Located in the Balkans, south-eastern Europe, Bulgaria is bathed by the Black Sea. It is one of the countries with the greatest cultural affinity with Russia, both of which share the Cyrillic alphabet and have orthodox Christianity as their main religion. In the 7th century, the territory that currently corresponds to Bulgaria was invaded by peoples of Turkish-Tatar origin who mingled with the Slavic natives and founded the first Bulgarian Empire.
The Turkish-Ottoman Empire, in 1396, annexed the territory of Bulgaria. The north of the country was liberated from Turkey by the Russian army in 1878, while the south (Romelia) became an autonomous province under the Turkish government. The country gained its independence in 1908, when Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was proclaimed king.
During the First World War (1914-1918) the Bulgarians supported Germany. After the defeat in the confrontation, Bulgaria lost territories to Romania, Yugoslavia and Greece. In the Second World War (1939-1945), the country again sided with the German side, which suffered another defeat. The democratization process started in the 1980s, and in 1988, the Bulgarian regime admitted independent candidates for the presidential elections. For Bulgaria democracy and rights, please check intershippingrates.
Bulgaria data:
Territorial extension: 110,912 km².
Location: Europe.
Capital: Sofia.
Climate: Continental temperate.
Government: Parliamentary republic.
Administrative division: 28 regions subdivided into municipalities.
Households with access to the health network: 99%.
Human Development Index (HDI): 0.743 (high).
Currency: Lev.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): US $ 39,551 million.
GDP per capita: 5,178 US $.
Foreign relations: World Bank, IMF, WTO, UN, NATO.
Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports in the country of Bulgaria, sorted by city location and acronyms.
Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the country name of Bulgaria. Listed by popularity.
1UpTravel.com – Maps of Bulgaria
Browse a collection of country, political and shaded relief maps of this European country. Check out the maps showing land use, economic activity and area comparison.
