Population: 7,707,495 (July 2001 est.)

Languages: Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown

Background: Bulgaria earned its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878, but having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, it fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when...

Currency: lev (BGL, No information)

Data from CIA World Factbook. Click on CIA link for more. Click on map or flag for larger images.