Geography

Bulgaria's only coastline is on the Black Sea, an inland sea connected through narrow straits to the Aegean and the Mediterranean. Into the Black sea flows the Danube River, which forms most of Bulgaria's northern border with Romania. Bulgaria also shares borders with Serbia and Montenegro and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and with Greece and Turkey to the south. The country covers an area of 42,855 square miles (110,994 square kilometers).

Stretching across the country south of the fertile Danubian Plain are the Balkan Mountains. This range is called Stara Planina (Old Mountains) in the Bulgarian language. The Sredna Gora (Central Forested Range) rises nearby. The Maritsa River runs through the Thracian Plain, which forms another farming belt. Sofia is in a basin to the west of this region. The rugged Rila and Rhodope ranges lie near the southern border. Mount Musala in the Rila Mountains is Bulgaria's highest peak at 9,596 feet (2,925 meters). The Struma River, like the Maritsa, drains into the Aegean Sea. The Iskur River flows past Sofia's suburbs into the Danube.

Much of Bulgaria has a continental climate marked by warm summers and cold winters. The Mediterranean and the Black sea give milder weather to the regions closest to them. Highlands tend to be wetter than the low-lying agricultural areas.

Plants and animals

Evergreen trees cover the mountain slopes in Bulgaria. The lowland areas had a mixed vegetation of trees and grass but have largely been cleared for farming. Part of Bulgaria lies at the eastern end of the steppe grassland region that stretches across much of Asia. Deer, bears, wolves, badgers, wild boar, and wildcats may be found in the more remote regions.

People and culture

Ethnic Bulgarians make up almost 85 percent of the population. The only significant minorities are Turks and Roma (Gypsies). Bulgarians are South Slavs whose language is written in the Cyrillic (Russian) alphabet. The traditional religion is a branch of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. About two thirds of Bulgaria's people live in cities. Sofia, which was founded by the ancient Thracians, is by far the largest city. Plovdiv is an important agricultural market city on the Maritsa River. Varna on the Black Sea is a port and resort.

Economy

Before World War II the economy of Bulgaria was largely agricultural. Farming became less important in the second half of the 20th century as more industries were developed, though many people still work on farms.

Bulgaria mines coal of a low-grade variety called lignite, or brown coal. Iron, copper, lead, and zinc are also mined. Food, machinery, chemicals, building materials, and electronics are the principal industries.

History

People have lived in the area that is now Bulgaria for thousands of years. For many years the land was part of an ancient region known as Thrace. In the 1st century AD Thrace was fully absorbed into the Roman Empire. Waves of invaders followed, including Slavs who settled in the 5th and 6th centuries. From north of the Black Sea came the Bulgars, a Turkic people who defeated the Slavs and gave their name to the country. In 681, following an unsuccessful war with the Bulgars, the Byzantine Empire signed a treaty with the Bulgars. The treaty gave the Bulgars control of the region. Bulgarians consider this to be the year in which their country was founded.

In the following centuries the Bulgars and Slavs became one people and converted to Christianity. Two Bulgarian empires followed. The first of these was defeated by the Byzantine Empire in about 1018. The second arose in 1185 when the brothers Ivan and Peter Asen led a revolt against the Byzantines. The country fell to the Islamic Ottoman Empire in 1396. Bulgarians lost their independence for about 500 years, but most of them did not convert to Islam.

The 17th century marks the beginning of the Ottoman Empire's long decline, and also the beginning of a slow national revival in Bulgaria. The exploits of bandit warriors called Haiduks were celebrated. A Bulgarian uprising was harshly put down in 1876, but partial independence was achieved two years later with Russian help. The new ruler Prince Alexander enlarged the country, and his successor Prince Ferdinand declared complete independence in 1908. In the years that followed Bulgaria became involved in two wars with its neighbors on the Balkan peninsula as well as the two world wars.

After World War II the monarchy fell and Bulgaria became a Communist people's republic. Longtime leader Todor Zhivkov was forced to resign in 1989, leading to the end of Communism. The country held elections and worked to build a new government. In 1999 the country became involved in efforts to establish a peacekeeping force in the troubled Balkan region. Population (2001 estimate), 7,953,000.