The Republic of Bulgaria
A picturesque small country called Bulgaria has existed for more than 13 centuries in Europe, linking East and West. Bulgaria remembers ancient civilizations and great people that wrote its turbulent history. Situated in southeastern Europe, Bulgaria occupies the northeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. To the north it has a border with Romania, to the south - with Turkey and Greece, to the west - with Serbia and Macedonia, to the east - Black sea. Bulgaria has got a total area from 111 000 sq.km and 8 000 000 people population.
The predominant climate in Bulgaria is moderate and transitional continental. (2,000 to 2,400 hours of sunlight per year). There are four seasons, with a dry and hot summer and cold winter. Bulgaria offers pleasures for each one's taste. Thinking of an active holiday? Bulgaria has it - swimming, skiing, riding, climbing, hunting, fishing... Thinking of relaxing - amazing nature, sunny beaches, healing space, monasteries and churches, hospitable towns and villages... Ancient culture, endless beaches and an emerald sea, high mountains with marvelous gorges and caves, clear lakes and rivers full of fish, wide valleys, healing springs, ancient culture, hospitable people, tempting cuisine and wines, diverse flora and fauna... Explore this land!

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 kilometers

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

Capital city: Sofia, with 1 188 000 inhabitants

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

Highway network: 36 720 km

Railway system: 4 300 km
Airports: Sofia, Varna, Bourgas

Harbors: on the Black Sea - Varna, Bourgas, Balchik, Nessebar; on the Danube - Vidin, Lom, Oriahovo, Nikopol, Svishtov, Rouse, Tutrakan, Silistra

Monetary unit: Lev (1 lev = ~ EUR 0.48), with bank-notes (bills) of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 leva

Official language: Bulgarian - the oldest written Slavonic language.

Religion: Orthodox Christianity (over 85%)

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 Perelik - 2191 m), Rila (highest peak - Musala - 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), Tundja (length - 349 km on Bulgarian territory), Maritza (length - 321 km on Bulgarian territory), Ossum (length - 314 km), Struma (length - 290 km on Bulgarian territory), Yantra (length - 285 km), Kamchia (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.

Vegetation and animals: Basic characteristic features of the country’s natural life are the great variety and wealth of animal and plant species and their considerable ecological and biogeographical diversity. The vegetable life of Bulgaria numbers about 12 000 species - 71 kinds of trees, 119 kinds of bushes, 3300 kinds of flower plants, about 4000 kinds of seaweed, etc.
The most common and often met animals and birds are the typical of Europe: hinds, deer, wild-boars, bears, wolves, foxes, jackals, wood-grouses, vultures, sparrows, grass-snakes, etc. Altogether in Bulgaria are to be found about 40 000 invertebrate species, 659 vertebrate species, 337 bird species, 117 fish species and 92 mammal species.

Protection of Nature: Protection of the natural world is one of the country’s major concerns. The protected territories in Bulgaria are 49, the biophysical 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 are 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:
* 885 - Cyril and Methody created the Slavonic script
* 864 - 866 - Bulgaria adopted Christianity
* 1018- 1185 - Bulgaria fell within the limits of the Byzantine Empire and Rule
* 1185 - Restoration of the Bulgarian state
* 1396 - 1878 - Bulgaria was under the Turkish Slavery
* 1878 - 1944 - Bulgaria was a constitutional monarchy
* 1944 - 1989 - Bulgaria was a peoples republic, governed by the communist party
Since 10th of November, 1989 Bulgaria has been a parliamentary republic.

Important telephone numbers for all built-in areas of the country:
Police - 166, Fire Brigade - 160, Road Duty - 146, First Aid - 150