Negara Brunei Darussalam State of Brunei, Abode of Peace بروني دارالسلام
Flag Crest
Motto: “الدائمون المحسنون بالهدى” “Sentiasa membuat kebajikan dangan petunjuk Allah“ “Always in service with Allah’s guidance”  (translation)
Anthem: Allah Peliharakan Sultan Allah Bless the Sultan
Location of  Brunei  (green) in ASEAN  (dark grey)  —  [Legend]
Capital (and largest city)		Bandar Seri Begawan 4°53.417′N 114°56.533′E / 4.890283°N 114.942217°E / 4.890283; 114.942217
Official language(s)		Malay (Bahasa Melayu)[1]
Official scripts		Malay alphabet
Demonym		Bruneian
Government		Islamic Absolute Monarchy
-	Sultan	Hassanal Bolkiah
-	Crown Prince	Al-Muhtadee Billah
Formation
-	Sultanate	14th century
-	End of British protectorate	January 1, 1984
Area
-	Total	5,765 km2 (172nd) 2,226 sq mi
-	Water (%)	8.6
Population
-	2009 estimate	388,190[2] (175)
-	2001 census	332,844
-	Density	67.3/km2 (134th) 174.4/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2009 estimate
-	Total	$19.674 billion[3]
-	Per capita	$49,109[3]
GDP (nominal)		2009 estimate
-	Total	$10.546 billion[3]
-	Per capita	$26,325[3]
HDI (2007)		▲ 0.920[4] (very high) (30th)
Currency		Brunei dollar (BND)
Time zone		(UTC+8)
Drives on the		left
Internet TLD		.bn
Calling code		+6731
1	Also 080 from East Malaysia

Brunei (pronounced /bruːˈnaɪ/ in English), officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace^[5] (Malay: Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: بروني دارالسلام), is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia. Apart from its coastline with the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the state of Sarawak, Malaysia, and in fact it is separated into two parts by Limbang, which is part of Sarawak. It is the only sovereign state completely on the island of Borneo, with the remainder of the island belonging to Malaysia and Indonesia.

Brunei can trace its beginnings to the 7th century, when it was a subject state of the Srivijayan empire under the name Po-ni.^[6] It later became a vassal state of Majapahit^{[citation needed]} before embracing Islam in the 15th century. At the peak of its empire, the sultanate had control that extended over the coastal regions of modern-day Sarawak and Sabah, the Sulu archipelago, and the islands off the northwest tip of Borneo. The thalassocracy was visited by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 and fought the Castille War in 1578 against Spain. Its empire began to decline with the forced ceding of Sarawak to James Brooke and the ceding of Sabah to the British North Borneo Chartered Company. After the loss of Limbang, Brunei finally became a British protectorate in 1888, receiving a resident in 1906. In the post-occupation years, it formalised a constitution and fought an armed rebellion.^[7] Brunei regained its independence from the United Kingdom on 1 January 1984. Economic growth during the 1970s and 1990s, averaging 56% from 1999 to 2008, has transformed Brunei Darussalam into a newly industrialised country.

Brunei has the second highest Human Development Index among the South East Asia nations, after Singapore and is classified as a Developed Country.^[8] According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Brunei is ranked 4th in the world by gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity.^[9]

According to legend, Brunei was founded by Awang Alak Betatar. His move from Garang [location required]^{[clarification needed]} to the Brunei river estuary led to the discovery of Brunei. His first exclamation upon landing on the shore, as the legend goes, was “Baru nah!” (Which in English loosely-translates as “that’s it!” or “there”) and thus, the name “Brunei” was derived from his words.^[10]

It was renamed “Barunai” in the 14th Century, possibly influenced by the Sanskrit word varunai (वरुण), meaning “seafarers”, later to become “Brunei”.^{[citation needed]} The word “Borneo” is of the same origin. In the country’s full name “Negara Brunei Darussalam”(بروني دارالسلام), “Darussalam” means “Abode of Peace” in Arabic, while “Negara” means “Country” in Malay. “Negara” derives from the Sanskrit Nagara (नगर), meaning “city”.

History

The power of the Sultanate of Brunei was at its peak from the 14th to the 16th centuries.^[11] The Sultanate’s suzerainty is thought to have extended over the coastal regions of modern-day Sarawak and Sabah, the Sulu archipelago, and the islands off the northwest tip of Borneo.^{[citation needed]}

It has been debated when Islam first arrived in Brunei. A number of relics show that Islam may have been practiced in Brunei by the 12th century.^{[citation needed]}

Among these relics are tombstones found in the various Islamic graveyards in Brunei, particularly the tombstone at Rangas [location required] graveyard of a Chinese Muslim by the name of Pu Kung Chih-mu. He was buried there in 1264. This is more than a hundred years before the conversion of Awang Alak Betatar who became the Islamic Sultan Muhammad Shah, the first Sultan of Brunei.

Pu is a common surname that, according to Chinese historians, identifies a person as a Muslim. The tombstone also identified Pu Kung Chih-mu as having originated from Ch’uan-chou City in China. During the Song Dynasty, Arab and Persian Traders flocked to Canton (Kwang Chow) in Kwangtung Province and Chuan-chou in Fukien Province.

The tombstone of Pu Kung Chih-mu is not the only Chinese Muslim grave in Rangas graveyard. Another grave nearby belonged to another Chinese Muslim by the name of Li Chia-tzu from Yung Chun (Fukian) who died in 1876. Yung Chun is another city in China where Muslim travellers frequently traded.

According to Chinese records, stated in the “Notes on the Malay Archipelago and Malacca Compiled From Chinese Sources” written by WP Groeneveldt in 1880, one Chinese Islamic trader arrived in Brunei in the 10th century. His name was P’u-lu-shieh. He was both a trader and a diplomat. P’u-lu-shieh name is akin to Abu al-Layth.

The Brunei King at that time was named Hiang-ta (Bongto). The arrival of the diplomat-trader from China was greeted with great ceremony. If this is so, Islam has actually arrived in Brunei in the year of 977.

One may discount the fact that the Muslim diplomat-trader did not do anything in Brunei but merely brought greetings and therefore one should not read too much into this. However the interesting thing was that the Brunei King’s delegation to China to return the Emperor’s greetings was headed by another Muslim by the name of P’u A-li (Abu Ali).

Based on this fact alone, Abu Ali must have held an important position in the Brunei Government if he was tasked to be Brunei’s Ambassador in those days and even if the King of Brunei then was not himself a Muslim, some members of his royal court were Muslims.

A number of European historians claimed that Brunei was still not a Muslim nation until the 15th century. However, the Ming Shih, Book 325, a Chinese reference book noted that the King of Brunei in 1370 was Ma-ho-mo-sa. Some say that this should be read as Mahmud Shah. But local Brunei historians take this to refer to “Muhammad Shah” the first Islamic Sultan of Brunei, during his reign Brunei was also visited by Arab, Persian and Sindhi merchants.

Robert Nicholl, a former Brunei Museum Curator argued in another paper entitled “Notes on Some Controversial Issues in Brunei History” in 1980 that the name Ma-ho-mo-sa could be pronounced as Maha Moksha, which means Great Eternity. Maha Mokhsa would make it a Buddhist name. Nicholl goes on to argue that even the Brunei Sultan who died in Nanjing in 1408 was not a Muslim. Another European Historian, Pelliot, Ma-na-jo-kia-nai-nai was reconstituted as Majarajah Gyana (nai). But the closest title would have been Maharaja Karna. However Brunei historians have stated that the King was Sultan Abdul Majid Hassan who would have been the second Sultan of Brunei.

Nicholl further argued that Sultan Muhammad Shah converted to Islam as late as the 16th century and not during the 14th century as is widely known. However according to Brunei historians, Sultan Muhammad Shah converted to Islam in 1376 and that he ruled until 1402. After which time, it was Sultan Abdul Majid Hassan, who died in China who ascended the throne. That was when Sultan Ahmad reigned in Brunei beginning 1406, during his reign Brunei was visited on various occasions by the Chinese Muslim Admiral Zheng He.

