Bulgaria , officially the
Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the
BalkansThe Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
in
south-easternSoutheastern Europe is a relatively recent political designation for the Balkan states. Because of the negative connotations of the term Balkan, writers such as Maria Todorova and Vesna Goldsworthy have suggested the use of the term Southeastern Europe instead...
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
. Bulgaria borders five other countries:
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
to the north (mostly along the
River DanubeThe Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg rivers which join at the German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows...
),
SerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country located in both Central and Southeastern Europe. Its territory covers the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and central part of the Balkans...
and the
Republic of MacedoniaMacedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country in the central Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
to the west, and
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
and
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
to the south. The
Black Seaur a loser!The Black Sea is an inland sea bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and various straits. The Bosporus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects it to...
defines the extent of the country to the east.
Bulgaria includes parts of the Roman provinces of
MoesiaMoesia was an ancient region and Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River...
,
ThraceThrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded on the north by the Balkan Mountains, on the south by the Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea and on the east by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara...
and
MacedoniaThe Roman province of Macedonia was officially established in 146 BC, after the Roman general Quintus Caecilius Metellus defeated Andriscus of Macedon, the last Ancient King of Macedon in 148 BC, and after the four client republics established by Rome in the region were dissolved...
. Old European culture within the territory of Bulgaria started to produce
golden artefactsThe Varna Necropolis is a burial site in the western industrial zone of Varna , Bulgaria, internationally considered one of the key archaeological sites in world prehistory.-Discovery and excavation:The site was accidentally discovered in October 1972 by excavator operator Raycho...
by the fifth millennium BC.
The emergence of a unified Bulgarian national identity and state date back to the
7th centuryThe 7th century is the period from 601 to 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian/Common Era.-Overview:The Muslim conquests began after the death of Muhammad in 632. Islam expanded beyond the Arabian Peninsula under the Rashidun Caliphate and the Umayyad Caliphate...
AD. All Bulgarian political entities that subsequently emerged preserved the traditions (in ethnic name, language and alphabet) of the
First Bulgarian EmpireThe First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in AD 632 in the lands near the Danube Delta and disintegrated in AD 1018 after its annexation to the Byzantine Empire. At the height of its power it spread between Budapest and the Black Sea and from the Dnieper river in modern...
(632/6811018), which at times covered most of the
BalkansThe Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and spread its alphabet, literature and culture among the
SlavicThe Slavic Peoples are an ethnic and linguistic branch of Indo-European peoples, living mainly in eastern and central Europe. From the early 6th century they spread from their original homeland to inhabit most of eastern Central Europe, Eastern Europe and the Balkans...
and other peoples of
Eastern EuropeEastern Europe is a region lying in the Eastern part of Europe. The term is highly context-dependent and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. Centuries later, with the decline of the
Second Bulgarian EmpireThe Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually declining to be conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
(11851396/1422), Bulgarian kingdoms came under
OttomanThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
rule for nearly five centuries. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 led to the re-establishment of a Bulgarian state as a
constitutional monarchyA constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a written , unwritten or blended constitution...
in 1878, with the
Treaty of San StefanoThe Preliminary Treaty of San Stefano was a treaty between Russia and the Ottoman Empire signed at the end of the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–78...
marking the birth of the Third Bulgarian State. In 1908, with social strife brewing at the core of the Ottoman Empire, the Alexander Malinov government and Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria formally proclaimed the full sovereignty of the Bulgarian state at the ancient capital of Veliko Turnovo. After
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in 1945 Bulgaria became a
communist stateIn political science, a Communist state is a state with a form of government characterized by single-party rule of a Communist party and a professed allegiance to a communist ideology as the guiding principle of the state....
and part of the
Eastern BlocThe terms Eastern Bloc, Communist Bloc or Soviet Bloc were used to refer to the former Communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, including the countries of the Warsaw Pact, along with Yugoslavia and Albania, which were not aligned with the Soviet Union after 1948 and 1960...
.
Todor ZhivkovTodor Hristov Zhivkov was a communist politician and leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from March 4, 1954 until November 10, 1989.- Early life :...
dominated Bulgaria politically for 33 years (from 1956 to 1989). In 1990, after the
Revolutions of 1989The Revolutions of 1989, sometimes called the Autumn of Nations, were a revolutionary wave that swept across Central and Eastern Europe in late 1989, ending in the overthrow of Soviet-style communist states within the space of a few months....
