Country
Countries A-Z
Bulgaria
Republic of Bulgaria
Republika Balgariya
Political Status: Communist constitution of May 18, 1971, substantially modified on April 3, 1990; present name adopted November 15, 1990; current democratic constitution adopted July 12, 1991.
Area: 42,823 sq. mi. (110,912 sq. km.).
Population: 7,928,901 (2001C); 7,553,000 (2006E). More than 900,000 Bulgarians have emigrated since 1989.
Major Urban Centers (2005E): SOFIA (1,194,000), Plovdiv (337,000), Varna (323,000), Bourgas (213,000), Rousse (182,000).
Official Language: Bulgarian.
Monetary Unit: Lev (official rate November 2, 2007: 1.35 leva = $1US). (The lev is pegged to the euro, which Bulgaria hopes to adopt as its official currency in 2010.)
President: Georgi PARVANOV (elected as the candidate of the Bulgarian Socialist Party [BSP], from which he resigned following his election); sworn in for a five-year term on January 19, 2002, and assumed office on ...