Most likely there were two waves of Islamic teachings that came to Brunei. The first was brought by traders from Arabia, Persia, India and China. The second wave was brought about by the conversion of Sultan Muhammad Shah. With the coming of the second wave, Brunei’s Islamisation hastened.

The propagation of Islam in Brunei was led by a Syarif with the name of Syarif Ali who was a descendant of The Prophet Muhammad through his grandsons Sayydinia Hassan or Sayydinia Hussin.

Syarif Ali arrived from Taif. Not long after he arrived in Brunei, he was married to a daughter of Sultan Ahmad. Syarif Ali built a mosque in Brunei. Syarif Ali was closely connected to a few other well known Islam propogationists in the region such as Malik Ibrahim who went to Java, Syarif Zainal Abidin in Malacca, Syarif Abu Bakar or Syariful Hashim in Sulu, and Syarif Kebungsuan in Mindanao.

Syarif Ali ascended the throne as the third Sultan of Brunei when he took over from his father-in-law. Because of his piousness, he was known as Sultan Berkat (Berkat means ‘blessed).

The mosque, especially the pulpit, was used by Sultan Syarif Ali himself. Sultan Syarif Ali himself conducted the sermons during Friday prayers. So he was not only the Sultan but he was also the Imam and brought the religion directly to the Brunei people.

According to Thomas Stamford Raffles in his book The History of Java, the Islamic activities of Sultan Syarif Ali were not limited to Brunei. He was also known to have gone over to Java to propagate Islam, where he was known as Raja Chermin. He tried hard to convert the Majapahit King named Prabu Angka Wijaya.

The efforts of the Brunei Sultans in spreading Islam helped to spread the religion not only in Borneo but also as far north as to the southern Philippines islands. When Malacca fell to the Portuguese in 1511, it was Brunei that played a major role in the spread of Islam in the region^[12] (see also: Ottoman expedition to Aceh).

By the 16th century, Brunei had built one of its biggest mosques. In 1578, Alonso Beltran, a Spanish traveler described it as being five stories tall and built on the water. Most likely it had five layers of roofs to represent the Five Pillars of Islam.

Islam was firmly rooted in Brunei by the 16th century. This mosque was destroyed by the Spanish in June that same year.

European influence gradually brought an end to this regional power. Later, there was a brief war with Spain, in which Brunei’s capital was occupied. Eventually the sultanate was victorious but lost territories to Spain.

The decline of the Bruneian Empire culminated in the 19th century, when Brunei lost much of its territory to the White Rajahs of Sarawak, resulting in its current small landmass and separation into two parts. Brunei was a British protectorate from 1888 to 1984, and occupied by Japan from 1941 to 1945 during World War II.

There was a small rebellion against the monarchy during the 1960s, which was suppressed with help from the United Kingdom. This event became known as the Brunei Revolt and was partly responsible for the failure to create the North Borneo Federation. The rebellion partially affected Brunei’s decision to opt out of the Malaysian Federation.

Politics and government

Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei.

Under Brunei’s 1959 constitution, His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah is the head of state with full executive authority, including emergency powers, since 1962.

The Sultan’s role is enshrined in the national ideology known as Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB), or Malay Muslim Monarchy. The country has been under hypothetical martial law since Brunei Revolt of 1962.

The media are extremely pro-government and the Royal family retains a venerated status within the country.

Press freedom

Brunei has been given Not Free status by Freedom House; press criticism of the government and monarchy is rare.^[13]. Nonetheless, the press is not overtly hostile towards other viewpoints and is not restricted on only publishing articles regarding the government. The government allowed a printing and publishing company, Brunei Press SDN BHD, to form in 1953. It continues to print the leading English daily Borneo Bulletin. This paper began as a weekly community paper, became the country’s daily paper in 1990 and “remains the foremost source of information on local and foreign affairs.”^[14] Apart from The Borneo Bulletin, there is also the Media Permata, the local Malay newspaper which is circulated daily. The Brunei Times, another newspaper written in English is an independent newspaper published in Brunei Darussalam. It is owned by the company, Brunei Times Sdn Bhd, which consist of a group of prominent local businessmen.

As for mass media, the Brunei government owns and operates six television channels with the introduction of digital TV using DVB-T (RTB 1, RTB 2, RTB 3 (HD), RTB 4, RTB 5 and RTB New Media (Game portal) and five radio stations (National FM, Pilihan FM, Nur Islam FM, Harmony FM and Pelangi FM). A private company has made cable television available (Astro-Kristal) as well as one private radio station, Kristal FM.^[14]

Foreign relations

With its traditional ties with the United Kingdom, it became the 49th member of the Commonwealth immediately on the day of its independence on 1 January 1984.^[15] As its first initiatives toward improved regional relations, Brunei joined ASEAN on January 7, 1984, becoming the sixth member.^[16] It later joined the United Nations at the 39th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and became a full member on 21 September 1984 as a means to achieve recognition of its sovereignty and full independence from the world community.^[17] As it is an islamic country, Brunei Darussalam became a full member of the Organisation of Islamic Conference in January 1984 at the Fourth Islamic Summit held in Morocco.^[18]

After its accession to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) in 1989, Brunei hosted the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November 2000 and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in July 2002.^[19] As for other economic ties, Brunei Darussalam became an original member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since it came into force in 1 January 1995^[20], and is a major player in BIMP-EAGA which was formed during the Inaugural Ministers’ Meeting in Davao, Philippines on March 24, 1994.^[21]

Brunei is recognized by every nation in the world. It shares a close relationship particularly with the Philippines and other nations such as Singapore. In April 2009, Brunei and the Philippines signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that seeks to strengthen the bilateral cooperation of the two countries in the fields of agriculture and farm-related trade and investments.^[22] Brunei also maintains historical ties with Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

International rankings

Political and economic rankings

GDP per capita – 5^th highest, at I$50,117

Human Development Index – 30^th high, at 0.919

Literacy Rate – 75^th, at 92.7%

Unemployment rate – 158^th, at 4.00%

Health rankings

Fertility rate- 105^th most fertile, at 2.29 per woman

Birth rate – 87^th most births, at 21.58 per 1000 people

Infant mortality – 30^th least deaths, at 5.5 per 1000 live births

Death rate – 191^st highest death rate, at 2.8 per 1000 people

Life Expectancy – 43^rd highest, at 77.1 years

HIV/AIDS rate – 123^rd most cases, at 1000 people

Territorial disputes

Brunei claims some territories in Sarawak and it is one of many nations to lay claim to some of the disputed Spratly Islands, specifically small rocks exposed at low tide on Louisa Reef. However, Kuraman Island is recognized as Malaysia territory by Brunei.

The status of Limbang as part of Sarawak was disputed by Brunei since the area was first annexed in 1890.^[23] The issue flared up again in 2010 when former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad publicly criticised Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s government for secretly negotiating with Brunei to have them give up their claim over Limbang in exchange for Malaysia giving up its claim on two oil-rich plots in the South China Sea. Brunei has since insisted that no agreement has been reached over the Limbang issue, and that it was not even discussed despite Abdullah’s claim that Brunei has given up its claims on the area.^[24]

Subdivisions

Districts of Brunei

Brunei is divided into four districts (daerah):

• Belait
• Brunei and Muara
• Temburong
• Tutong

The districts are subdivided into thirty-eight mukims.

Geography

Brunei Darussalam consists of two unconnected parts with the total area of 5,766 sq. kilometers (2,226 sq. miles). 77% of the population lives in the eastern part of Brunei, while only about 10,000 live in the mountainous south eastern part (the district of Temburong). The total population of Brunei Darussalam is approximately 428,000 (2010) of which around 130,000 live in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan^[25].

Other major towns are the port town of Muara, the oil producing town of Seria and its neighboring town, Kuala Belait. In the Belait district, the Panaga area is home to large numbers of expatriates due to Royal Dutch Shell and British Army housing and recreational facilities. Jerudong Park, a well known amusement park, is located on the west of Bandar Seri Begawan.

Most of Brunei is within the Borneo lowland rain forests ecoregion that covers most of the island but there are areas of mountain rain forests inland.

Climate

Brunei Darussalam has a tropical rainforest climate. The average annual temperature is 27.1 °C (80.8 °F), with the April–May average of 27.7 °C (81.9 °F) and the October–December average of 26.8 °C (80.2 °F)^[26].

