About Bulgaria
Capital: Sofia
Population(1995): 8,775,000
Size: 42,823 sq mi (110,912 sq km)
Located in SE Europe, on the eastern Balkan Peninsula, Bulgaria is bounded by the Black Sea to the east, Romania to the north, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia to the west, Greece to the south, and by European Turkey to the southeast. The capital, Sofia, is located in west central Bulgaria, on a high plain surrounded by the Balkan Mountains. It is Bulgaria's chief industrial, transportation, and commercial center. Other important cities are Varna and Burgas (the two main ports on the Black Sea), Plovdiv and Ruse.
Until 1989, Bulgaria had a Soviet-style economy in which nearly all agricultural and industrial enterprises were state-controlled. Traditionally an agricultural country, Bulgaria has been considerably industrialized since World War II. The leading industries are machine building, metalworking, food processing, engineering, and the production of chemicals, textiles, and electronics. Bulgaria's chief mineral resources include bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, brown coal (lignite), iron ore, and oil and natural gas. Agriculture accounts for more than 20% of the gross national product and employs about the same percentage of the workforce. The principal crops are wheat, oilseeds, corn, barley, vegetables, and tobacco. Grapes and other fruit, as well as roses, are grown, and wine and brandy production is important. More than 80% of Bulgaria's trade is with former Soviet-bloc countries.Â
The population consists chiefly of Bulgars. There is a substantial minority of Turks, and smaller groups of Gypsies and Macedonians. Bulgarian is the predominant language. Most of the population belongs to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. There is also a substantial Muslim minority.
Institutions of higher education include the universities of Sofia, Plovdiv, Veliko TÅrnovo, and Varna