, the
Communist PartyThe Bulgarian Communist Party was the name of the communist and Marxist-Leninist ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1946 until 1990 when the country ceased to be a Communist state...
gave up its monopoly on power and Bulgaria undertook a transition to
democracyDemocracy is a system of government in which either the actual governing is carried out by the people governed , or the power to do so is granted by them...
and free-market
capitalismCapitalism is an economic and social system in which the means of production are privately controlled; labor, goods and capital are traded in a market; profits are distributed to owners or invested in technologies and industries; and wages are paid to labor...
.
Bulgaria functions as a
parliamentA parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French parlement, the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at...
ary
democracyDemocracy is a system of government in which either the actual governing is carried out by the people governed , or the power to do so is granted by them...
within a
unitaryA unitary state is a sovereign state governed as one single unit in which the central government is supreme and any administrative divisions exercise only powers that the central government chooses to delegate...
constitutional republicA constitutional republic is a state where the head of state and other officials are elected as representatives of the people, and must govern according to existing constitutional law that limits the government's power over citizens....
. A member of the
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
,
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
and the
World Trade OrganizationThe World Trade Organization is an international organization designed by its founders to supervise and liberalize international capital trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakesh Agreement, replacing the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade , which...
, it has a high
Human Development IndexThe Human Development Index is an index used to rank countries by level of "human development", which usually also implies whether a country is developed, developing, or underdeveloped.-Summary:...
of 0.840, ranking 61st in the world in 2009.
Freedom HouseFreedom House is a Washington-based international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights...
in 2008 listed Bulgaria as "free", giving it scores of 1 (highest) for political rights and 2 for civil liberties.
Geography
Geographically and in terms of climate, Bulgaria features notable diversity with the landscape ranging from the
AlpineAlpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. The climate becomes colder at high elevations—this characteristic is described by the lapse rate of air: air tends to get colder as it rises, since it expands. The dry adiabatic lapse rate is 10 °C per km of...
snow-capped peaks in
RilaRila is a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria and the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans, with its highest peak being Musala at 2,925 m...
,
PirinThe Pirin Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren the highest peak, situated at . The range extends about 40 km northwest-southeast, and about 25 km wide. Most of the range is protected in a national park, the Pirin National Park...
and the
Balkan MountainsThe Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea. The highest peaks of the Stara...
to the mild and sunny Black Sea coast; from the typically
continentalContinental climate is a climate that is characterized by winter temperatures cold enough to support a fixed period of snow cover each year, and relatively moderate precipitation occurring mostly in summer, although east coast areas may show an even distribution of precipitation.Regions containing...
Danubian PlainThe Danubian Plain constitutes the northern part of Bulgaria, situated north of the Balkan Mountains and south of the Danube. Its western border is the Timok River and to the east it borders the Black Sea. The plain has an area of . It is about long and wide.The relief of the Danubian Plain is...
(ancient
MoesiaMoesia was an ancient region and Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River...
) in the north to the strong
Mediterranean climatic influenceA hi Mediterranean climate resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes most of the area with this climate type worldwide...
in the valleys of
MacedoniaMacedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but the region is nowadays held to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania and Serbia...
and in the lowlands in the southernmost parts of
ThraceThrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded on the north by the Balkan Mountains, on the south by the Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea and on the east by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara...
.
Bulgaria overall has a temperate climate, with cold winters and hot summers. The barrier effect of the
Balkan MountainsThe Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea. The highest peaks of the Stara...
has some influence on climate throughout the country: northern Bulgaria experiences lower temperatures and receives more rain than the southern lowlands.
Bulgaria comprises portions of the regions known in
classical timesAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
as
MoesiaMoesia was an ancient region and Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River...
,
ThraceThrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded on the north by the Balkan Mountains, on the south by the Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea and on the east by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara...
, and
MacedoniaMacedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but the region is nowadays held to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania and Serbia...
. The mountainous southwest of the country has two alpine ranges —
RilaRila is a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria and the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans, with its highest peak being Musala at 2,925 m...
and
PirinThe Pirin Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren the highest peak, situated at . The range extends about 40 km northwest-southeast, and about 25 km wide. Most of the range is protected in a national park, the Pirin National Park...
