Bulgaria

Република България Republika Bulgaria Republic of Bulgaria
Image:Flag of Bulgaria.svg Image:Bulgaria coa.png Flag Coat of arms
Motto Съединението прави силата  (Bulgarian) "Saedinenieto pravi silata"  (transliteration) "Unity Makes Strength"1
Anthem Мила Родино  (Bulgarian) Mila Rodino  (transliteration) Dear Motherland
Image:EU location BUL.png Location of  Bulgaria  (orange) – on the European continent  (camel & white) – in the European Union  (camel)  —  [Legend]
Capital (and largest city)		Sofia 42°41′N, 23°19′E
Official languages		Bulgarian
Government		Parliamentary republic
-	President	Georgi Parvanov
-	Prime Minister	Sergey Stanishev
Formation
-	Founded	632
-	Last previously independent state2	1422
-	Independence from Ottoman Empire	1878
-	Recognized	1908
Accession to EU		January 1, 2007
Area
-	Total	110,912 km² (104th) 42,823 sq mi
-	Water (%)	0.3%
Population
-	2005 estimate	7,322,750  [1] (93rd)
-	2001 census	7,932,4984 [2]
-	Density	68.7 /km² (124th) 181 /sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$82,533 billion (63th)
-	Per capita	$10,844 (61th)
Gini? (2003)		29.2 (low)
HDI (2004)		0.816 (high) (54th)
Currency		Lev3 (BGN)
Time zone		EET (UTC+2)
-	Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Internet TLD		.bg4
Calling code		+359 cell phone systems: GSM power supply: 220V; 50Hz
1	Bulgaria’s National Flag. Bulgarian Government (03 October 2005). Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
2	Vidin Tsardom.
3	plural Leva.
4	The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states.

Bulgaria (Bulgarian: България, IPA: [bɤlˈgarijə]), officially the Republic of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Република България Republika Bulgariya, IPA: [rɛˈpubliˌkə bɤlˈgarijə]), is a country on the Balkan Peninsula, in Southern Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the east, Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Romania to the north, mostly along the Danube. Bulgaria also shares a sea border with Turkey, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, and Georgia. The capital is Sofia.

Bulgaria is a country with an ancient history dating back to prehistoric times, the Thracian, Greek and Roman worlds of antiquity, and the powerful medieval Old Great Bulgaria founded in 632 AD and Bulgarian Empire founded in 681 AD. Geographically and climatically, Bulgaria is noted for its diversity, with the landscape ranging from the Alpine snow-capped peaks in Rila, Pirin and the Balkan Mountains to the mild and sunny weather of the Black Sea coast, from the typically continental Danubian Plain (ancient Moesia) in the north to the strong Mediterranean influence in the valleys of Macedonia and the lowlands in the southernmost parts of Thrace.

Bulgaria joined NATO on March 29, 2004 and the European Union on January 1, 2007. The country has been a member of the United Nations since 1955, and is a founding member of OSCE. As a Consultative Party to the Antarctic Treaty, Bulgaria takes part in the governing of the territories situated south of 60° south latitude.

History

Main article: History of Bulgaria

Thracians inhabited what is now Bulgaria in antiquity. They were divided in numerous tribes until King Teres united most of them around 500 BC in the Odrysian kingdom, which peaked under the kings Sitalkes and Cotys I (383-359 BC). In 341 BC, it was destroyed by the Macedonian state but rose from its ashes at the end of the fourth century BC under Seuthes III. In 188 BC, the Romans invaded Thrace and the wars with them continued to 45 CE, when Thrace became a Roman province.

The Thracians did not have writing and now their legacy survives mainly in the numerous treasures and tombs they left. It is believed that the oldest golden treasure, the Varna treasure which is 6,500 years old, is Thracian-made. One of the most talented ancient commanders, Spartacus, was a Thracian born in the middle Struma region.

In 632, the Bulgars led by Khan Kubrat formed an independent state called Great Bulgaria, bounded by the Danube delta to the west, the Black Sea to the south, the Caucasus to the southeast, and Volga River to the east. Byzantium recognized the new state by treaty in 635.

Pressure by the Khazars led to the loss of the eastern part of Great Bulgaria in the second half of the seventh century. Some of the Bulgars from that territory later migrated to the northeast to form a new state called Volga Bulgaria around the confluence of the Volga River and Kama River.

Kubrat’s successor, Khan Asparuh kept the Bulgar territories in the lower courses of the rivers Danube, Dniester and Dniepr (known as Ongal), and conquered Moesia and Scythia Minor (Dobrudzha) from the Byzantine Empire, expanding Great Bulgaria on the Balkan Peninsula. The peace treaty with Byzantium in 681 and the establishment of the new capital of Pliska south of the Danube is considered the beginning of the First Bulgarian Empire. At the same time one of his brothers, Kuber, settled with another Bulgar group in what is now Macedonia.

