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Geography
The Republic of Bulgaria is in South Eastern Europe and is bordered by Turkey, Greece, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Romania and the Black Sea.
Sofia is the capital city of Bulgaria. Other important cities are Plovdiv, Varna, Bourgas, Rousse, Stara Zagora, Pleven, Dobrich, Sliven and Shumen.
Bulgaria's terrain is mountainous. The River Danube flows along Bulgaria's border with Romania. Other rivers include the Iskur, Maritsa, Mesta and Strouma.
Bulgaria's climate is temperate with cold snowy winters and hot summers.
Environment
Bulgaria is mountainous with over four thousand mapped caves. Thirty-eight percent of Bulgaria consists of forests and woodlands; there are many rivers, waterfalls, lakes and mineral springs.
Protected areas include Pirin National Park, Sinite Kamani National Park, the Bourgas Wetlands, Steneto Reserve and Parangalitza Reserve. The Srebarna Nature Reserve, a World Heritage site, is home to over a hundred species of indigenous and migrating birds.
Architecture
Monuments in Bulgaria date back to the Thracian era: the Tomb of Sveshtari (third century BC) and the Tomb of Kazanlak (fourth century BC).
The Bulgarian town of Nessebar began as a Thracian settlement. Like the Thracian tombs, the town is on the World Heritage List. Evidence of Greek colonisation can be seen in the Acropolis and the Temple of Apollo. Other architecture of interest in Nessebar includes nineteenth century wooden houses.
Bulgarian religious buildings on the World Heritage List are Rila Monastery, Boyana Church, Sofia (dating from the tenth century), and the Christian churches of Ivanovo (thirteenth and fourteenth centuries).
There are a number of examples of Turkish architecture from the centuries of Ottoman occupation. Restoration has recently taken place on Ottoman architecture in Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Shumen and Yambol.
Population
Bulgaria's population was estimated at 7,450,349 in 2005.
Languages
Bulgarian is the official language.
Religion
The main religion in Bulgaria is Bulgarian Orthodox. Thirteen percent of the people are Muslim. Minority religions include Roman Catholic, Protestant and Jewish.
Food
Bulgaria's cuisine is influenced by neighbouring Balkan countries (Yugoslavia, Greece and northern Turkey).
Traditional food includes bread, pickled vegetables, salads, soups, stews, casseroles, stuffed vegetables, kebabs, spicy sausages and cheese dishes. Yoghurt is very popular and eaten most days. In fact, Bulgaria is said to be the home of yoghurt and Bulgarian yoghurt is thought to have curative properties.
Meat (pork, chicken, lamb and beef), fish and vegetarian dishes are served with staple foods such as rice and bulgar wheat. Vegetables include aubergines, beans, cabbage, carrots, corn, courgettes, cucumbers, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes and olives.
Favourite desserts are pancakes, baklava, baked apples and fruit: apricots, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, grapes, melons, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, pears, plums and quinces.
Traditional alcoholic drinks are "rakiya" (a fruit brandy, often plum), wine and "boza" (a type of beer made with grain, usually millet). Non-alcoholic drinks include coffee, tea, juices, buttermilk and mineral water.
History
Bulgaria has been inhabited since the Stone Age. In the Bronze Age people known as Thracians lived in the region. The Thracian civilization eventually became part of the Roman Empire.
By the middle of the fourth century waves of barbarian tribes were moving into Europe gravely damaging the Roman Empire. People known as "Bulgars" eventually settled in Bulgaria.
Over the centuries the Bulgarians built up a powerful empire controlling much of the Balkans. However, between the early eleventh century and the end of the twelfth century, Bulgaria came under Byzantine rule. (The Byzantine Empire was founded when the capital of the Roman Empire was transferred to Constantinople in 324).
The Bulgarian State was restored in 1185 by Ivan Asen and, later, under the rule of Ivan Asen II (1218-1241), the Bulgarian Empire consolidated its power.
As time went on discord between Bulgarian nobles led to division of the country. In its weakened state Bulgaria succumbed to an offensive by the Islamic Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Turks ruled Bulgaria from the middle of the fourteenth century for five centuries.
In 1876 an uprising against the Turks led to the massacre of many Bulgarians. The massacre focused European attention on the Ottoman occupation of Bulgaria and Turkey was finally defeated in the Russo-Turkish War of Liberation (1877-1878). Alexander of Battenburg, a German prince, became Prince of Bulgaria and was succeeded by Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1887) who was King of Bulgaria from 1908 to 1918.
The Russo-Turkish War resulted in loss of Bulgarian territory to Turkey. In 1912 Bulgaria and other Balkan states attacked Turkey winning land from the Turks. A quarrel ensued between the Balkan states over the division of land leading to the Second Balkan War in 1913.
During the First and Second World Wars, Bulgaria allied itself with Germany. After the Second World War (1939-45) Bulgaria became a People's Republic coming under the USSR's sphere of influence.
1985 saw Mikhail Gorbachev's accession to power in Soviet Russia. Gorbachev introduced extensive political and economic reforms (Perestroika) and promoted greater openness (Glasnost) between nations.
The end of 1989 saw political changes in Bulgaria and the communist government came to an end in 1990.
Economy
Since the political changes at the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s, Bulgaria has worked towards the privatisation of business. Bulgaria aims to join the EU although it was not ready for the wave of memberships in 2004.
The agricultural sector accounts for just over a quarter of the labour force. Agricultural products include fruit, vegetables, wheat, barley, sugar beet, sunflowers and roses (attar of roses is used in perfume). Cattle, sheep and pigs are kept. Other primary products are fish and timber.
Just under one third of the labour force work in industry. Main industries are nuclear fuel, electricity, gas, coke, refined petroleum, chemicals, fertilisers, metals, construction, machinery and equipment, food, drinks (including red and white wine) and tobacco.
The service sector accounts for employment of just over forty percent of the labour force. Tourism is a major source of employment with eight million visitors a year. The Black Sea resorts and the mountains are both popular destinations for tourists. Spa tourism is also an important part of Bulgaria's tourist industry.
Arts
Examples of sculpture and painting in Bulgaria date back to early times. A Thracian tomb decorated with sculptures and murals and a cliff carving of a knight fighting a lion (the Madara Rider) are on the World Heritage List.
Religious art can be seen in Bulgaria's churches. For example, the frescoes and medieval paintings in Boyana Church, Sofia.
Today, the Bulgarian artist Christo and his associate Jeanne Claude are famous for "wrapping" the German Reichstag building (1995).
Ivan Vazov (1850-1921) is perhaps Bulgaria's most famous writer. Vazov, a poet, novelist and playwright is most well known for his novel "Under the Yoke", set in the 1876 Uprising against the Turks.
Sport
Popular team sports in Bulgaria are football, basketball and volleyball.
Bulgarians are well known for gymnastics, athletics, tennis and weight-lifting. Other sports include swimming, rowing and skiing.
Holidays
New Year, Christmas and Easter are holidays. Other days celebrated are National Day (3 March), International Labour Day (1 May), Day of the Slavonic Script and Bulgarian Culture (24 May), Unification Day (6 September) and Independence Day (22 September).
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