Bulgaria

Bulgaria is a country on the Balkan Peninsula of southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania on the north, Yugoslavia and Macedonia on the west, Greece and Turkey on the south, and the Black Sea on the east. Mountains cover most of Bulgaria. Fertile valleys and plains separate the mountains in many areas.

Political system: Republic

Capital city: Sofia

Total area: 111 000 km²

Population: 7.9 million

Currency: Lev

Etnich groups: Bulgarian 89%, Turkish 8%, Fyrom and others 3%

Languages: Bulgarian (official), Turkish

Religion: Orthodox 85%, Muslim 13%

Currency: Lev bulgarian; 1 EURO to Bulgarian Lev: 1,947 (April 2004)
 

A Short Background

Bulgaria earned its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878, but having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, it fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946.

Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multi-party election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime.

Today, reforms and democratization keep Bulgaria on a path toward eventual integration into NATO and the EU - with which it began accession negotiations in 2000.

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