In 717, the Bulgarians helped relieve the Arab siege of Constantinople, killing some 40,000-60,000 soldiers. Their Khan, Tervel, was called "The Saviour of Europe" by his contemporaries.

In 864, Bulgaria accepted the Orthodox Faith and became a major European power in the ninth and the tenth century, while fighting with the Byzantine Empire for the control of the Balkans. The greatest territorial extension was reached under Simeon I, the first Tsar, covering most of the Balkans.

Following a decline in the mid tenth century, worn out by the wars with Croatia and frequent Serbian rebellions sponsored by Byzantine gold, Bulgaria was crushed by an assault of the Rus' in 969. The Byzantines then began campaigns to conquer Bulgaria. In 971, they seized the capital Preslav and captured Emperor Boris II. Resistance continued under Tsar Samuil in the western Bulgarian lands for nearly half a century until the state was completely destroyed by the Byzantines led by Basil II in 1018.

In 1185, the Bulgarian Empire was reestablished under the Asenevtsi Dynasty and was an important power in Europe for two more centuries, while fighting for dominance in the region against the Byzantine Empire, the Crusader states and Hungary, reaching its zenith under Ivan Asen II (1218–1241).

By the end of the fourteenth century, the country had disintegrated into several feudal principalities and was eventually conquered by the Ottoman Empire. A Polish-Hungarian crusade under the rule of Władysław III of Poland to free the Balkans was crushed in 1444 in the battle of Varna.

The five centuries of Ottoman rule were characterized by great violence and oppression. The Bulgarian population was decimated and most of its cultural relics were lost. Large towns and the areas where Ottoman power was strong were severely depopulated until the nineteenth century.^[1]

Following the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78 and the Treaty of San Stefano of March 3, 1878, an autonomous Bulgarian principality was proclaimed. The treaty was immediately rejected by the Great Powers for fear that a large Slavic country on the Balkans would serve Russian interests. This led to the Treaty of Berlin (1878) which provided for an autonomous Bulgarian principality comprising Moesia and the region of Sofia. The first Bulgarian prince was Alexander von Battenberg. Most of Thrace was included in the autonomous region of Eastern Rumelia, whereas the rest of Thrace and all of Macedonia was returned under the sovereignty of the Ottomans. After the Serbo-Bulgarian War and unification with Eastern Rumelia in 1885, the principality was proclaimed a fully independent kingdom on October 5 (September 22 O.S.), 1908, during the reign of Ferdinand I of Bulgaria.

Ferdinand, a prince from the ducal family of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, became the Bulgarian prince after Alexander von Battenberg abdicated in 1886 following a coup d'etat staged by pro-Russian army officers. (Although the counter coup d'etat coordinated by Stefan Stambolov was successful, Battenberg could not remain Bulgarian prince without the approval of Alexander III of Russia.) The struggle for liberation of the Bulgarians in the Adrianople, Vilayet and Macedonia continued throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries culminating with the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising organised by the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization in 1903.

In 1912 and 1913, Bulgaria became involved in the Balkan Wars, entering into conflict with Greece and Serbia against the Ottoman Empire and then against its former Balkan allies in a desperate effort to achieve national unity. After being defeated in the Second Balkan War, Bulgaria lost most of the territory conquered in the first war, as well as Southern Dobruja. During World War I, Bulgaria found itself fighting on the losing side after its alliance with the Central Powers. The defeat led to new territorial losses (the Western Outlands to Serbia, Western Thrace to Greece and the reconquered Southern Dobruja to Romania. The Balkan Wars and World War I led to the influx of over 250,000 Bulgarian refugees from Macedonia, Eastern and Western Thrace and Southern Dobruja. These numbers increased in the 1930s following Serbian state-sponsored aggression against its native Bulgarian population.

After regaining control over Southern Dobruja in 1940, Bulgaria allied with the Axis Powers in World War II, although no Bulgarian soldiers participated in the war against the USSR. During World War II, Nazi Germany allowed Bulgaria to occupy parts of Greece and Yugoslavia, including territories long coveted by the Bulgarians. Bulgaria was one of three countries (with Finland and Denmark) that saved its entire Jewish population (around 50,000) from the Nazi camps by refusing to comply with a 31 August 1943 resolution. But Jews in territories newly acquired from Greece and Yugoslavia were sent to death camps by the Bulgarian authorities on German request. In September 1944, the Soviet army entered Bulgaria which later enabled the Bulgarian Communists to seize power and establish a Communist dictatorship. In 1944, Bulgaria's forces were turned against its former German ally (a 450,000 strong army in 1944, reduced to 130,000 in 1945). More than 30,000 Bulgarian soldiers and officers were killed in the war.