— and further east stand the lower but more extensive
Rhodope MountainsThe Rhodopes are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, with over 83% of its area in southern Bulgaria and the remainder in Greece...
. The
RilaRila is a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria and the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans, with its highest peak being Musala at 2,925 m...
range includes the highest peak of the Balkan Peninsula,
MusalaMusala is the highest peak in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula, standing at 2,925 m . The summit of the Rila mountain in southwestern Bulgaria, Musala is the highest peak between the Alps and the Caucasus and the highest in Eastern Europe bar the Caucasus.Between 1949–1962 the peak was...
, at ; the long range of the
Balkan mountainsThe Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea. The highest peaks of the Stara...
runs west-east through the middle of the country, north of the famous
Rose ValleyThe Rose Valley is a region in Bulgaria located just south of the Balkan Mountains, between them and the eastern part of the lower Sredna Gora chain to the south...
. Hilly country and plains lie to the southeast, along the
Black SeaThe Bulgarian Black Sea Riviera covers the entire eastern bound of Bulgaria stretching from the Romanian Black Sea Riviera in the north to European Turkey in the south, along 378 km of coastline. White and golden sandy beaches occupy approximately 130 km of the 378 km long coast...
coast, and along Bulgaria's main river, the
DanubeThe Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg rivers which join at the German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows...
, to the north. Strandzha is the largest mountain in the southeast. Few mountains and hills exist in the northeast region of Dobrudzha. The
Balkan PeninsulaThe Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
derives its name from the
Balkan or
Stara planina mountain range running through the centre of Bulgaria and extends into eastern
SerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country located in both Central and Southeastern Europe. Its territory covers the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and central part of the Balkans...
.
Bulgaria has large deposits of
manganeseManganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
ore in the north-east and of
uraniumUranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table that has the symbol U and atomic number 92. Besides its 92 protons, a uranium nucleus can have between 141 and 146 neutrons. The most common uranium isotopes are U-238 and U-235 . A uranium atom has...
in the south-west, as well as vast
coalCoal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
reserves and
copperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is rather soft and malleable and a freshly-exposed surface has a pinkish or peachy color...
,
leadLead is a main-group element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metals. Lead has a bluish-white color when freshly cut, but tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed to air...
,
zincZinc , also known as spelter, is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
and
goldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. It has been a highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Gold is...
ore. Smaller deposits exist of
ironIron is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a group 8 and period 4 element and is therefore classified as a transition metal. Iron and iron alloys are by far the most common metals and the most common ferromagnetic materials in everyday use...
,
silverSilver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
,
chromiteChromite is iron magnesium chromium oxide: Cr
2O
4. It is an oxide mineral belonging to the spinel group. Magnesium can substitute for iron in variable amounts; also, aluminium and ferric iron commonly substitute for chromium....
,
nickelNickel is a chemical element, with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. It is one of the four ferromagnetic elements at about room temperature, other three being iron, cobalt and gadolinium...
,
bismuthBismuth is a chemical element that has the symbol Bi and atomic number 83. This trivalent poor metal chemically resembles arsenic and antimony. Bismuth is heavy and brittle; it has a silvery white color with a pink tinge owing to the surface oxide. Bismuth is the most naturally diamagnetic of all...
and others. Bulgaria has abundant non-metalliferous minerals such as rock-salt,
gypsumGypsum is a very soft mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO
4·2H
2O.-Crystal varieties:...
, kaolin and
marbleMarble is a non foliated metamorphic rock resulting from the metamorphism of limestone, composed mostly of calcite . It is extensively used for sculpture, as a building material, and in many other applications...
.
The country has a dense network of about 540 rivers, most of them—with the notable exception of the
DanubeThe Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg rivers which join at the German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows...
—short and with low water-levels. Most rivers flow through mountainous areas. The longest river located solely in Bulgarian territory, the
IskarThe Iskar is, with a length of 368 km, the longest river that runs solely in Bulgaria, and a tributary of the Danube.The Iskar is formed by three rivers, the Cherni Iskar, Beli Iskar and Levi Iskar , with the source being accepted to be the Prav Iskar, a tributary of the Cherni Iskar...
, has a length of . Other major rivers include the
StrumaThe Struma or Strymónas is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. Its ancient name was Strymōn . Its catchment area is 10,800 km²...
and the
Maritsa RiverThe Maritsa or Evros is, with a length of 480 km, the longest river that runs solely in the interior of the Balkans. It has its origin in the Rila Mountains in Western Bulgaria, flowing southeast between the Balkan and Rhodope Mountains, past Plovdiv and Parvomay to Edirne, Turkey...
in the south.
