Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Location

It occupies part of the eastern Balkans and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east.

Area

Approx. 111,000 km2

Capital (approximate population)

Sofia(1.2 million)

Business-related cities other than Sofia (approximate population)

Plovdiv(340,000), Varna(330,000), Burgas(200 000), Ruse(150,000), etc.

Population

about 7 million

Racial Composition

84.8% Bulgarian, 8.8% Turkish, Other

Language

Bulgarian is the official language

Religion

More than three-fourths Eastern Orthodox, other Muslims, etc.
- Patriarchal Cathedral St. Alexander Nevsky
- Monastery of Rila

Culture

It is a mixture of folk traditions dating back thousands of years and the culture of the late Ottoman Empire.
- Krushuna Falls
- Museum-House Georgi Benkovski
- Buzludzha Monument
- Vitosha mountain
- Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari
- Tsarevets Fortress
- Sunny Beach Amusement Park
- Antique Theater in Plovdiv
- Pirin National Park
- Ancient City of Nessebar

Education

Compulsory education is from age 7 to 16.
- Sofia University
- American University in Bulgaria
- Trakia University

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- The National Library "Ivan Vazov"
- Regional Library L.Karavelov
- Library of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Overview of Bulgaria's modern and contemporary history

1878 Formation of the Principality of Bulgaria
1886 Eastern Lumeria merged with Bulgaria
1908 Bulgaria declares an independent kingdom
1914-18 World War I. Bulgaria allies with Germany and suffers heavy losses
1944 During World War II, Soviet forces invade Bulgaria occupied by Nazi Germany. Establishment of a communist government
1946 Abolition of the monarchy. Establishment of the People's Republic of Bulgaria
1989 Collapse of the Communist dictatorship
1991 Declaration of parliamentary republic with new constitution
2004 Joining NATO
2007 EU accession

Politics

It is a parliamentary democracy. The president serves as head of state and commander-in-chief of the military. The head of government is the prime minister. The legislative branch is a unicameral parliament.
- National Assembly of Bulgaria
- Presidential Palace of Republic of Bulgaria
- Constitutional Court of Bulgaria

GDP per capita

$10,133

Economy

It is an open market economy for the middle-income class.

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Europe

Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Portugal, Czech, Hungary, Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, Greece, Romania, Croatia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Russia, Iceland, Belarus, Moldova, Northern Macedonia, Albania, Luxembourg, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Serbia, Montenegro, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Vatican, Malta, Liechtenstein, Monaco

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