Economy

This small, wealthy economy is a mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation, welfare measures, and village tradition. Crude oil and natural gas production account for nearly half of its GDP. Substantial income from overseas investment supplements income from domestic production. The government provides for all medical services and subsidizes rice and housing.

Brunei’s leaders are concerned that steadily increased integration in the world economy will undermine internal social cohesion although it became a more prominent player by serving as chairman for the 2000 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. Stated plans for the future include upgrading the labour force, reducing unemployment, strengthening the banking and tourism sectors, and, in general, further widening the economic base.

The national airline, Royal Brunei, is trying to make Brunei a hub for international travel between Europe and Australia/New Zealand, and also has services to major Asian destinations. Brunei is increasingly importing from other countries.

The Brunei Halal brand

Brunei Darussalam in July 2009 launched its national halal branding scheme Brunei Halal^[27] which allows manufacturers in Brunei and in other countries to use the premium Brunei Halal trademark to help them penetrate lucrative markets in countries with significant numbers of Muslim consumers.

As envisioned by the Sultanate, the use of the Brunei Halal brand would signify to Muslim consumers the manufacturers’ strict compliance with laws relating to Islamic teachings. Brunei also aims to build confidence in the brand through strategies that will both ensure the halal integrity of the products and unfaltering compliance with set rules governing the sourcing of raw materials, manufacturing process, logistics and distribution.

The Brunei Halal brand is said to be the first proper attempt to put together a global halal brand that will reap the potential commercial returns of catering to the consumption needs of Muslims worldwide.

A new company, government-owned Brunei Wafirah Holdings Sdn Bhd, has been established as the owner of the Brunei Halal brand. Wafirah has entered into a joint venture with Brunei Global Islamic Investment and Hong Kong-based logistics firm Kerry FSDA Limited to form Ghanim International Food Corporation Sdn Bhd. Ghanim International manages the use of the Brunei Halal trademark.

Producers that want to use the brand are required to first acquire the Brunei halal label (or the certification for compliance with accepted manufacturing and slaughtering practices under Islam) through the Department of Syariah Affairs’ Halal Food Control Section. They can then approach Ghanim for their application to use the brand.

Agriculture

To achieve its target for food self-sufficiency, Brunei renamed its Brunei Darussalam Rice 1 to Laila Rice during the launch of the “Padi Planting Towards Achieving Self-Sufficiency of Rice Production in Brunei Darussalam” ceremony at the Wasan padi fields in April 2009.^[28]

In August 2009, the Royal Family reaped the first few Laila padi stalks, after years of multiple attempts to boost local rice production, a goal which was envisioned about half a century ago.^[29]

Health care

All Brunei citizens have access to free health care from public hospitals. The largest hospital in Brunei is Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Hospital, and there are two private medical centres, Gleneagles JPMC Sdn Bhd and Jerudong Park Medical Centre. As of 2008, no hospitals in Brunei were undergoing international healthcare accreditation.

There is currently no medical school in Brunei, and Bruneians wishing to study to become doctors must attend university overseas. However, the Institute of Medicines had been introduced at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam and a new building has been built for the faculty. The building, including research lab facilities, was completed in 2009. There has been a School of Nursing since 1951.^[30] 58 nurse managers were appointed in RIPAS to improve service and provide better medical care.^[31] In December 2008, The nursing college merged with the Institute of Medicines at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam to produce more nurses and midwives.^[32]

The Health Promotion Centre opened in November 2008 and serves to educate the public on the importance of having a healthy lifestyle.^[33]

Transport

Brunei is accessible by air, sea and land transport. Brunei International Airport is the main entry point to the country. Royal Brunei Airlines^[34] is the national carrier. The ferry terminal at Muara services regular connections to Labuan island (Malaysia). The speedboats provide passenger and goods transportation to the Temburong district. The main highway running across Brunei is the Tutong-Muara Highway. The country’s road network is well developed. Brunei has one main sea port located at Muara. The export of its petroleum products is carried out through dedicated terminals.

Demographics

The official language of the nation is Malay (Malay: Bahasa Melayu), although an important minority speak Chinese. The local variety of Malay (Kedayan or Bukit Malay), spoken natively by two thirds of the population, is quite divergent from and unintelligible to Standard Malay. The most important aboriginal languages are Iban, and two languages called Tutong, each with about 20,000 speakers.

English is also widely spoken and there is a relatively large expatriate community with significant numbers of British and Australian citizens.

Ethnicity

• Malay 66.3%,
• Chinese 11.2%,
• Indigenous 3.4%,
• Other 19.1% (2004 est.)^[35]

Religion

Islam is the official religion of Brunei, and the sultan is the head of the religion in the country. Two-thirds of the population adheres to Islam. Other faiths practiced are Buddhism (13 percent, mainly by the Chinese) and Christianity (11 percent). Freethinkers, mostly Chinese, form about seven percent of the population. Although most of them practice some form of religion with elements of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, they prefer to present themselves as having professed no religion officially, hence regarded as atheists in official censuses. Followers of indigenous religions are about two percent of the population.

Culture

The culture of Brunei is predominantly Malay (reflecting its ethnicity), with heavy influences from Islam, but is seen as more conservative than Malaysia.^[36]

Prohibition of alcohol

As a Sharia country, the sale and public consumption of alcohol is banned.^[37] Foreigners and non-Muslims are allowed to bring in 12 cans of beer and two bottles of other alcohol (e.g., wine or spirits; no distinction is made for alcohol content). This limit used to apply to every entry; in 2007, however, this was changed to one limit every 48 hours. After the introduction of prohibition in the early 1990s, all pubs and nightclubs were forced to close.

Bruneian celebrities

• Dk Najibah Era Al-Sufri, a member of the Kaspersky Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition
• Wu Chun, member of Fahrenheit
• Hill, male singer and actor
• Zul F, winner of 2005 Brunei Idol
• Maria, local female singer
• Eqah, female singer
• D’Hask, rock band
• Micbandits, hip hop trio under the label Kartel Records
• Craig Adams, two time Stanley Cup winner, born in Seria, plays for Pittsburgh Penguins

See also

Asia portal

Malay language edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Notes and references

Bibliography

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Brunei.

•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook.
• U.S. Department of State website (2003)
• L. W. W. Gudgeon, British North Borneo, Adam and Charles Black: London, 1913.

External links

Find more about Brunei on Wikipedia’s sister projects:
	Definitions from Wiktionary
	Textbooks from Wikibooks
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Images and media from Commons
	News stories from Wikinews
	Learning resources from Wikiversity

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Brunei

Government

• Government of Brunei Darussalam website
• Chief of State and Cabinet Members

General information

• Brunei entry at The World Factbook
• Brunei from UCB Libraries GovPubs
• Brunei at the Open Directory Project
• Wikimedia Atlas of Brunei

Business

• Brunei Business Directory

Travel

• Brunei travel guide from Wikitravel
• Brunei Tourism website
• Brunei information on globalEDGE
• The Daily Brunei Resources blog. Contains extra information on the country through the eyes of a Bruneian

