Bulgaria, is a small country of ancient culture, scenic beauty, clean nature, friendly and hospitable people, long warm summer and pleasant winter.
Bulgaria possesses beautiful sandy beaches, and is becoming a real summer paradise. The Black Sea Coast on its East border is famous for its calm and safe sea, clear water and healthy air, fine golden sand and natural dunes, mineral water springs, Blue Flag resorts and holiday villages..

Each of the Bulgarian mountains- Rila, Pirin, the Rhodopes, the Balkan Range, Vitosha etc., has a charm of its own.. Rugged snow-capped peaks and soft green slopes, cool forests carrying the aroma of herbs and wild fruit, quick-flowing rivers and crystal-clear blue lakes, mineral springs and bioreserves, rare plants and game, large climatic and ski resorts and small picturesque villages with living traditions and folklore

Bulgaria possesses beautiful beaches, and is becoming a real resort paradise. The Black Sea Coast on its East border is famous for its calm and safe sea, clear water and healthy air, fine golden sand and natural dunes, mineral water springs, blue flag winning resorts, holiday villages and campsites.

Further, there are over 600 mineral springs on the territory of Bulgaria, with water temperatures ranging from 20 to 60 degrees Celsius, whose baths and health spas are well known for their curative properties even in antiquity. The climate is healthy and has a marked curative effect in certain regions of the country. The varied relief. warm sea, fresh verdure and mountains air, combined with various treatment procedures, exert a favourable influence on a number of ailments.

Location 

Bulgaria is situated in south-eastern Europe and occupies the central part of Balkan peninsula on both sides of the Balkan Range (the Balkans), from which the peninsula hase taken its name. It has a territory of about 111 000 square kilometers.
The grater part of the northern border with Romania passes along the Danube river, and the eastern border is the Black Sea. To the south Bulgaria borders- on Greece and Turkey, to the west - on Serbia and Macedonia.
Area: 111.000 sq km.

Climate

Climate in Bulgaria is temperate continental with clearly marked four seasons.
A Mediterranean influence is felt in the country's southern regions.
The average annual temperature is 10.5°C. The average January temperature is around O°C.and the average summer temperature 30°C.
In general the climate is mild and suitable for traveling all-the-year-round.
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History

The Bulgarian State was founded at the end of the VII century (681) by Slavs and proto-Bulgarians led by Khan Asparouh, son of the ruler of the proto-Bulgarian Kingdom, Khan Koubrat.
As early as the IX century the country emerged as one of the powerful states in Europe.. During the second half of the IX century the Bulgarian people became converted to Christianity and Bulgaria joined the family of Christian states. After that historical act the country adopted the Slavonic script and literacy created by the Thessalonians brothers Cyrix and Methods in 855. It was then disseminated in other countries as well. Even today Russians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Serbs and others use it..
In its thirteen-century long history Bulgaria fell twice under foreign domination. After nearly two centuries of Byzantine oppression, the Second Bulgarian State, founded in 1185, restored rapidly its grandeur. At the end of the XIV century Bulgaria was conquered by the Ottomans that were invading Europe and the Bulgarian state ceased to exist for nearly five centuries.. It was as late as 1878 that, as a result of the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) and the national liberation movement, the beginning of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom was set, which lasted until 1944. According to the Yalta agreements between Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt, Bulgaria was given to the USSR as zone of political influence. In November 1989 Bulgaria broke with the totalitarian communist model of government rule. Today the country is a parliamentary republic.

Population

The population of Bulgaria numbers about 7,5 million. The average density is 76,2 people per a square kilometer. The main part of the population is Bulgarians. Beside them in the country live Turks, Gypsies and small number of Jews, Armenians, Russians and Greeks. 86.6% of the population is Eastern Orthodox, 13% are Muslims, 1,5% Roman catholic, others.

Language

The official language is Bulgarian and uses only the Cyrillic alphabet. To facilitate tourists, road and direction signs in populated areas, resorts, railways stations, airports and along the main motorways are also spelled in Roman letters. English, German, French, Russian and other languages are spoken in the country mostly by the younger generations.

Time

Winter time: GMT + 2 hours( October through March).
Summer time: GMT + 3 hours (April through September).

Official holidays

January 1 - New Year
March 3 - Bulgaria's Liberation from Ottoman rule - the National Day
Easter - one week after the Catholic Easter
May 6 - Bulgarian Army Day
May 24 - Day of Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture and the Slav Script
September 6 - Bulgaria's Unification
September 22 - Independence Day
December 25-26 – Christmas

Major Cities

Sofia, the capital, is the largest city. Some 250 historic, archeological and architectural monuments have been preserved in the modern capital, the center of the country’s political and cultural life, a tourist destination and hospitable venue of major international forums
Other major cities are Plovdiv-site of a major annual international trade fair, the Black Sea cities of Varna and Burgas, and Ruse on the Danube River.

Currency

The unit of currency in Bulgaria is the lev, divided into 100 stotinki. The Bulgarian National Bank is the bank of issue and handles government funds and state-owned enterprises.
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