The Rila and Pirin mountain ranges feature around 260
glacial lakeA glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier. Roughly, 10,000 years ago glaciers began to retreat, near the end of the Ice Age....
s; the country also has several large lakes on the Black Sea coast and more than 2,200 dam lakes. Many mineral springs exist, located mainly in the south-western and central parts of the country along the faults between the mountains.
PrecipitationIn meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that is deposited on the Earth's surface. The main forms of precipitation include rain, snow, ice pellets, and graupel...
in Bulgaria averages about per year. In the lowlands rainfall varies between , and in the mountain areas between of rain falls per year. Drier areas include Dobrudja and the northern coastal strip, while the higher parts of the
RilaRila is a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria and the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans, with its highest peak being Musala at 2,925 m...
,
PirinThe Pirin Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren the highest peak, situated at . The range extends about 40 km northwest-southeast, and about 25 km wide. Most of the range is protected in a national park, the Pirin National Park...
,
Rhodope MountainsThe Rhodopes are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, with over 83% of its area in southern Bulgaria and the remainder in Greece...
, Stara Planina, Osogovska Mountain and
VitoshaVitosha is a mountain massif, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Vitosha is one of the tourists symbols of Sofia and the closest site for hiking, alpinism and skiing. Convenient bus lines and rope ways render the mountain easily accessible. Vitosha has the outlines of an enormous...
receive the highest levels of precipitation.
Prehistory and antiquity
Prehistoric cultures in the Bulgarian lands include the
NeolithicThe Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BCE in the Middle East that is traditionally considered the last part of the Stone Age...
Hamangia cultureHamangia was a Middle Neolithic culture in Dobruja to the right bank of the Danube in Muntenia and in the south. It is named after the site of Baia-Hamangia.-Genesis:...
and
Vinča cultureThe Vinča culture was an early culture of neolithic Europe between the 6th and the 3rd millennium BC, stretching around the course of Danube in what today is Serbia, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Bulgaria and Macedonia, although traces of it can be found all around the Balkans,...
(6th to 3rd millennia BC), the eneolithic
Varna cultureThe Varna culture belongs to the late Eneolithic of northern Bulgaria. It is conventionally dated between 4400-4100 BC cal, that is, contemporary with Karanovo VI in the South...
(5th millennium BC; see also
Varna NecropolisThe Varna Necropolis is a burial site in the western industrial zone of Varna , Bulgaria, internationally considered one of the key archaeological sites in world prehistory.-Discovery and excavation:The site was accidentally discovered in October 1972 by excavator operator Raycho...
), and the
Bronze AgeThe Bronze Age of a culture is the period when the most advanced metalworking in that culture utilised bronze. This could either have been based on the local smelting of copper and tin from ores, or trading for bronze from production areas elsewhere...
Ezero cultureThe Ezero culture, 3300—2700 BC, was a Bronze Age archaeological culture occupying most of present-day Bulgaria. It takes its name from the Tell-settlement of Ezero....
. The Karanovo chronology serves as a gauge for the prehistory of the wider Balkans region.
The
ThraciansThe ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes who spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
, one of the three primary ancestors of modern Bulgarians, left lasting traces throughout the Balkan region despite the tumultuous subsequent millennia. The Thracians lived in separate tribes until King
TeresTeres I , was the first king of the Odrysian state of Thrace. Teres was well-known for his military abilities, and spent much of his life on the battlefield. In 445 BC he died during one of his many military campaigns...
united most of them around 500 BC in the
Odrysian kingdomThe Odrysian kingdom was a union of Thracian tribes that endured between the 5th century BC and the 3rd century BC. It consisted largely of present-day Bulgaria, spreading to parts of Romanian Northern Dobruja, parts of Northern Greece and modern-day European Turkey...
, which later peaked under the respective leaderships of kings Sitalces and
Cotys ICotys I or Kotys I was born during the reign of Seuthes I. He became king after he killed the previous Thracian king Hebryzelmis. On gaining the Odrysian kingdom the Athenians made him their ally. In order to make his position stronger Cotys married his daughter to the Athenian general Iphicrates...
