The Republic of Bulgaria

Why to choose Bulgaria? Bulgaria is a quiet and largely rural country the size of England but with a population of only around 8 million. For years Bulgaria has been a favoured holiday destination for Eastern Europeans, but only in recent years has it opened its doors to the rest of the world. Its mountains, beaches and old-fashioned rural tranquility offer a glimpse of Europe which has long since disappeared under the noise of traffic and concrete in Western Europe. Below we offer you some facts about Bulgaria.

Location: The republic of Bulgaria is situated in the south-east part of Europe and more precisely in the eastern part of the Balkan peninsula. On the north it has a common boundary with Romania and on the west with Yugoslavia. On the south-west it is conterminous with Macedonia while on the south-east it is contiguous to Turkey. On the east the country is bounded by the Black Sea. The total length of the Bulgarian border-line is 2245 km, 1181 of which are land frontier, 686 km river and 378 km sea-frontage.

Territory: 111 000 square kilometres

Population: 8 000 000 (according to the census taken in 2000)

Settlements: 5406

Capital city: Sofia, with 1 188 000 inhabitants

Larger cities: Varna (350 000 inhabitants), Plovdiv (300 00 inhabitants), Bourgas (200 000 inhabitants), Stara Zagora (150 000 inhabitants), Rousse (140 000 inhabitants), Pleven (120 000 inhabitants)

Highway network: 36 720 km

Railway system: 4 300 km

Airports: Sofia, Varna, Bourgas

Harbours: on the Black Sea - Varna, Bourgas, Balchick, Nessebur; on the Danube - Vidin, Lom, Oriakhovo, Nickopol, Svishtov, Rousse, Toutrackan, Sillistra

Monetary unit: lev (1 lev = 0,5 Euro), with bank-notes (bills) of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 leva

Official language: Bulgarian - the oldest written Slavonic language.

Religion: Orthodox Christianity, Islam Relief: The lowlands occupy 31%, the plains and the hilly terrains 41%, and the mountains 28% of the country.s territory. The larger mountain ranges are the Balkan mountains (with its highest peak Botev - 2376 m), the Rhodopes (highest peak - Goliam Perrelick - 2191 m), Rila (highest peak - Moussala - 2925 m), Pirin (highest peak - Vihren - 2914m), Vitosha (highest peak - Cherni Vruh -2290 m).

Water resources: On the east Bulgaria borders on the Black Sea. The common length of the sea-frontage from the north (Romania) to the south (Turkey) is 378 km. The rivers in Bulgaria flow into the Black and the Aegean Seas. The biggest and the longest rivers take their sources from the Rila mountains. The larger rivers are: The Danube (covering 609 km of the Bulgarian northern boundary), Iskur (length - 368 km on Bulgarian territory), Toundja (length - 349 km on Bulgarian territory), Maritza (length - 321 km on Bulgarian territory), Ossum (length - 314 km), Strouma (length - 290 km on Bulgarian territory), Yantra (length - 285 km), Kamtchya (length - 244 km).

Climate: The climate in Bulgaria is moderate continental with four yearly seasons and average annual temperature of 10.5 degrees centigrade. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of 0 degrees centigrade. The average air temperature in the summer is 30 degrees c. and the average water temperature - 25 degrees c.

Protection of Nature: Protection of the natural world is one of the country.s major concerns. The protected territories in Bulgaria are 49, the biospherical reserves - 17 (the greatest recorded number in Europe), the national parks - 7, the reserves - 82, the protected natural sites - 3055, the protected plants - 63 and the protected animals - 419. The air and water resources of the country are some of the purest in Europe.

History: The Bulgarian people is one of the most ancient. The Bulgarian state was founded on the present-day territory of Europe in 681 and ever since that time the name of the country has always been the same. What follows are some of the most significant dates and events in the history of Bulgaria: