B U L G A R I A

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 from the Ottoman Empire 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. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.

Facts and Figures

Official Name Republic of Bulgaria

Population 7,917,855 (93 among 192)

Capital City Sofia (1.1 million)

Languages Bulgarian

Latitude/Longitude 43° 00'N, 25° 00'E

Official Currency Lev

Religions Bulgarian Orthodox, Muslim, other

Land Area 110,550 sq (102 among 192)
Landforms

The Balkan Mountains cut across the central part of the country, while the Rhodope Mountains run through southern Bulgaria, along its border with Greece. The highest point in the country, located in the Rila Mountains, is Musala Mt., at 2,925 m. North of the Balkan Mountains the fertile lowlands of the Danubian Plain slope gradually down to the Danube River. The south-eastern lowlands (Maritsa Basin), drained by a series of small rivers, slope to the Black Sea. Major rivers include the Danube River, as it forms the northern border with Romania, and the Maritsa and Iskur. mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Natural Resources: bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land
Natural Hazards: earthquakes, landslides
Climate

Summers along the Black Sea coastal areas are warm, often hot. Inland, summers are more moderate. Winters are cold with heavy snowfall in the mountains.
Temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Distance between Tehran, Iran and Sofia, Bulgaria, is: 2538 km
Distance between Brisbane, Australia and Sofia, Bulgaria, is: 15226 km