(383–359 BC). Thereafter the Macedonian Empire incorporated the Odrysian kingdom and Thracians became an inalienable component in the extra-continental expeditions of both
Philip IIPhilip II of Macedon, Philip II of Macedon, Philip II of Macedon, ( — φίλος = friend + ίππος = horse — transliterated 382 – 336 BC, was an ancient Greek king (basileus) of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip...
and
Alexander III (the Great)Alexander III of Macedon, popularly known as Alexander the Great , was an Ancient Greek king of Macedon who created one of the largest empires in ancient history...
. In 188 BC the
RomansAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
invaded
ThraceThrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded on the north by the Balkan Mountains, on the south by the Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea and on the east by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara...
, and warfare continued until 45 AD when Rome finally conquered the region. Thracian and Roman cultures merged to an extent, although the core traditions of the former remained untouched. Thus by the 4th century the
ThraciansThe ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes who spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
had a composite indigenous identity, as Christian "Romans" who held on to some of their ancient pagan rituals.
The Slavs emerged from their original homeland in the early 6th century and spread to most of Eastern Central Europe, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, dividing in the process into three main branches: the West Slavs, the East Slavs and the South Slavs. A portion of the eastern South Slavs assimilated the Thracians before the Bulgar elite incorporated them into the First Bulgarian Empire.
The First Bulgarian Empire
In 632 the
BulgarsThe Bulgars were originally semi-nomadic people, probably of Turkic descent, originating in Central Asia, who from the 2nd century onwards conquered different parts of Europe...
, originally from
Central AsiaAsia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to northern India in the south. It is also sometimes known as Middle Asia or Inner Asia, and is within the scope of the wider Eurasian continent.Various definitions of its...
, formed under the leadership of Khan
KubratKubrat or Kurt was a Bulgar ruler credited with establishing the confederation of Old Great Bulgaria in 632. He is said to have achieved this by defeating the Avars and uniting all the Bulgar tribes under one rule....
an independent state that became known as Great Bulgaria. Its territory extended from the lower course of the
DanubeThe Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg rivers which join at the German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows...
to the west, the
Black Seaur a loser!The Black Sea is an inland sea bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and various straits. The Bosporus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects it to...
and the Azov Sea to the south, the
Kuban RiverKuban River is a river in Russia, in the North Caucasus region. It flows through the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Stavropol Krai, Krasnodar Krai, and the Republic of Adygea....
to the east, and the Donets River to the north.
Pressure from the
KhazarsThe Khazars were a semi-nomadic Turkic people who dominated the Pontic steppe and the North Caucasus from the 7th to the 10th century CE. The name 'Khazar' seems to be tied to a Turkic verb form meaning "wandering"....
led to the subjugation of Great Bulgaria in the second half of the 7th century.
KubratKubrat or Kurt was a Bulgar ruler credited with establishing the confederation of Old Great Bulgaria in 632. He is said to have achieved this by defeating the Avars and uniting all the Bulgar tribes under one rule....
’s successor, Khan
AsparuhAsparuh or Isperih was ruler of a Bulgar tribe in the second half of the 7th century and is credited with the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 680/681. He is the most famous Bulgar ruler...
, migrated with some of the Bulgar tribes to the lower courses of the rivers
DanubeThe Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg rivers which join at the German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows...
,
DniesterThe Dniester is a river in Eastern Europe.-Geography:The Dniester rises in Ukraine, near the city of Drohobych, close to the border with Poland, and flows toward the Black Sea. Its course marks part of the border of Ukraine and Moldova, after which it flows through Moldova for , separating the...
and Dniepr (known as
Ongal), and conquered
MoesiaMoesia was an ancient region and Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River...
and
Scythia MinorScythia Minor, "Lesser Scythia" was in ancient times the region surrounded by the Danube at the north and west and the Black Sea at the east, corresponding to today's Dobrogea, with a large part in Romania and a very small part in Bulgaria.The earliest description of the region is found in...
(Dobrudzha) from the
Byzantine EmpireThe Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors in direct and de jure succession to the ancient Roman Emperors...
