Geographical location

Bulgaria is located in the south-eastern part of Europe on the Balkan Peninsula. It has a territory of 110 910 square metres. It is bordered on the north by Romania, on the east – by the Black Sea, on the south by Turkey and Greece and on the west by Macedonia and Yugoslavia.

Lay

Bulgaria has an extremely variable lay. The country is interesting for its unique nature and rare combination of mountains and sea. A number of reserves and protected areas are found on its territory, as well as more than 2000 weird shaped caves. The extinct Kozhuh volcano is located in the southern part. The highest mountain on the Balkan Peninsula, Rila, is also there. The Black Sea coast is low, it embraces wide sand strips and is one of the most preferred tourist places in Eastern Europe.

Climate

The  climate is continental in the bigger part of the country and in the southern regions – Mediterranean. It is unique for its distinct four seasons.

Cities

Bulgarian population amounts to 8.88 million citizens, 1 250 000 living in the capital – the city of Sofia. The following bigger towns are Plovdiv (350 000 citizens), Varna (300 000 citizens) and Burgas (200 000 citizens).

Currency

The state currency is the Bulgarian Lev, which is equal to 100 Stotinki. There are banknotes of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 levs. Since 2002 Bulgarian currency has been bound by the Euro by means of currency board, providing its stability. 1 EURO equals to BGN 1.95583.

Official language

The official language of the country is Bulgarian.

Religion

The official religion in Bulgaria is Orthodox Christianity.

Government structure

Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic, headed by President whose mandate is 5 years. The permanent legislative body of the state is the National Assembly and higher body of the executive power is the Council of Ministers, headed by Prime Minister. At present President of the Republic of Bulgaria is Mr. Georgi Parvanov and Prime Minister is Mr. Simeon Saxe Coburg. The state is member of NATO as of 01.04.2004 and it is forthcoming its twinning to the European Union in 2007.

Transport

There are 4 airports in Bulgaria located in the biggest cities of the country – Sofia, Varna, Plovdiv and Burgas and it has ports along the Black Sea and the Danube River.

History

Bulgaria has more than 13 centuries of history. Its territory has been populated since the earliest historical époque and the foundation of the Bulgarian state was in 681 A.C. when Khan Asparuh integrated the tribe communities of proto-Bulgarians, Slavs and Thracians. A great number of cultural and historical findings dated from Roman times, have been discovered in Bulgaria.