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Republic of Bulgaria Република България
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Съединението прави силата  (Bulgarian) “Saedinenieto pravi silata“  (transliteration) “Unity produces strength”1
Anthem: Мила Родино  (Bulgarian) Mila Rodino  (transliteration) Dear Homeland
Location of  Bulgaria  (green) – on the European continent  (light green & grey) – in the European Union  (light green)  —  [Legend]
Capital (and largest city)		Sofia 42°41′N 23°19′E / 42.683°N 23.317°E / 42.683; 23.317
Official language(s)		Bulgarian
Ethnic groups		85% Bulgarians, 9.4% Turkish, 4.7% Roma, 0.9% other groups[1]
Demonym		Bulgarian
Government		Parliamentary democracy
-	President	Georgi Parvanov
-	Prime Minister	Boyko Borisov
Formation
-	Old Great Bulgaria	632–680
-	Medieval Balkan state	681[2]
-	First Bulgarian Empire	681–1018
-	Second Bulgarian Empire	1185–1396
-	Independence lost	1396
-	Self-government re-established (under nominal Ottoman suzerainty)	3 March 1878
-	Bulgarian unification	6 September 1885
-	Independence	22 September 1908 from Ottoman Empire
-	Recognized	06 April 1909
EU accession		1 January 2007
Area
-	Total	110,993.6 km2 (104th) 42,823 sq mi
-	Water (%)	0.3
Population
-	2009 estimate	7,528,103[3] (95th)
-	2001 census	7,932,984
-	Density	68.5/km2 (124th) 168.2/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2009 estimate
-	Total	$90.068 billion[4] (63rd)
-	Per capita	$11,900[4] (65th)
GDP (nominal)		2009 estimate
-	Total	▲ $47.102 billion[4] (75th)
-	Per capita	$6,223[4] (69th)
Gini (2003)		29.2 (low)
HDI (2009)		▲ 0.840 (high) (61st)
Currency		Lev2 (BGN)
Time zone		EET (UTC+2)
-	Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Drives on the		right
Internet TLD		.bg3
Calling code		359
1	“Bulgaria’s National Flag”. Bulgarian Government. 3 October 2005. http://www.government.bg/cgi-bin/e-cms/vis/vis.pl?s=001&p=0159&n=000006&g=. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
2	plural Leva.
3	In common with other European Union member-states, the .eu domain is also in use.
4	Cell phone system GSM and NMT 450i
5	Domestic power supply 220 V/50 Hz, Schuko (CEE 7/4) sockets

Bulgaria (pronounced /bʌlˈɡɛəriə/ ( listen) Bulgarian: България, Balgariya,^[5] pronounced [bɤ̞lˈɡarijɐ]), officially the Republic of Bulgaria (Република България, Republika Balgariya, [rɛˈpublikɐ bɤ̞lˈɡarijɐ]), is a country in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north (mostly along the Danube), Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south. The Black Sea defines the extent of the country to the east.

With a territory of 110,994 square kilometers (42,855 sq mi), Bulgaria ranks as the 16th-largest country in Europe. Several mountainous areas define the landscape, most notably the Stara Planina (Balkan) and Rodopi mountain ranges, as well as the Rila range, which includes the highest peak in the Balkan region, Musala. In contrast, the Danubian plain in the north and the Upper Thracian Plain in the south represent Bulgaria’s lowest and most fertile regions. The 378-kilometer (235 mi) Black Sea coastline covers the entire eastern bound of the country. Bulgaria’s capital city and largest settlement is Sofia, with a permanent population of 1,405,000 people.^[6]

The emergence of a unified Bulgarian national identity and state dates back to the 7th century AD. All Bulgarian political entities that subsequently emerged preserved the traditions (in ethnic name, language and alphabet) of the First Bulgarian Empire (681–1018), which at times covered most of the Balkans and eventually became a cultural hub for the Slavs in the Middle Ages.^[7] With the decline of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396/1422), Bulgarian territories came under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 led to the establishment of a Third Bulgarian state as a principality in 1878, which gained its full sovereignty in 1908.^[8] In 1945, after World War II, it became a communist state and was a part of the Eastern Bloc until the political changes in Eastern Europe in 1989/1990, when the Communist Party allowed multi-party elections and Bulgaria undertook a transition to parliamentary democracy and free-market capitalism with mixed results.

Bulgaria functions as a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic. A member of the European Union, NATO, the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, it has a high Human Development Index of 0.840, ranking 61st in the world in 2009.^[9]

History

Prehistory and antiquity

Prehistoric cultures in the Bulgarian lands include the Neolithic Hamangia culture and Vinča culture (6th to 3rd millennia BC), the eneolithic Varna culture (5th millennium BC; see also Varna Necropolis), and the Bronze Age Ezero culture. The Karanovo chronology serves as a gauge for the prehistory of the wider Balkans region.

A golden rhyton, one of the items in the Thracian Panagyurishte treasure, dating from the 4th to 3rd centuries BC

The Thracians, one of the three primary ancestral groups of modern Bulgarians, lived separated in various tribes until King Teres united most of them around 500 BC in the Odrysian kingdom. They were eventually subjugated by Alexander the Great and consecutively by the Roman Empire. After migrating from their original homeland, the easternmost South Slavs settled on the territory of modern Bulgaria during the 6th century and assimilated the Hellenized or Romanized Thracians. Eventually the Bulgar élite incorporated all of them into the First Bulgarian Empire.^[10] By the 9th century, Bulgars and Slavs were mutually assimilated.^[11]

First Bulgarian Empire

Asparukh, heir of Old Great Bulgaria‘s khan Kubrat, migrated with several Bulgar tribes to the lower courses of the rivers Danube, Dniester and Dniepr (known as Ongal) after his father’s state was subjugated by the Khazars. He conquered Moesia and Scythia Minor (Dobrudzha) from the Byzantine Empire, expanding his new kingdom further into the Balkan Peninsula.^[12] A peace treaty with Byzantium in 681 and the establishment of the Bulgarian capital of Pliska south of the Danube mark the beginning of the First Bulgarian Empire.

Succeeding rulers strengthened the Bulgarian state – Tervel (700/701–718/721), stabilized the borders and established Bulgaria as a major military power by defeating a 22,000-strong Arab army in 717, thereby eliminating the threat of a full-scale Arab invasion of Eastern and Central Europe.^[13] Krum (802–814),^[14] doubled the country’s territory, killed emperor Nicephorus I in the Battle of Pliska,^[15] and introduced the first written code of law, valid for both Slavs and Bulgars. Boris I the Baptist (852–889) abolished Tengriism, replacing it with Eastern Orthodox Christianity in 864,^[16] and introduced the Cyrillic alphabet, developed at the literary schools of Preslav and Ohrid.^[17] The Cyrillic alphabet, along with Old Bulgarian language, fostered the intellectual written language (lingua franca) for Eastern Europe, known as Church Slavonic. Emperor Simeon I the Great‘s rule (893–927) saw the largest territorial expansion of Bulgaria in its history.^[18] Simeon managed to gain a military supremacy over the Byzantine Empire, demonstrated by the Battle of Anchialos (917), one of the bloodiest battles in the Middle ages^[19] as well as one of his most decisive victories. His reign also saw Bulgaria develop a rich, unique Christian Slavonic culture, which became an example for other Slavonic peoples in Eastern Europe and also fostered the continued existence of the Bulgarian nation despite forces that threatened to tear it apart.

Baba Vida fortress in Vidin, built in the 10th century

After Simeon’s death, Bulgaria declined during the mid-10th century, weakened by wars with Croatians, Magyars, Pechenegs and Serbs, and the spread of the Bogomil heresy.^[20][21] This resulted in consecutive Rus’ and Byzantine invasions, which ended with the seizure of the capital Preslav by the Byzantine army.^[22] Under Samuil, Bulgaria somewhat recovered from these attacks and even managed to conquer Serbia, Bosnia^[23] and Duklja,^[24] but this ended in 1014, when Byzantine Emperor Basil II (“the Bulgar-Slayer”) defeated its armies at Klyuch.^[25] Samuil died shortly after the battle, on 15 October 1014,^[25] and by 1018 the Byzantine Empire fully conquered the First Bulgarian Empire, putting it to an end.

The Bulgarian Empire under Tsar Ivan Asen II

Byzantine rule and Second Bulgarian Empire

Basil II managed to prevent rebellions by retaining the local rule of the Bulgarian nobility, who were incorporated into Byzantine aristocracy as archons or strategoi,^[26] guaranteeing the indivisibility of Bulgaria in its former geographic borders and recognising the autocephaly of the Bulgarian Archbishopric of Ohrid.^[27] After his death Byzantine domestic policies changed, which led to a series of unsuccessful rebellions, the largest being led by Peter II Delyan. However, it was not until 1185 when Asen dynasty nobles Ivan Asen I and Peter IV organized a major uprising and succeeded in reestablishing the Bulgarian state, marking the beginning of the Second Bulgarian Empire.