After World War II, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence, became a People's Republic in 1946 and one of the USSR's staunchest allies. In the late 1970s, it began normalizing relations with Greece, and in the 1990s with Turkey. The People's Republic ended in 1989 as many Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, as well as the Soviet Union itself, began to collapse. The Bulgarian Communist leader Todor Zhivkov was removed from power on 10 November 1989.

Bulgaria has held multiparty elections and privatized its economy, but economic difficulties and a tide of corruption led over 800,000 Bulgarians, most of them qualified professionals, to emigrate.

Bulgaria joined NATO on 29 March 2004. After signing the Treaty of Accession on 25 April 2005, it became a member of the European Union on 1 January 2007.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Bulgaria

Georgi Parvanov, the President of Bulgaria since 22 January 2002, was re-elected on 29 October 2006 and began his second term in office in January 2007. Bulgarian presidents are directly elected for a five-year term with the right to one re-election. The president serves as the head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces. He is also the head of the Consultative Council for National Security and, while unable to initiate legislation other than Constitutional amendments, the President can return a bill for further debate, although the parliament can override the President's veto by vote of a majority of all MPs.

The Council of Ministers is chaired by the PM (Sergey Stanishev since 18 August 2005); it is the principal body of the Executive Branch and presently consists of 20 ministers. The Prime Minister is usually nominated by the largest parliamentary group, and is given a mandate by the President to form a cabinet.

The current governmental coalition is made up of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), National Movement Simeon II (NMS) and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (representing mainly the Turkish minority).

The Bulgarian unicameral parliament, the National Assembly or Narodno Sabranie (Народно събрание), consists of 240 deputies who are elected for four-year terms by popular vote. The votes are for party or coalition lists of candidates for each of the 28 administrative divisions. A party or coalition must garner a minimum of 4% of the vote in order to enter parliament. Parliament is responsible for enactment of laws, approval of the budget, scheduling of presidential elections, selection and dismissal of the Prime Minister and other ministers, declaration of war, deployment of troops outside of Bulgaria, and ratification of international treaties and agreements.

The last elections took place on June 2005. The next elections are planned for summer 2009.

The Bulgarian judicial system consists of regional, district and appeal courts, as well as a Supreme Court of Cassation. In addition, there is a Supreme Administrative Court and a system of military courts. The Presidents of the Supreme Court of Cassation, Supreme Administrative Court and the Prosecutor General are elected by a qualified majority of two-thirds from all the members of the Supreme Judicial Council and are appointed by the President of the Republic. The Supreme Judicial Council is in charge of the self-administration and organisation of the Judiciary.

The Constitutional Court is in charge of reviewing the constitutionality of laws and statutes brought before it, as well as the compliance of these laws with international treaties that the Government has signed. Parliament elects the twelve members of the Constitutional Court by a two-thirds majority, the members serve a nine-year term.

The territory of the Republic of Bulgaria is divided into provinces and municipalities. In all Bulgaria has 28 provinces, each headed by a provincial governor appointed by the government. In addition, there are 263 municipalities.

Military

The Bulgarian Army represents the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria. They are divided into three services: the Bulgarian land forces, Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian Air Forces. The patron Saint of the Army is Sveti Georgi (St. George) and his day, 6 May, is also celebrated as Valour and Army Day. The Bulgarian Army is the only force in the world which has never lost a single flag,^[2][3] although it actively participated in all major wars in Europe since the end of the nineteenth century.

Bulgaria first became a great military power in Europe under Khan Krum and Tzar Simeon I. From the beginning of 893 CE, he fought a series of wars with the Byzantine Empire for control over the Balkan Peninsula. Tzar Simeon I scored a series of stunning blows on the Empire, mainly because of the large contingents of heavy cavalry. Heavy cavalry were typically horseman covered in scale and sometimes plate armour. Their tactics closely resembled those of feudal knights. They were also used to charge and trample their enemies to death underneath the hooves of the horses. Using about 12,000 heavy cavalry in total, Tzar Simeon I was able to bring the Byzantine Empire to its knees and only stopped at the impregnable capital, Constantinople. After the death of Tzar Simeon I, Bulgaria's military power began to decline.

Today, the number of active troops in the Army are 68,450, after series of reductions since 1989. The plan to modernize the forces of Bulgaria, called PLAN 2004, is to get the army up to contemporary military technology so as to be better able to serve the NATO and European Union requirements. The military reserve includes 303,000 soldiers and officers. The Bulgarian Army's professional personnel has been involved in international missions in Cambodia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. From 2008, the compulsory military service is to be abolished. The Navy and Air Force became fully professional in 2006 and the land forces are to become fully professional in 2008. Special Forces are already top of the line and considered as one of the best in Europe and the world^{[citation needed]}. They have conducted practice missions with the SAS, Delta, GSG-9, and the Spetsnaz of Russia.