, expanding his new khanate further into the Balkan Peninsula. A peace treaty with Byzantium in 681 and the establishment of the Bulgar capital of
PliskaPliska is the name of both the first capital of Danubian Bulgaria and a small town which was renamed after the historical Pliska after its site was determined and excavations began.- Historical Pliska :Pliska was the capital of Bulgaria between 681 and 893 AD...
south of the Danube mark the beginning of the
First Bulgarian EmpireThe First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in AD 632 in the lands near the Danube Delta and disintegrated in AD 1018 after its annexation to the Byzantine Empire. At the height of its power it spread between Budapest and the Black Sea and from the Dnieper river in modern...
. At the same time one of Asparuh's brothers,
KuberKhan Kuber was a Bulgar leader, probably brother of Khan Asparukh and member of the Dulo clan, who according to the Miracles of St Demetrius, in the 670s was the leader of a mixed Christian population of Bulgars, ‘Romans’, Slavs and Germanic people that had been transferred to the Srem region in...
, settled with another
BulgarBulgar may refer to:*Bulgars, an ancient group of peoples from Central Asia*Bulgar language, the extinct language of the Bulgars*Bulgarians, a contemporary nation in Eastern Europe*Bolghar, a capital city of the Volga Bulgaria...
group in
MacedoniaMacedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but the region is nowadays held to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania and Serbia...
.
During the siege of Constantinople in 717–718 the Bulgarian ruler Khan
TervelTervel also called Tarvel, or Terval, or Terbelis in some Byzantine sources, was the ruler of the Bulgarians at the beginning of the 8th century. In 705 he received the title Caesar which was a precedent in history. He was probably a Christian like his grandfather Khan Kubrat...
honoured his treaty with the Byzantines by sending troops to help the populace of the imperial city. According to the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes, in the decisive battle the Bulgarians killed 22,000 Arabs, thereby eliminating the threat of a full-scale Arab invasion into Eastern and Central Europe.
The influence and territorial expansion of Bulgaria increased further during the rule of
Khan KrumKrum was Khan of Bulgaria, from sometime after 796, but before 803, to 814 AD. During his reign the Bulgarian territory doubled in size, spreading from the middle Danube to the Dnieper and from Odrin to the Tatra Mountains.-Family Origin:...
, who in 811 won a decisive victory against the Byzantine army led by Nicephorus I in the
Battle of PliskaThe Battle of Pliska or Battle of Vărbitsa Pass was a series of battles between troops, gathered from all parts of the Byzantine Empire, led by the Emperor Nicephorus I Genik, and Bulgaria, governed by Khan Krum...
.
In 864, Bulgaria under
Boris I The BaptistBoris I or sometimes Boris-Mihail , also known as Bogoris was the ruler of Bulgaria 852–889. At the time of his baptism in 864, Boris was named Michael after his godfather, Emperor Michael III.-Name and titles:...
accepted
Eastern Orthodox ChristianityThe Orthodox Church, also officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to in English speaking countries as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the world's second largest Christian communion, estimated to number 225 million members...
.
Bulgaria became a major European power in the ninth and the tenth centuries, while fighting with the Byzantine Empire for the control of the Balkans. This happened under the rule (852–889) of
Boris IBoris I or sometimes Boris-Mihail , also known as Bogoris was the ruler of Bulgaria 852–889. At the time of his baptism in 864, Boris was named Michael after his godfather, Emperor Michael III.-Name and titles:...
. During his reign, the
Cyrillic alphabetThe Cyrillic script writing system isan alphabet developed in the First Bulgarian Empire, and used in the Slavic national languages of Russian, Bulgarian, Belarusian, Rusyn, Serbian, Macedonian, and Ukrainian, and in the non-Slavic languages of Moldovan, Kazakh, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Tuvan, and...
developed in
PreslavPreslav was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire from 893 to 972 and one of the most important cities of medieval Southeastern Europe. The ruins of the city are situated in modern northeastern Bulgaria, some 20 kilometres southwest of the regional capital of Shumen, and are currently a...
and
OhridOhrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has been...
,
adapted from the
Glagolitic alphabetThe Glagolitic alphabet , also known as Glagolitsa, is the oldest known Slavic alphabet. The name was not coined until many centuries after its creation, and comes from the Old Slavic glagolъ "utterance"...
invented by the monks
Saints Cyril and MethodiusSaints Cyril and Methodius were Greek brothers born in Thessaloniki in the 9th century, who became missionaries of Christianity among the Slavic peoples of Great Moravia and Pannonia. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they received the title...
.