The Asen dynasty set up its capital in Veliko Tarnovo. Kaloyan, the third of the Asen monarchs, extended his dominions to Belgrade, Nish and Skopie; he acknowledged the spiritual supremacy of the Pope, and received a royal crown from a papal legate.^[10] Cultural and economic growth persisted under Ivan Asen II (1218–1241), who extended Bulgaria’s control over Albania, Epirus, Macedonia and Thrace.^[28] The achievements of the Tarnovo artistic school as well as the first coins to be minted by a Bulgarian ruler were only a few signs of the empire’s welfare at that time.^[10]

Ivan Shishman, the last ruler of the Tarnovo Tsardom (1371–1395)

The Asen dynasty ended in 1257, and due to Tatar invasions (beginning in the later 13th century), internal conflicts, and constant attacks from the Byzantines and the Hungarians, the country’s military and economic might declined. By the end of the 14th century, factional divisions between Bulgarian feudal landlords (bolyari) and the spread of Bogomilism had caused the Second Bulgarian Empire to split into three small tsardoms (At Vidin, Tarnovo and Karvuna) and several semi-independent principalities that fought among themselves, and also with Byzantines, Hungarians, Serbs, Venetians and Genoese. In the period 1365–1370, the Ottoman Turks, who had already started their invasion of the Balkans, conquered most Bulgarian towns and fortresses south of the Balkan Mountains and began their northwards conquest.^[29]

Fall of the Second Empire and Ottoman rule

The Battle of Nicopolis, 1396

In 1393, the Ottomans captured Tarnovo, the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, after a three-month siege. In 1396, the Vidin Tsardom fell after the defeat of a Christian crusade at the Battle of Nicopolis. With this, the Ottomans finally subjugated and occupied Bulgaria.^[30][31][32] During their rule, the Bulgarian population suffered greatly from oppression, intolerance and misgovernment.^[33] The nobility was eliminated and the peasantry enserfed to Ottoman masters^[34] while Bulgarians lacked judicial equality with the Ottoman Muslims and had to pay much higher taxes than them.^[35] Bulgarian culture became isolated from Europe, its achievements destroyed, and the educated clergy fled to other countries.^[36]

Throughout the nearly five centuries of Ottoman rule, the Bulgarian people responded to the oppression by strengthening the haydut (“outlaw”) tradition,^[11] and attempted to reestablish their state by organizing several revolts, most notably the First and Second Tarnovo Uprisings (1598 / 1686) and Karposh’s Rebellion (1689). The National awakening of Bulgaria became one of the key factors in the struggle for liberation, resulting in the 1876 April uprising —the largest and best-organized Bulgarian rebellion. Though crushed by the Ottoman authorities – in reprisal, the Turks massacred some 15,000 Bulgarians^[11] – the uprising prompted the Great Powers to take action. They convened the Constantinople Conference in 1876, but their decisions were rejected by the Ottoman authorities, which allowed the Russian Empire to seek a solution by force without risking military confrontation with other Great Powers (as had happened in the Crimean War of 1854 to 1856).

Third Bulgarian State

The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, resulted in the defeat of Ottoman forces by the Russian army (supported by Bulgarian and Romanian volunteer forces) and the Treaty of San Stefano (3 March 1878), which set up an autonomous Bulgarian principality. The Western Great Powers immediately rejected the treaty, fearing that a large Slavic country in the Balkans might serve Russian interests. The subsequent Treaty of Berlin (1878) provided for a much smaller autonomous state comprising Moesia and the region of Sofia.^[37] The Bulgarian principality proclaimed itself a fully independent state on 5 October (22 September O.S.), 1908, after it won a war against Serbia and incorporated the semi-autonomous Ottoman territory of Eastern Rumelia.

Bulgarian troops marching at a victory parade in Sofia celebrating the end of World War II, 1945

In the years following the achievement of complete independence Bulgaria became increasingly militarized, and was referred to as “the Prussia of the Balkans”^[38][39] In 1912 and 1913, Bulgaria became involved in the Balkan Wars, first entering into conflict alongside Greece, Serbia and Montenegro against the Ottoman Empire. The First Balkan War (1912–1913) proved a success for the Bulgarian army, but a conflict over the division of Macedonia arose between the victorious allies. The Second Balkan War (1913) was a disastrous defeat for Bulgaria, which was attacked almost simultaneously by its neighbors. In World War I, Bulgaria again found itself fighting on the losing side as a result of its alliance with the Central Powers. Despite achieving several decisive victories (at Doiran, Monastir and again at Doiran in 1918), Bulgaria lost the war and suffered significant territorial losses.^[11] The total amount of casualties from these three wars was 412,000–152,000 military deaths and 260,000 wounded. A wave of 253,000^[40] officially registered refugees, who represented 6% of the pre-war population of the country, and an unclear number of unregistered refugees put an additional strain on the already ruined national economy.

Following these losses, in the 1920s and 1930s the country suffered political unrest, which led to the establishment of a royal authoritarian dictatorship by Tsar Boris III (reigned 1918–1943). After regaining control of Southern Dobrudzha in 1940, Bulgaria entered World War II in 1941 as a member of the Axis. However, it declined to participate in Operation Barbarossa and never declared war on the USSR, and saved its Jewish population from deportation to concentration camps by repeatedly postponing compliance with German demands, offering various rationales.^[41] In the summer of 1943 Boris III died suddenly, an event which pushed the country into political turmoil as the war turned against Nazi Germany and the Communist guerilla movement gained more power.^[42]

Zhelyu Zhelev, the first democratically elected president of Bulgaria^[43]

In September 1944 the Communist-dominated Fatherland Front took power, ending the alliance with Nazi Germany and joining the Allied side until the end of the war in 1945. The Communist uprising of 9 September 1944 led to the abolishment of monarchic rule, but it was not until 1946 that a people’s republic was established. It came under the Soviet sphere of influence, with Georgi Dimitrov (1946–1949) as the foremost Bulgarian political leader. Bulgaria installed a Soviet-type planned economy with some market-oriented policies emerging on an experimental level^[44] under Todor Zhivkov (1954–1989). By the mid 1950s standards of living rose significantly.^[45] Lyudmila Zhivkova, daughter of Zhivkov, promoted Bulgaria’s national heritage, culture and arts worldwide.^[46] On the other hand, an assimilation campaign of the late 1980s directed against ethnic Turks resulted in the emigration of some 300,000 Bulgarian Turks to Turkey,^[47][48] which caused a significant drop in agricultural production due to the loss of labor force.^[49] On 10 November 1989, the Bulgarian Communist Party gave up its political monopoly, Zhivkov was removed from power, and Bulgaria embarked on a transition from a single-party republic to a parliamentary democracy.

In June 1990 the first free elections took place, won by the moderate wing of the Communist Party (the Bulgarian Socialist Party — BSP). In July 1991, a new constitution that provided for a relatively weak elected President and for a Prime Minister accountable to the legislature, was adopted. Economic planning was scrapped and private initiative was legalized. The new system eventually failed to improve both the living standards and create economic growth — the average quality of life and economic performance actually remained lower than in the times of Communism well into the early 2000s.^[50] A reform package introduced in 1997 restored positive economic growth, but led to rising social inequality. Bulgaria became a member of NATO in 2004 and of the European Union in 2007. The US Library of Congress Federal Research Division reported it in 2006 as having generally good freedom of speech and human rights records,^[51] while Freedom House listed Bulgaria as “free” in 2010, giving it scores of 2 for political rights and 2 for civil liberties.^[52]

Geography

A view of central Stara Planina

Raysko Praskalo waterfall

Geographically and in terms of climate, Bulgaria features notable diversity, with the landscape ranging from the Alpine snow-capped peaks in Rila, Pirin and the Balkan Mountains to the mild and sunny Black Sea coast; from the typically continental Danubian Plain (ancient Moesia) in the north to the strong Mediterranean climatic influence in the valleys of Macedonia and in the lowlands in the southernmost parts of Thrace.

Relief and natural resources

Bulgaria comprises portions of the separate regions known in classical times as Moesia, Thrace, and Macedonia. About 30% of the land is made up of plains, while plateaus and hills account for 41%.^[53] The mountainous southwest of the country has two alpine ranges — Rila and Pirin — and further east stand the lower but more extensive Rhodope Mountains. The Rila range includes the highest peak of the Balkan Peninsula, Musala, at 2,925 meters (9,596 ft);^[54] the Balkan mountain chain runs west-east through the middle of the country, north of the Rose Valley. Hilly countryside and plains lie to the southeast, along the Black Sea coast, and along Bulgaria’s main river, the Danube, to the north. Strandzha forms the tallest mountain in the southeast. Few mountains and hills exist in the northeast region of Dobrudzha.