In the framework of their strategic partnership, Bulgaria and the United States signed in April 2006 a Defense Cooperation Agreement providing for the development of the Bulgarian air bases at Bezmer (near Yambol) and Graf Ignatievo (near Plovdiv), the Novo Selo training range (near Sliven), and a logistics centre in Aytos as joint US-Bulgarian military facilities.

The Navy is dated and comprised mainly of Soviet-era ships and 2 submarines. Since assault by sea is not considered a risk for Bulgaria's 354 km coastline, the Navy has been mainly overlooked in the modernization of the military. However, one new frigate was bought from Belgium, and the navy is finalizing a deal with French company DCN for the acquisition of four Gowind corvettes.

The Air Force also comprises Soviet equipment, except for some F-16s and F-18s. A major overhaul is to be done on all Soviet planes weapons systems and GPS. Also, the Bulgarian Air Force is currently acquiring attack and transport helicopters. The Air Force had a plan for modernization with Israeli based Elbit defense company but it was canceled.

The military expenditures account for almost 2.6% of the GDP.

Administrative divisions

Main article: Provinces of Bulgaria

Between 1987 and 1999, Bulgaria consisted of nine provinces (oblasti, singular oblast); since 1999, it has consisted of twenty-eight. All are named after their capital city:

Geography

Main article: Geography of Bulgaria

Bulgaria comprises portions of the classical regions of Thrace, Moesia, and Macedonia. The southwest of the country is mountainous with two alpine ranges - Rila and Pirin and further east are the lower but more extensive Rhodope Mountains. Rila mountain includes the highest peak of the Balkan Peninsula, peak Musala at 2,925 meters (9,596 ft); the long range of the Balkan mountains runs west-east through the middle of the country, north of the famous Rose Valley. Hilly country and plains are found in the southeast, along the Black Sea coast in the east, and along Bulgaria's main river, the Danube in the north. Other major rivers include the Struma and the Maritsa river in the south.

The Bulgarian climate is temperate, with cold, damp winters and hot, dry summers, and Mediterranean along the Black Sea coast

The Balkan peninsula derives its name from the Balkan or Stara Planina mountain range which runs through the centre of Bulgaria into eastern Serbia.

The largest cities in the country are Sofia (1,246,791), Plovdiv (376,918), Varna (345,522), Burgas (259,985), Rousse (177,538), Stara Zagora (163,193), Pleven (121,700), Dobrich (115,861), Sliven (100,300).

Bulgaria has a scientific base on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica.

See also: List of cities in Bulgaria, Rivers of Bulgaria, and Reservoirs and dams in Bulgaria

Economy

Main article: Economy of Bulgaria

Bulgaria's economy contracted dramatically after 1989 with the loss of the market of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) member states, to which the Bulgarian economy had been closely tied. The standard of living fell by about 40%, but it regained pre-1990 levels in June 2004. United Nations sanctions against Yugoslavia and Iraq took a heavy toll on the Bulgarian economy. The first signs of recovery emerged in 1994 when the GDP grew and inflation fell. During the government of Zhan Videnov's cabinet in 1996, the economy collapsed due to lack of international economic support and an unstable banking system. Since 1997, the country has been on the path to recovery, with GDP growing at a 4% – 5% rate, increasing FDI, macroeconomic stability and European Union membership.

The former government, elected in 2001, pledged to maintain the fundamental economic policy objectives adopted by its predecessor in 1997, i.e., retaining the Currency Board, practising sound financial policies, accelerating privatisation, and pursuing structural reforms. Economic forecasts for 2005 and 2006 predict continued growth in the economy. The annual year-on-year GDP growth for 2005 and 2006 is expected to total 5.3% and 6.0%, respectively. Industrial output for 2005 was forecast to rise by 11.9% from the previous year, and for 2006 by 15.2%. Unemployment for 2005 was projected at 11.5% and for 2006 about 9%. As of 2006 the GDP structure is: agriculture 8.0%; industry 26,1%; services 65.9%.

Agriculture

Agricultural output has decreased since 1989 but production is growing in recent years. Farming is more important than stock-breeding. The prevalence of mechanisation is higher than most other Eastern European countries but there is lack of modern equipment. Alongside aeroplanes and other equipment, there are over 150,000 tractors and 10,000 combine harvesters. Production of the most important crops is: wheat 4,120,000 t; sunflower 1,080,000 t;