The Cyrillic alphabet became the basis for further cultural development. Centuries later, this alphabet, along with the
Old BulgarianOld Bulgarian may refer to:* An alternative name for the Old Church Slavonic language* The Bulgarian recension of Old Church Slavonic ....
language, fostered the intellectual written language (
lingua franca) for Eastern Europe, known as Church Slavonic. The greatest territorial extension of the Bulgarian Empire—covering most of the Balkans—occurred under
Emperor Simeon I the GreatSimeon I the Great ruled over Bulgaria from 893 to 927, during the First Bulgarian Empire. Simeon's successful campaigns against the Byzantines, Magyars and Serbs led Bulgaria to its greatest territorial expansion ever, making it the most powerful state in contemporary Eastern Europe...
, the first Bulgarian
TsarTsar or czar , occasionally spelled csar or Tzar in English, is a Slavic term with Bulgarian origins used to designate certain monarchs...
(
EmperorAn emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress is the female equivalent. As a title, "empress" may indicate the wife of an emperor or a woman who rules in her own right...
), who ruled from 893 to 927. The Battle of Anchialos (917), one of the bloodiest battles in the
Middle agesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
.
marked one of Bulgaria's most decisive victories against the Byzantines.
However, Simeon's greatest achievement consisted of Bulgaria developing a rich, unique Christian Slavonic culture, which became an example for the other Slavonic peoples in Eastern Europe and also ensured the continued existence of the Bulgarian nation despite forces that threatened to tear it into pieces throughout its long and war-ridden history.
Bulgaria declined in the mid-tenth century, worn out by wars with
CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a country in southeast Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Zagreb...
, by frequent Serbian rebellions sponsored by Byzantine gold, and by disastrous Magyar and Pecheneg invasions. Because of this, Bulgaria collapsed in the face of an assault of the
Rus'Kievan Rus , usually written simply Kievan Rus and sometimes Kyivan Rus, was a medieval state which existed from approximately 880 to the middle of the 13th century...
in 969–971.
The Byzantines then began campaigns to conquer Bulgaria. In 971, they seized the capital
PreslavPreslav was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire from 893 to 972 and one of the most important cities of medieval Southeastern Europe. The ruins of the city are situated in modern northeastern Bulgaria, some 20 kilometres southwest of the regional capital of Shumen, and are currently a...
and captured Emperor Boris II. Resistance continued under Tsar Samuil in the western Bulgarian lands for nearly half a century. The country managed to recover and defeated the Byzantines in several major battles, taking the control of the most of the Balkans and in 991 invaded the Serbian state. But the Byzantines led by
Basil IIBasil II, later surnamed the Bulgar-slayer , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his...
("the Bulgar-Slayer") destroyed the Bulgarian state in 1018 after their victory at
KleidionThe Battle of Kleidion took place on July 29, 1014 between the Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantine Empire...
.
Byzantine Bulgaria
No evidence remains of major resistance or any uprising of the Bulgarian population or nobility in the first decade after the establishment of Byzantine rule. Given the existence of such irreconcilable opponents to Byzantium as
KrakraKrakra of Pernik , also known as Krakra Voevoda or simply Krakra, was an 11th-century feudal lord in the First Bulgarian Empire whose domain encompassed 36 castles in what is today southwestern Bulgaria, with his capital at Pernik...
,
NikulitsaNikulitsa was a Bulgarian noble, governor of Servia during the reign of Emperor Samuil. He was called with that intimate name because of his short height. In 1001 the Byzantines led by Basil II besieged the city and after a long siege they managed to make a break-through despite the desperate...
, Dragash and others, such apparent passivity seems difficult to explain. Some historians
explain this as a consequence of the concessions that
Basil IIBasil II, later surnamed the Bulgar-slayer , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his...
granted the Bulgarian nobility in order to gain their allegiance. In the first place, Basil II guaranteed the indivisibility of Bulgaria in its former geographic borders and did not officially abolish the local rule of the Bulgarian nobility, who became part of
Byzantine aristocracyThe Byzantine Empire had a complex system of aristocracy and bureaucracy, which was inherited from the Roman Empire. At the apex of the pyramid stood the Emperor, sole ruler and divinely ordained, but beneath him a multitude of officials and court functionaries operated the administrative machinery...
as
archonArchon is a Greek word that means "ruler", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem ἀρχ-, meaning "to rule", derived from the same root as monarch, hierarchy and anarchy.- Ancient Greece :In the early literary period of...
s or
strategoiStrategos, plural strategoi is used in Greek to mean "general". In the Hellenistic and Byzantine Empires the term was also used to describe a military governor...