The Black Sea as seen from Bakurluka peak near Sozopol.

Bulgaria has large deposits of bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, bismuth and manganese. Smaller deposits exist of iron, gold, silver, uranium, chromite, nickel, and others. Bulgaria has abundant non-metalliferous minerals such as rock-salt, gypsum, kaolin and marble.

Hydrography and climate

The country has a dense network of about 540 rivers, most of them—with the notable exception of the Danube—short and with low water-levels.^[55] Most rivers flow through mountainous areas. The longest river located solely in Bulgarian territory, the Iskar, has a length of 368 kilometers (229 mi). Other major rivers include the Struma and the Maritsa River in the south.

Bulgaria overall has a temperate climate, with cold winters and hot summers. The barrier effect of the Balkan Mountains has some influence on climate throughout the country–northern Bulgaria experiences lower temperatures and receives more rain than the southern lowlands.

Precipitation in Bulgaria averages about 630 millimeters (24.8 in) per year.^[56] In the lowlands rainfall varies between 500 and 800 millimeters (19.7 and 31.5 in), and in the mountain areas between 1,000 and 2,500 millimeters (39.4 and 98.4 in) of rain falls per year. Drier areas include Dobrudja and the northern coastal strip, while the higher parts of the Rila, Pirin, Rhodope Mountains, Stara Planina, Osogovska Mountain and Vitosha receive the highest levels of precipitation.

Some 20 nesting couples of the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) exist in Bulgaria, and their number is gradually growing.^[57]

Pirin mountain, which holds one of the world’s oldest trees – Baikushev’s Pine.^[58]

Environment and wildlife

Bulgaria has signed and ratified the Kyoto protocol^[59] and has achieved a 30% reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from 1990 to 2009, completing the protocol’s objectives.^[60] However, pollution from outdated factories and metallurgy works, as well as severe deforestation (mostly caused by illegal logging), continue to be major problems.^[61] Urban areas are particularly affected mostly due to energy production from coal-based powerplants and automobile traffic,^[62][63] while pesticide usage in the agriculture and antiquated industrial sewage systems have resulted in extensive soil and water pollution with chemicals and detergents.^[64] In addition, Bulgaria remains the only EU member which does not recycle municipal waste,^[65] although an electronic waste recycling plant was put in operation in June 2010.^[66] The situation has improved in recent years, and several government-funded programs have been initiated in order to reduce pollution levels.^[64]

Three national parks, eleven nature parks^[67] and seventeen biosphere reserves^[68] exist on Bulgaria’s territory. Nearly 35% of its land area consists of forests.^[69] The brown bear and the jackal^[70] are prominent mammals, while the Eurasian lynx, the Eastern imperial eagle and the European mink have small, but growing populations.

Politics and law

Georgi Parvanov, current president and head of state of Bulgaria

The National Assembly or Narodno Sabranie (Народно събрание) consists of 240 deputies, each elected for four-year terms by popular vote. The National Assembly has the power to enact laws, approve the budget, schedule presidential elections, select and dismiss the Prime Minister and other ministers, declare war, deploy troops abroad, and ratify international treaties and agreements. The president serves as the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. 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. Boyko Borisov, leader of the centre-right party Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, became prime minister on 27 July 2009,^[71] and Georgi Parvanov was re-elected as a president in 2005.

The Bulgarian legal system recognizes the Acts of Parliament as a main source of law, and is a typical representative of the Romano-Germanic law family.^[72] The judiciary is overseen by the Ministry of Justice, while the Supreme Administrative Court and Supreme Court of Cassation, the highest courts of appeal, rule on the application of laws in lower courts. The Supreme Judicial Council manages the system and appoints judges. Despite some notable progress,^[73][74] Bulgaria’s judiciary remains one of Europe’s most corrupt and inefficient.^[75][76] Law enforcement organisations are mainly subordinate to the Ministry of Interior.^[77] The National Police Service is responsible for combating general crime and supporting the operations of other law enforcement agencies, the National Investigative Service and the Central Office for Combating Organized Crime. The Police Service has criminal and financial sections and national and local offices. The Ministry of Interior also heads the Border Police Service and the National Gendarmerie, a specialized branch for anti-terrorist activity, crisis management and riot control. In 2008, a State Agency for National Security, a specialized body for counterintelligence, was established with the aim to eliminate threats to national security.^[78] Bulgaria’s police force numbers 27,000 officers.^[79]

Paratroopers of the 68th Special Forces Brigade, Thracian Spring exercise, April 2010

Foreign relations and military

Bulgaria became a member of the United Nations in 1955, and a founding member of OSCE in 1995. As a Consultative Party to the Antarctic Treaty, the country takes part in the administration of the territories situated south of 60° south latitude.^[80][81] It joined NATO on 29 March 2004, signed the European Union Treaty of Accession on 25 April 2005,^[82][83] and became a full member of the European Union on 1 January 2007.^[84] In April 2006 Bulgaria and the United States of America signed a defence cooperation agreement providing for the usage of the Bezmer and Graf Ignatievo air bases, the Novo Selo training range, and a logistics centre in Aytos as joint military facilities. Foreign Policy magazine lists Bezmer Air Base as one of the six most important overseas facilities used by the USAF.^[85]

The military of Bulgaria, an all-volunteer body, consists of three services – land forces, navy and air force. As a NATO member, the country maintains a total of 645 troops deployed abroad.^[86]

Following a series of reductions beginning in 1990, the active troops today number about 32,000,^[87] down from 152,000 in 1988,^[88] and are supplemented by a reserve force of 303,000 soldiers and officers and paramilitary forces, numbering 34,000.^[89] The inventory includes highly capable Soviet equipment, such as MiG-29 fighters, SA-10 Grumble SAMs and SS-21 Scarab short-range ballistic missiles. Military spending in 2009 cost $1.19 billion.^[90]

Administrative divisions

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SOFIA

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Blagoevgrad

Burgas

Dobrich

Gabrovo

Haskovo

Kardzhali

Kyustendil

Lovech

Montana

Pazardzhik

Pernik

Pleven

Plovdiv

Razgrad

Ruse

Shumen

Silistra

Sliven

Smolyan

Sofia

Stara Zagora

Targovishte

Varna

Veliko Tarnovo

Vidin

Vratsa

Yambol

Black Sea

Danube

Rep. of
Macedonia

Greece

Romania

Serbia

Turkey

Between 1987 and 1999 Bulgaria consisted of nine provinces (oblasti, singular oblast); since 1999, it has consisted of twenty-eight. All take their names from their respective capital cities:

Arms	Province	Arms	Province
	Blagoevgrad		Rousse
	Burgas		Shumen
	Dobrich		Silistra
	Gabrovo		Sliven
	Haskovo		Smolyan
	Kardzhali		Sofia City
	Kyustendil		Sofia Province
	Lovech		Stara Zagora
	Montana		Targovishte
	Pazardzhik		Varna
	Pernik		Veliko Tarnovo
	Pleven		Vidin
	Plovdiv		Vratsa
	Razgrad		Yambol

The provinces subdivide into 264 municipalities.

