnic divisions: 85.3% Bulgarians, 8.5% Turks, 2.6% Gypsies, 2.5% Macedonians, 0.3% Armenians, 0.2% Russians, 0.6% other
Religion: regime promotes atheism; religious background of population is 85% Bulgarian Orthodox, 13% Muslim, 0.8% Jewish, 0.7% Roman Catholic, 0.5% Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian and other
Language: Bulgarian; secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown
Literacy: 95% (est.)
Labor force: 4.0 million (1981); 23% agriculture, 35% industry, 42% other
GOVERNMENT
Official name: People's Republic of Bulgaria
Type: Communist state
Capital: Sofia
Political subdivisions: 28 okrugs (districts), including capital city of Sofia
Legal system: based on civil law system, with Soviet law influence; new constitution adopted in 1971; judicial review of legislative acts in the State Council; legal education at University of Sofia; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: National Liberation Day, 9 September
Branches: legislative, National Assembly; judiciary, Supreme Court
Government leaders: Todor ZHIVKOV, Chairman, State Council (President and Chief of State); Georgi Stanchev FILIPOV, Chairman, Council of Ministers (Premier)
Suffrage: universal and compulsory over age 18
Elections: theoretically held every five years for National Assembly; last elections held on 7 June 1981; 99.96% of the electorate voted
Political parties and leaders: Bulgarian Communist Party, Todor Zhivkov, General Secretary; Bulgarian National Agrarian Union, a puppet party, Petur Tanchev, secretary of Permanent Board
Communists: 820,000 party members (April 1981)
Mass organizations and front groups: Fatherland Front, Dimitrov Communist Youth League, Central Council of Trade Unions, National Committee for Defense of Peace, Union of Fighters Against Fascism and Capitalism, Committee of Bulgarian Women, All-National Committee for Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship
Member of: CEMA, FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ILO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, IMCO, IPU, ITC, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO; Warsaw Pact, International Organization of Journalists, International Medical Association, International Radio and Television Organization
ECONOMY
GNP: $39.8 billion, 1980 (1980 dollars), $4,489 per capita; 1980 real growth rate, -0.2%
Agriculture: mainly self-sufficient; main crops—grain, vegetables; caloric intake, 3,461 calories per day per capita (1972/74)
Fishing: catch 89,000 metric tons (1979)
Major industries: agricultural processing, machinery, textiles and clothing, mining, ore processing, timber
Shortages: some raw materials, metal products, meat and dairy products, fodder
Crude steel: 2.6 million metric tons produced (1980), 293 kg per capita
Electric power: 9,333,000 kW capacity (1981); 32,700 million kWh produced (1981), 3,665 kWh per capita
Exports: $10.5 billion (f.o.b., 1980); 45% machinery, equipment, and transportation equipment; 21% fuels, minerals, raw materials, metals, and other industrial material; 2% agricultural raw materials; 23% foodstuffs, raw materials for food industry, and animals; 9% industrial consumer goods (1980)
Imports: $9.7 billion (f.o.b., 1980); 35% machinery, equipment, and transportation equipment; 50% fuels, minerals, raw materials, metals, other materials; 5% agricultural raw materials; 5% foodstuffs, raw materials for food industry, and animals; 5% industrial consumer goods (1979)
