Geography
Area: 110,994 sq. km. (slightly larger than Tennessee).
Major cities: Capital--Sofia 1.2 million.
Others: Plovdiv--368,568, Varna--349,482.
Terrain: Bulgaria is located in South Central Europe. The terrain is varied, containing large mountainous areas, fertile valleys, plains and a coastline along the Black Sea.
Climate: Continental--mild summers and cold, snowy winters.

People
Population (2003): 7,801,300.
Growth rate (2003.): -5.7 (on basis of 1,000 people).
Ethnic groups (2001): Bulgarian 83.94%, Turkish 9.42%, Roma 4.68%, and others.
Religions (2001): Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Roman Catholic 0.6%, Protestant 0.5%, others.
Language: Bulgarian (official).
Health: Life expectancy (2002)--male 68.5 years; female 75.4 years. Infant mortality rate (2002)--13.3 deaths/1,000 live births.

Government
Type: Parliamentary democracy.
Constitution: Adopted July 12, 1991.
Independence: 1908 (from the Ottoman Empire).
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state), prime minister (head of government), Council of Ministers (cabinet). Legislative--unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Subranie--240 seats. Members are elected by popular vote of party/coalition lists of candidates for 4-year terms. Based on results of June 2005 elections, seat allocation is as follows: BSP--82, NMSS--53, MRF--34, Ataka--21, UDF--20, DSB--17, BNU--13. Judicial--three-tiered system.
Suffrage: Universal at 18 years of age.
Main political movements: Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP); National Movement Simeon II (NMSS); Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF); United Democratic Forces (UDF); Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB); Bulgarian People’s Union (BNU) and Ataka.  Results from the June 25, 2005 general election are as follows: BSP (Coalition for Bulgaria) 34.17%, NMSS 22.08%, MRF 14.17%, Ataka 8.75%, UDF 8.33%, DSB 7.08%, BNU 5.42%.