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Description Bulgaria by rbd.me
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The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
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Location
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Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
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Area - comparative
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slightly larger than Tennessee
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Natural resources Bulgaria
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bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land
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Population Bulgaria
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7,148,785 (July 2010 est.)
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Religions Bulgaria
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Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4% (2001 census)
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Languages
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Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
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Education Bulgaria expenditures
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4.5% of GDP (2005)
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Government Bulgaria type
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parliamentary democracy
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Independence
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3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire)
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Bulgaria Economy - overview
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Bulgaria, a former Communist country that entered the EU on 1 January 2007, averaged more than 6% growth from 2004 to 2008, driven by significant amounts of foreign direct investment. Successive governments have demonstrated a commitment to economic reforms and responsible fiscal planning, but the global downturn is reducing exports, capital inflows, and industrial production. GDP in 2009 contracted by approximately 5%. Corruption in the public administration, a weak judiciary, and the presence of organized crime remain significant challenges.
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Investment Bulgaria
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25% of GDP (2009 est.)
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Industries Bulgaria
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vegetables, fruits, tobacco, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets; livestock
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Airports Bulgaria
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.bg
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