PEOPLE
Partly
due to its mountainous terrain, Bulgaria's population density
is one of the lowest in Eastern Europe, about 81 persons per square
kilometer (207/sq. mi.). About two-thirds of the people live in
urban areas, compared to one-third in 1956. Sofia, the capital,
is the largest city. Other major cities are Plovdiv-site of a
major annual international trade fair, the Black Sea cities of
Varna and Burgas, and Ruse on the Danube River. The principal
religious organization is the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, to which
most Bulgarians belong. Other religions include Islam, Roman Catholicism,
Protestantism, and Judaism. Before 1989, religious activity was
discouraged by the Bulgarian Communist Party, but its new leadership
has pledged to support the rights of all citizens to worship freely.
Bulgarian is the primary language spoken in the country, although
some secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic divisions.
The most important of these is Turkish, which is widely spoken
by the Turkish minority. From 1984-89, the government, in effect,
banned the use of the Turkish language in public. The new leadership
has repudiated that policy. Russian, which shares the Cyrillic
alphabet and many words with Bulgarian, is widely understood.
Education is free and compulsory to age 15. Scientific, technical,
and vocational training is stressed.
Population (2007): 7,640,238.
Growth rate (2007): -0.50%.
Ethnic groups (2001): Bulgarian 83.94%, Turkish 9.42%, Roma 4.68%, and other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian).
Religions (2001): Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Roman Catholic 0.6%, Protestant 0.5%, others.
Language: Bulgarian 84.5%, other 15.5%.
Health: Life expectancy (2006)--male 68.68 years; female 76.13 years. Infant mortality rate (2006) --19.85 deaths/1,000 live births.
Work force (2007 est.): 4.817 million. Agriculture--11%; industry--32.7%; services--32% (3rd qtr. 2004 est.).
