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| Bulgaria: |
| Area: 110,910 sq. km. (slightly larger than Tennessee). Coastline: 354 km Population: 8,428,006 Age Structure: 0-14 years: 15.11% 15-64 years: 68.17% 65 + years: 16.72% Birth Rate: 8.06 births/1000 population Death Rate: 14.53 deaths/1000 population Religion: 86.6% of the population are Eastern Orthodox, 13% are Muslim Official Language: Bulgarian; uses Cyrillic Alphabet Climate: Temperate continental with clearly marked four seasons. Terrain: Mostly mountains with lowlands in North and SouthEast Natural Resources: bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land. Ethnic Groups: Bulgarian 83%, Turkish 8.5%, Roma 2.6%, Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Gaguaz, Circassian and others (1998). Constitution: adopted 12 July 1991 |
| Quick Country Facts: |
| Bulgaria is situated in Southeast Europe and occupies the Eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. To the North it borders on Romania, to the west the Republic of Macedonia, to the east the Black Sea, to the south Greece, and to the southeast to Turkey's European side. Background: Bulgaria earned it's independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878, but 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 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, and Bulgaria began the contentious process of moving toward a political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption and crime. Today, reforms and democratization keep Bulgaria on a path toward eventual integration into the EU and NATO. Last year I lived in a small town named Karnobat. It is situated approximately 40 minutes north-west of Bourgas, just off the Black Sea coast. There are about 22,000 people living in Karnobat, with approximately a 40% minority rate. There is also a large unemployment rate here. It is a quaint little town and I really enjoy it here. I taught secondary english at St. Kiril and Metodii School, and also taught 2 classes with the 1st graders at the primary school. This year I will be living and working in Shumen, a large city in northeastern Bulgaria. It is located directly north of Karnobat, on the opposite side of the Stara Planina mountain range. I will be teaching secondary english in the language school. |
| This page was last upated on 07/17/02 |
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