Bulgaria Ski discussion board

For those who may want to learn a little more about Bulgaria.

The population in Bulgaria is actually on the decline.
In 2005 there were just 9.66 births per 1,000 people against 14.26 deaths in comparison. Currently there are 7,450,000 Bulgarian Citizens.

There are more Bulgarians today aged over 65 than there are aged under 14.

Life expectancy for a Bulgarian male is just 68 years, compared to 75 for a female.

HIV in Bulgaria is less than 0.1% (346 known cases in 2001)

Unemployment in Bulgaria currently stands at 11.5%.

13.4% of the population live below the poverty line.

Bulgaria currently has no international disputes with any other country.



Background:
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 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. Today, reforms and democratization keep Bulgaria on a path toward eventual integration into the EU. The country joined NATO in 2004.

PP