Economy

Sofia, the financial heart of the country

Bulgaria has an industrialized, open free-market economy, with a large, moderately advanced private sector and a number of strategic state-owned enterprises. The World Bank classifies it as an “upper-middle-income economy”.^[91] Bulgaria has experienced rapid economic growth in recent years^[update], even though it continues to rank as the lowest-income member state of the EU. According to Eurostat data, Bulgarian PPS GDP per capita stood at 40 per cent of the EU average in 2008.^[92] The Bulgarian lev is the country’s national currency. The lev is pegged to the euro at a rate of 1.95583 leva for 1 euro.^[93]

In 2008, GDP (PPP) was estimated at $95.2 billion, with a per capita value of $13,100.^[94] The economy relies primarily on industry, although the services sector increasingly contributes to GDP growth. Bulgaria produces a significant amount of manufactures and raw materials such as iron, copper, gold, bismuth, coal, electronics, refined petroleum fuels, vehicle components, firearms and construction materials. The total labor force amounts to 3.2 million people.^[95] Since a hyperinflation crisis in 1996/1997, inflation and unemployment rates have fallen to 7.2% and 6.3%, respectively, in 2008. Corruption in the public administration and a weak judiciary have also hampered Bulgaria’s economic development.^[96]

Wind turbines near cape Kaliakra. Bulgaria aims at producing 16 % of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020.^[97]

Amidst the Financial crisis of 2007–2010, unemployment rates increased to 9.1% in 2009, while GDP growth contracted from 6.3% (2008) to −4.9% (2009). The crisis had a negative impact mostly on industry, with a 10% decline in the national industrial production index, a 31% drop in mining, and a 60% drop in “ferrous and metal production”.^[98] The International Monetary Fund predicts a 0.2% overall growth for the Bulgarian economy in 2010, and 2% in 2011.^[99]

Although it has relatively few reserves of fossil fuels, Bulgaria’s well-developed energy sector and strategic geographical location make it a key European energy hub.^[100] A single nuclear power station with two active 1,000 MW reactors satisfies 34% of the country’s energy needs,^[101] and another nuclear power station with a projected capacity of 2,000 MW is under construction. Thermal power stations, such as those at the Maritsa Iztok Complex, also have a large share in electricity production. Recent years^[update] have seen a rapid increase in electricity production from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.^[102] Large-scale prospects for wind energy development^[103] have spurred the construction of numerous wind farms, making Bulgaria one of the fastest-growing wind energy producers in the world.^[104]

A sunflower field in Dobrudzha, one of the most fertile regions in Bulgaria

Bulgaria’s mining industry is a significant contributor to economic growth and is worth $760 mln.^[105] In Europe, the country ranks as the 3rd-largest copper producer,^[106] 6th-largest zinc producer,^[107] and 9th-largest coal producer,^[108] and is the 9th-largest bismuth producer in the world.^[109] Ferrous metallurgy, including steel and pig iron production, takes place mostly in Kremikovtsi, Pernik and Debelt.

About 14% of the total industrial production relates to machine building, and 20% of the workforce is employed in this field.^[110]

In contrast with the industrial sector, agriculture in Bulgaria has marked a decline since the beginning of the 2000s, with agricultural production in 2008 amounting to only 66% of that between 1999 and 2001.^[111] Overall, Bulgaria’s agricultural sector has dwindled since 1990, with cereal and vegetable yields dropping with nearly 40% by 1999.^[112] A five-year modernization and development program was launched in 2007, aimed at strengthening the sector by investing a total of 3.2 billion euro.^[113] Specialized equipment amounts to some 25,000 tractors and 5,500 combine harvesters, with a fleet of light aircraft.^[114]

Bulgaria remains a major European producer of agricultural commodities such as tobacco (3rd)^[115] and raspberries (12th).^[116]

Tourism

Rila mountain is among Bulgaria’s primary tourist destinations.

In 2008 Bulgaria was visited by a total of 8,900,000 people, with Greeks, Romanians and Germans accounting for more than 40% of all visitors.^[117] Significant numbers of British, Russian, Dutch, Serbian, Polish and Danish tourists also visit Bulgaria.

A Siemens railcar of the Bulgarian State Railways. Bulgaria’s largely antiquated rail transport system is gradually being modernized.^[118][119]

Main destinations include the capital Sofia, coastal resorts Albena, Sozopol, Nesebar, Golden Sands and Sunny Beach and winter resorts such as Pamporovo, Chepelare, Borovetz and Bansko. The rural tourist destinations of Arbanasi and Bozhentsi offer well-preserved ethnographic traditions. Other popular attractions include the 10th-century Rila Monastery and the 19th-century Euxinograd château.

Infrastructure

Bulgaria occupies a unique and strategically important geographic location. Since ancient times, the country has served as a major crossroads between Europe, Asia and Africa. Five of the ten Trans-European corridors run through its territory.

Bulgaria’s national road network has a total length of 102,016 kilometers (63,390 mi), of which 93,855 kilometers (58,319 mi) are paved. Motorways, such as Trakiya, Hemus and Struma, have a total length of 441 km (274 mi). Bulgaria also has 6,500 kilometers (4,000 mi) of railway track, more than 60% of which is electrified, and plans to construct a high-speed railway by 2017, at a cost of €3 bln.^[120][121] Sofia and Plovdiv are major air travel hubs, while Varna and Burgas are the principal maritime trade ports.

Science and technology

Tower of the 200 cm (79 in) telescope at the Rozhen Observatory.

In 2008 Bulgaria spent 0.4% of its GDP on scientific research,^[122] which represents one of the lowest scientific budgets in Europe.^[123] Chronic underinvestment in the scientific sector since 1990 forced many scientific professionals to leave the country.^[124] Bulgaria has traditions in astronomy, physics, nuclear technology, medical and pharmaceutical research, and maintains a polar exploration program by means of an artificial satellite and a permanent research base. The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) is the leading scientific institution in the country and employs most of Bulgaria’s researchers in its numerous branches.

Bulgarian scientists have made several notable discoveries and inventions, such as the prototype of the digital watch (Peter Petroff); galantamine (Dimitar Paskov);^[125][126] the molecular-kinetic theory of crystal formation and growth (formulated by Ivan Stranski) and the space greenhouse (SRI-BAS).^[127][128] With major-general Georgi Ivanov flying on Soyuz 33 in 1979, Bulgaria became the 6th country in the world to have an astronaut in space.^[129]

Due to its large-scale computing technology exports to COMECON states, in the 1980s Bulgaria became known as the Silicon Valley of the Eastern Bloc.^[130] The country ranked 8th in the world in 2002 by total number of ICT specialists, outperforming countries with far larger populations,^[131] and it operates the only supercomputer in the Balkan region,^[132] an IBM Blue Gene/P, which entered service in September 2008.^[133]

Demographics

Demographic changes from 1961 to 2009. The graph shows the sharp demographic decline that occurs since 1989

The National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria estimates the country’s population for 2009 at 7,606,000 people. According to the 2001 census,^[134] it consists mainly of ethnic Bulgarians (83.9%), with two sizable minorities, Turks (9.4%) and Roma (4.7%).^[135] Of the remaining 2.0%, 0.9% comprises some 40 smaller minorities, while 1.1% of the population have not declared their ethnicity.

Bulgaria has one of the lowest population growth rates in the world.^[136] Negative population growth has occurred since the early 1990s,^[137] due to economic collapse, a low birth rate, and high emigration. In 1989 the population comprised 9,009,018 people, gradually falling to 7,950,000 in 2001 and 7,528,000 in 2010.^[3] Some 6,700,000 people (~85%) speak Bulgarian,^[138] which belongs to the group of South Slavic languages and is the only official language.

Most Bulgarians (82.6%) belong, at least nominally, to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, which gained autocephalous status in 927 AD^[139][140] and is the earliest Slavic Orthodox Church.^[141][142] Other religious denominations include Islam (12.2%), various Protestant denominations (0.8%) and Roman Catholicism (0.5%); with other Christian denominations (0.2%), and “other” totalling approximately 4%, according to the 2001 census.^[143] Bulgaria regards itself officially as a secular state. The Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion, but appoints Orthodoxy as “a traditional” religion.^[144]

Education

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Science oversees education in Bulgaria. All children aged between 7 and 16 must attend full-time education. Six-year-olds can enroll at school at their parents’ discretion. The State provides education in its schools free of charge, except for higher education establishments, colleges and universities. The curriculum focuses on eight main subject-areas:^[145] Bulgarian language and literature, foreign languages, mathematics, information technology, social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and ecology, music and art, physical education and sports.

