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Schule > Englisch > Landeskunde > Bulgarien

Bulgaria

The capital of Bulgaria is Sofia, it is a republic since 1990 and has about 8,2 mio inhabitants. The country has an area of 110 993 square kilometer. Since 2001 it is a member of the NATO.
Religion: 88% are Bulgarian orthodox and 10% are moslems
History
After the end of the Second World War Bulgaria became part of the Warsaw Pact and got under the influence of the Sowjets. 1990 there were for the first time after the communist reign free votes again. Since 1990 many political and economical reforms took place and the country tries to become part of the EU. The first settlements on todays Bulgaria were created 7000 years ago. Between the end of the 13th and the end of the 19th century the region was occupied by the Turks.
Geography
Bulgaria borders in the north with Rumania, in the east with the Black Sea, in the south with Turkey and Greece and in the west with Serbia and Macedonia. Bulgaria is situated in the south easted part of Europe. Danube is the most important river for the trade with ships.
Economy
The agriculture has lost its importance in the last years provides only 8% of the GDP (gross domestic product). The most important products are wheat, barley, potatoes, sweetcorn, grapes and tabac. Bulgaria is one of the leading wine exporters. It contains the following mineral ressources: coal, iron ores, copper, zinc and manganese. The industry of Bulgaria is concentrated in the areas of mechanical engineering, metal processing, textil industry, camical, glas and porcelain industry, steal production and production of coal. Negotations for a membership in the EU will aim a membership in the year 2007. The economy has got in bad crises because it had lost many relations after the decline of the Sowjets system. Between 1989 and 1995 the standard of living decreased by 40%. The social system especially the pension scheme collapsed. In spring 1996 there was a economic crises because the state had too many debts. The state hoped that the World Bank and the IWF would help them financially. In Bulgaria the unemployment rate is about 16% and the avarage income is about 100€. It is not clear if Bulgaria can survive in the economic competition of the EU. To stabilize the competition ability of the Bulgarian economy domestic and foreign investitions are nessessary. At the moment the foreign investitions are not enough, although from the EU and other institutions they get 250 mio € per year.
The children have to go to school from the age of 7 to the age of 16. There are 30 universities, 200 museums and many libararies.

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