About Bulgaria

Geography

Bulgaria is the fourth most popular tourist destination in Europe. It is a state in Southeastern Europe on the Balkan Peninsula and borders on five other countries: Romania to the north and mostly along River Danube, Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, Turkey and Greece to the south and the Black Sea defines the extent of the country to the east.

Population

Bulgarians are famous for their hospitality. There are 7.5 million people living in Bulgaria. In 864 Bulgaria accepted Eastern Orthodox Christianity and since then it has been the dominant religion in the country. Bulgarians were the first to use the Cyrillic Alphabet in IX-th century AD. The official language of the country is Bulgarian. A large number of the population, mostly young people speak English.

Form of Government

Bulgaria became a full member state of the European Union on 1st January, 2007 and a member of NATO in 2004. It is a parliamentary republic. Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria and the country has 28 district towns some of which are Varna, Plovdiv, Russe. The National holiday of Bulgaria is 3rd March - the Independence Day.

Climate

The relief of Bulgaria is varied as it has mountain ranges and valleys. The climate is temperate with cold wet winters and hot dry summers. In the south of Bulgaria the climate is Mediterranean. There are four seasons and this is one of the reasons why Bulgaria is unique in terms of both winter and summer resorts and holidays

Nature

Bulgarian nature is remarkable for biological diversity including 13 000 plant species, 250 of which could not be seen elsewhere in the world. In Bulgarian forests there are plenty of strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, blueberries, hips and different kinds of fungi and herbs. There are 13 000 animal species in Bulgaria. The country is favourable for hunting boars, hares, dears, partridges, and quail. Bulgarian reserves and national parks offer wonderful conditions for photo and eco tourism.

Tourism

Tourism is a main industry in Bulgaria due to the natural resources and unique cultural inheritance. There has been an increase in tourism industry within the last few years. The most popular tourist destinations are winter and summer resorts, but recently there has been an increase in ethnographic and ecotourism as well as in balneological and wine tourism.

Historical and Cultural Inheritance

Bulgaria has extraordinary historical and cultural inheritance. The Bulgarian State was founded in 681 AD and its name, language and religion have been preserved ever since. The country of Orpheus is rich in archaeological monuments dating back to the periods of Neolite, Thracians, Romans, Byzantines. The Madara Rider /Madarski konnik/ is an early medieval large rock relief which dates back to 710 AD and has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979. Some other unique monuments are: the Gold Treasure of Panagiurishte (4-3 c. B. C.), the Gold and Silver Treasure of Rogozen (5-4 c. B. C.), the Thracian Gold Wreath (5 c. B. C.), the Mask of the Thracian Tsar Teres (5 c. B. C.) It is worth a visit to the ancient Plovdiv and the Etar Architectural Ethnographic Complex, the Rila and Bachkovo Monasteries, Boyana Church, Valley of Roses.

Economics

Bulgarian economics is still in transition period but there has been a stable increase in GDP. Bulgarian agriculture and industry are prospering. The country has traditions in production of vegetables, fruit, tobacco, wines, and cereals. Furthermore it has traditions in production of electricity, crude oil, machines and equipment. All the industrial branches are growing very fast.

Cuisine

Bulgarian fruit and vegetables are ecologically clean. Bulgarian national cuisine includes organic products and different recipes. Some of the traditional Bulgarian meals are:

Shopska salad /tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions and cheese with olive oil dressing/
Cucumber Yogurt Salad
Barbequed /roasted meat: kebabche, meatballs, skewers, sausages/
Stewed seasonal dishes: guivetch /roasted potatoes and vegetables/
Kavarma kebap /meat with vegetables and sauce/
Appetizers: kiopoolu /aubergine puree/, lutenitza /tomato puree with herbs/
Main course meals: Musaka /mince meat with potatoes and egg topping/
Banitza /traditional pastry/
Desserts: tulumbichki, kadaif

What is more Bulgaria is famous for its wines, some of which are kinds of Mavrud, Gumza, Melnik. Traditional Bulgarian strong alcoholic drinks are rakiya /grape brandy/ Mastika /anise alcoholic drink/, Menta /mint liqueur/.

Useful Information

Bulgaria has well-developed transport grid: roads, airports, railway stations, ports and harbours.

Bulgarian lev equals approximately € 0.5.

GMT+2 hours

Electric current voltage: 220 V

Tap water: drinkable

Bulgaria country code: +359

Mobile Network Operators in Bulgaria:

MTel with national destination code 88
Globul with national destination code 89
Vivatel with national destination code 87

Most popular credit/ debit cards can be used in Bulgaria