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Geography of Bulgaria

Location:Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
Geographic coordinates:43 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references:Europe
Area:total: 110,910 sq km
land: 110,550 sq km
water: 360 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries:total: 1,808 km
border countries: Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia 318 km, Turkey 240 km
Coastline:354 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Terrain:mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Musala 2,925 m
Natural resources:bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land
Land use:arable land: 29.94%
permanent crops: 1.9%
other: 68.16% (2005)
Irrigated land:5,880 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:earthquakes, landslides
Environment - current issues:air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and resulting acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants and industrial wastes
Environment - international agreements:party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia

Bulgaria Quickstats

  • Population: 7,322,858 (July 2007 est.)
  • Area: 110,910 sq km
  • Density: 70 /km² (124th)
  • GDP (total): $87.156 billion (63th)
  • GDP (per capita): $10,843 (65th)
  • Literacy: 98.2%

Languages of Bulgaria

Useful to know

  • Currency: Lev³ (BGN)
  • Dial code: +359

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