Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia

Here's a little about some of the countries that I visited.

Bulgaria
President: Georgi Parvanov
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Sofia (1.2 million) [2,500 Jews]
Population: 7.5 million (Bulgarian 88%, Turk 8.5%, Roma (the hated Gypsy) 2.5%, and others 1%, [6,200 Jews] )
Official language: Bulgarian
Religions: Eastern Orthodox 85%, Muslim 12%, and others
Independence: 3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire)
National holiday: Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)

Romania
Prime Minister: Calin Popescu-Tariceanu
Government type: republic
Capital: Bucharest
Population: 22 million (Romanian 88%) [9,000 - 15,000 Jews]
Official language: Romanian
Religions: Romanian Orthodox 70%, Protestant 8%, Greek Catholic 10%, Roman Catholic 5%, Muslim around 1% and others
Independence: 9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from the Ottoman Empire; independence recognized 13 July 1878 by the Treaty of Berlin; kingdom proclaimed 26 March 1881); 30 December 1947 (republic proclaimed)
National holiday: Unification Day (of Romania and Transylvania), 1 December (1918)

Hungary
Prime Minister: Ferenc Gyurcsany
President: Laszlo Solyom
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Budapest
Population 10 million (Hungarian 92.3%, Roma 1.9%, other or unknown 5.8%)
Languages: Hungarian 94%, others
Religions: Roman Catholic 51.9%, Calvinist 15.9%, Lutheran 3%, Greek Catholic 2.6%, other Christian 1%, other or unspecified 11.1%, unaffiliated 14.5%
Independence: 1001 (unification by King Stephen I)
National holiday: Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August

Slovakia
Prime Minister: Robert Fico
President: Ivan Gasparovic
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Bratislava
Population 5.4 million (Slovak 85.8%, Hungarian 9.7%, Roma 1.7%, Ruthenian/Ukrainian 1%, other and unspecified 1.8%)
Religions: Roman Catholic 69%, Protestant 11%, Greek Catholic 4%, other or unspecified 3%, none 13%
Official Language: Slovak
Independence: 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)
National holiday: Constitution Day, 1 September (1992)