General Information
Bulgaria, republic in South-Eastern Europe, situated in the Balkan Peninsula, and is bounded on the north by Romania, on the east by the Black Sea, on the south by Turkey and Greece, and on the west by Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia.
The capital and largest city is Sofia. The area of Bulgaria is 110,912 sq km (42,823 sq mi).
More than half of Bulgaria is hilly or mountainous; the average elevation is about 480 m (1,575 ft). The Balkan Mountains cross the country from the north-western corner to the Black Sea and form the watershed between the River Danube and the Aegean Sea. The northern side of the Balkan Mountains slopes gradually to form the northern Bulgarian plateau, which ends at the River Danube. The central portion of the southern side of the range is fringed by a series of narrow plains, notably the Thracian Plain. In the southern part of the country are the broad and irregular Rhodope Mountains, which delineate the boundary with Greece. At the western end of these mountains, in south-western Bulgaria, are the Rila Mountains, which culminate in Musala Peak (2,925 m/9,597 ft), the highest point in the Balkans. Several smaller ranges lie along the western boundaries.
The principal river draining Bulgaria is the Danube, which has among its Bulgarian tributaries the Iskar (about 370 km/230 mi long) and the Yantra (about 290 km/180 mi long). Other important rivers are the Kamchia (about 180 km/110 mi long), which empties into the Black Sea, and in the south-west, the Struma and Mesta, which flow south to the Aegean Sea.
Most of Bulgaria has a continental climate, with cold winters and hot summers. The climate in general is more severe than in other European areas of the same latitudes, and the average annual temperature range is greater than that of neighbouring countries. A Mediterranean climate, with dry summers and mild, humid winters, prevails in the valley of the south-western Rhodope Mountains; the northern limit of the climatic zone is the Balkan Mountains.
The average annual temperature is about 12.8° C (55° F). The average rainfall is about 635 mm (25 in) per year, ranging from a low of 193 mm (7.6 in) in the north-east, to a high of 1,905 mm (75 in) in the Rila Mountains. The wettest period is early summer in most of the country and autumn or winter in the southern valleys.
About 85 per cent of the population is classified as ethnic Bulgarian and about 9 per cent is Turkish. Small groups of Armenians, Gypsies, Greeks, and Macedonian Slavs also inhabit the country. The population of Bulgaria became increasingly urbanized after 1945, and in the early 1990s about 68 per cent of the people were defined as urban.
The population of Bulgaria (1995 official estimate) is 8,887,000. Population density is about 80 people per sq km (208 people per sq mi).
Bulgaria’s principal political divisions include 8 administrative regions, the city of Sofia (with 12 districts), and more than 4,000 village communes (obshtinas).
Sofia is the largest city, with an estimated population of 1,114,476 in 1992. Other major cities are Plovdiv (1992 estimate, 341,374), a center for light industry; and Varna (308,601), the principal seaport.
The official language is Bulgarian, spoken by about 90 per cent of the population.
Generous and varied, in a handful of land Bulgaria has gathered an abundance of beauty:
A sunlit sea with a 380 km long coastal strip and vast sand beaches, cool forests and warm mineral springs, 16 mountains, each with their own features, history and folklore, plentiful flora and fauna - medical herbs, forest fruits.
Over 550 mineral springs with different composition and curative value, ranking Bulgaria among the six European countries abounding in mineral water.
Fertile plains, fragrant valleys, carpeted with roses and dotted with orchards and vineyards - a blessed land with an abundance of natural, vitamin-rich food, fruit and vegetables, honey and wine.
Stunning natural phenomena sculpted by wind and water, and over 2,000 caves with fantastic shapes and colours.
A sunlit sea with a 380 km long coastal strip and vast sand beaches, cool forests and warm mineral springs, 16 mountains, each with their own features, history and folklore, plentiful flora and fauna - medical herbs, forest fruits.
Over 550 mineral springs with different composition and curative value, ranking Bulgaria among the six European countries abounding in mineral water.
Fertile plains, fragrant valleys, carpeted with roses and dotted with orchards and vineyards - a blessed land with an abundance of natural, vitamin-rich food, fruit and vegetables, honey and wine.
Stunning natural phenomena sculpted by wind and water, and over 2,000 caves with fantastic shapes and colours.