Sofia University‘s rectorate

Government estimates from 2003 put the literacy rate at 98.6 percent, approximately the same for both sexes. Bulgaria has traditionally had high educational standards,^[145] and its students rate second in the world in terms of average SAT Reasoning Test scores and I.Q test scores according to MENSA International.^[146]

Healthcare

Bulgaria has a universal, mostly state-funded healthcare system. The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) pays a gradually increasing portion of the costs of primary healthcare. Employees and employers pay an increasing, mandatory percentage of salaries, with the goal of gradually reducing state support of health care. Between 2002 and 2004, health-care expenditures in the national budget increased from 3.8 percent to 4.3 percent, with the NHIF accounting for more than 60 percent of annual expenditures.^[147] In 2010, the healthcare budget amounts to 4.2% of GDP, or about 1.3 billion euro.^[148] Bulgaria has 181 doctors per 100,000 people, which is above the EU average.^[149] Some of Bulgaria’s largest medical facilities are the Pirogov Hospital and the Military Medical Academy of Sofia. Life expectancy remains below the European union level with an average of 73.4 years for both men and women.^[150]

Urbanization

Most of the population (71%) resides in urban areas.^[151] Bulgaria’s 20 largest cities have populations as follows:^[152]

Culture

The National Gallery of Foreign Art houses numerous examples of European, Asian, and African art.

Traditional Bulgarian culture contains mainly Thracian, Slavic and Bulgar heritage, along with Greek, Roman, Ottoman and Celtic influences.^[153] Thracian artifacts include numerous tombs and golden treasures. The country’s territory includes parts of the Roman provinces of Moesia, Thrace and Macedonia, and many of the archaeological discoveries date back to Roman times, while ancient Bulgars have also left traces of their heritage in music and in early architecture. Both the First and the Second Bulgarian empires functioned as the hub of Slavic culture during much of the Middle Ages, exerting considerable literary and cultural influence over the Eastern Orthodox Slavic world by means of the Preslav and Ohrid Literary Schools. The Cyrillic alphabet, used as a writing system to many languages in Eastern Europe and Asia, originated in the former around the 9th century AD.^[17]

Ancient Roman architecture in Plovdiv, the oldest city in Europe^[154] and the 6th oldest settlement in the world, continuously inhabited since at least 3,000 BC.^[155]

A historical artifact of major importance is the oldest treasure of worked gold in the world, dating back to the 5th millennium BC, coming from the site of the Varna Necropolis.^[156][157]

World Heritage Sites

Bulgaria has nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Madara Rider, the Thracian tombs in Sveshtari and Kazanlak, the Boyana Church, the Rila Monastery, the Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo, Pirin National Park, Sreburna Nature Reserve and the ancient city of Nesebar.

Art, music and literature

The country has a long-standing musical tradition, traceable back to the early Middle Ages. Yoan Kukuzel (ca. 1280–1360) became one of the earliest known composers of Medieval Europe. National folk music has a distinctive sound and uses a wide range of traditional instruments, such as gudulka (гъдулка), gaida (гайда) – bagpipe, kaval (кавал) and tupan (тъпан). Bulgarian classical music is represented by composers such as Emanuil Manolov, Pancho Vladigerov, Marin Goleminov and Georgi Atanasov, opera singers Boris Hristov and Raina Kabaivanska, and pianists Alexis Weissenberg and Vesselin Stanev.

Bulgarian Symbolist poet Peyo Yavorov

Bulgaria has a rich religious visual arts heritage, especially in frescoes, murals and icons, many of them produced by the medieval Tarnovo Artistic School.^[158]

One of the earliest pieces of Slavic literature were created in Medieval Bulgaria, such as The Didactic Gospel by Constantine of Preslav and An Account of Letters by Chernorizets Hrabar, both written circa 893. Notable Bulgarian authors include late Romantic Ivan Vazov, Symbolists Pencho Slaveykov and Peyo Yavorov, Expressionist Geo Milev, science fiction writer Pavel Vezhinov, novelist Dimitar Dimov and postmodernist Alek Popov, best known for his novel Mission London and its successful movie adaptation.^[159]

Headquarters of the Bulgarian National Television

Media

The media in Bulgaria have a record of unbiased reporting. The written media have no legal restrictions and newspaper publishing is entirely liberal.^[160] The extensive freedom of the press means that no exact number of publications can be established, although some research put an estimate of around 900 print media outlets for 2006.^[160] The largest-circulation daily newspapers include Dneven Trud and 24 Chasa.^[160]

Non-printed media sources, such as television and radio, are overseen by the Council for Electronic Media (CEM), an independent body with the authority to issue broadcasting licenses. Apart from a state-operated national television channel, radio station and the Bulgarian News Agency, a large number of private television and radio stations exist. However, most Bulgarian media experience a number of negative trends, such as general degradation of media products, self-censorship and economic or political pressure.^[161]

Internet media are growing in popularity due to the wide range of available opinions and viewpoints, lack of censorship and diverse content.^[161] Since 2000, a rapid increase in the number of Internet users has occurred. In 2000, they numbered 430,000, growing to 1,545,100 in 2004, and 3.4 million (48% penetration rate) in 2010.^[162]

Cuisine

Yogurt (кисело мляко kiselo mlyako), lukanka (луканка), banitsa (баница), shopska salad (шопска салата), lyutenitsa (лютеница), sirene (сирене) and kozunak (козунак) give Bulgaria a distinctive cuisine. Exports of Bulgarian wine go worldwide, and until 1990 the country exported the world’s second-largest total of bottled wine. As of 2007, 200,000 tonnes of wine were produced annually,^[163] the 20th-largest total in the world.^[164] Bulgaria also produces large amounts of beer and rakia.

Tsvetana Pironkova, Bulgaria’s leading female tennis player, reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2010.

Sports

Bulgaria performs well in sports such as volleyball, wrestling, weight-lifting, canoeing, rowing, shooting sports, gymnastics, chess, and recently, sumo wrestling and tennis. The country fields one of the leading men’s volleyball teams in Europe and in the world, ranked 6th in the world according to the 2010 FIVB rankings,^[165] while the women’s volleyball team finished second in European League 2010.^[166][167]

Football has become by far the most popular sport in the country. Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United) is one of the most famous Bulgarian football players of the 21st century, while Hristo Stoichkov, twice winner of the European Golden Shoe, is the most successful Bulgarian player of all time.^[168][169] Prominent domestic football clubs include PFC CSKA Sofia^[170][171] and PFC Levski Sofia. Bulgaria’s best performance at World Cup finals came in 1994, with a 4th place.

Bulgaria participates both in the Summer and Winter Olympics, and its first Olympic appearance dates back to the first modern Olympic games in 1896, represented by Swiss gymnast Charles Champaud. Since then the country has appeared in most Summer Olympiads, and by 2010 had won a total of 218 medals: 52 gold, 86 silver, and 80 bronze, which puts it at 24th place in the all-time ranking.

International rankings

See also

	Europe portal
	European Union portal
	Bulgaria portal

• List of twin towns and sister cities in Bulgaria
• List of Bulgarian monarchs
• Bulgarian resistance movement during World War II

v • d • e Bulgaria topics History Great Bulgaria · First Bulgarian Empire · Second Bulgarian Empire · Early Ottoman Bulgaria · National awakening · Principality of Bulgaria · Kingdom of Bulgaria · Communist Bulgaria · Bulgaria since 1989 Provinces Blagoevgrad · Burgas · Dobrich · Gabrovo · Haskovo · Kardzhali · Kyustendil · Lovech · Montana · Pazardzhik · Pernik · Pleven · Plovdiv · Razgrad · Rousse · Shumen · Silistra · Sliven · Smolyan · Sofia Province · Stara Zagora · Targovishte · Varna · Veliko Tarnovo · Vidin · Vratsa · Yambol Geography Rhodope Mountains · Balkan Peninsula · Rila · Pirin · Cities and towns · Villages · Black Sea · Bulgarian Black Sea Coast · Rivers · Islands · Reservoirs and dams · Stone runs Politics Economy President · Prime Minister · List of ministries of Bulgaria · National Assembly · Supreme Administrative Court · Supreme Court of Cassation · Bulgarian political parties · European Union · Lev · Transport · Tourism · Demographics Culture List of Bulgarians · Bulgarian language · Slavic languages · Bulgarian Orthodox Church · Customs · Cuisine · Literature · Music · Dances · Cinema · Sports · Public holidays · LGBT rights Categories Buildings and structures · Communications · Conservation · Bulgaria stubs · Economy · People · Culture · Geography · Government · Science and technology · Law · Bulgarian Orthodox Church · Bulgaria in Antarctica Portal · Outline

Notes