. Secondly, special charters (royal decrees) of Basil II recognised the
autocephalyAutocephaly, in hierarchical Christian churches and especially Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, is the status of a hierarchical church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop...
of the
Bulgarian Archbishopric of OhridThe Archbishopric of Ohrid was an autonomous Orthodox Church under the tutelage of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople between 1019 and 1767. In 972, Byzantine Emperor John I Tzimisces conquered and burned down Preslav capturing Bulgarian Tsar Boris II. The Patriarch Damyan managed to...
and set up its boundaries, securing the continuation of the
dioceseIn some forms of Christianity, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a bishop. It is also referred to as a bishopric or Episcopal Area or episcopal see, though strictly the term episcopal see refers to the domain of ecclesiastical authority officially held by the bishop,...
s already existing under Samuel, their property and other privileges.
The people of Bulgaria challenged Byzantine rule several times in the 11th century and again in the early 12th century. The biggest
uprisingThe Uprising of Peter Delyan , which took place in 1040-1041, was a major Bulgarian rebellion against the Byzantine Empire. It was the largest and best-organised attempt to restore the former Bulgarian Empire until the rebellion of Ivan Asen I and Petar IV in 1185.- Prerequisites for the uprising...
occurred under the leadership of Peter II Delyan (proclaimed Emperor of Bulgaria in
BelgradeBelgrade Belgrade Belgrade (Serbian Cyrillic: Београд, Serbian Latin: Beograd (meaning "White City" in Serbian) is the capital and largest city of Serbia. The city lies on two international waterways, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where Central Europe's Pannonian Plain meets...
in 1040). From the mid 11th century to the 1150s, both
NormansThe Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. They descended from Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of mostly Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
and Hungarians attempted to invade Byzantine Bulgaria, but without success. Bulgarian nobles ruled the province in the name of the Byzantine Empire until Ivan Asen I and
Peter IV of BulgariaPeter IV ruled as emperor of Bulgaria 1185-1197. The names of his parents are unknown, and before he was proclaimed emperor in 1185, Peter IV was named Theodore...
started a rebellion in 1185 which led to the establishment of the
Second Bulgarian EmpireThe Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually declining to be conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
.
The Second Bulgarian Empire
From 1185, the
Second Bulgarian EmpireThe Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually declining to be conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
re-established Bulgaria as an important
powerPower in international relations is defined in several different ways. Political scientists, historians, and practitioners of international relations have used the following concepts of political power:*Power as a goal of states or leaders;...
in the Balkans for two more centuries. The
Asen dynastyThe Asen dynasty were a dynasty of rulers of a medieval Bulgarian state, called in modern histography the Second Bulgarian Empire, between 1187 and 1280....
set up its capital in
Veliko TarnovoVeliko Tarnovo is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province...
. Kaloyan, the third of the Asen monarchs, extended his dominions to
BelgradeBelgrade Belgrade Belgrade (Serbian Cyrillic: Београд, Serbian Latin: Beograd (meaning "White City" in Serbian) is the capital and largest city of Serbia. The city lies on two international waterways, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where Central Europe's Pannonian Plain meets...
, Nish and Skopie (Uskub); he acknowledged the spiritual supremacy of the pope, and received the royal crown from a papal legate. In the
Battle of AdrianopleThe Battle of Adrianople occurred on April 14, 1205 between Bulgarians under Tsar Kaloyan of Bulgaria, and Crusaders under Baldwin I. It was won by the Bulgarians after a skillful ambush using the help of their Cuman and Greek allies. Around 300 knights were killed, including Louis of Blois, Duke...
in 1205, Kaloyan defeated the forces of the
Latin EmpireThe Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261...
and thus limited its power from the very first year of its establishment.
Ivan Asen II (1218–1241) extended his rule over
AlbaniaAlbania , officially the Republic of Albania , is a Mediterranean country in South Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro to the north, Kosovo to the northeast, Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south-east...
,
EpirusThe Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204...
, Macedonia and Thrace. During his reign, the state saw a period of cultural growth, with important artistic achievements of the Tarnovo artistic school. The Asen dynasty ended in 1257, and due to
Tatar invasionsThe Mongol invasion of Europe from the east took place over the course of three centuries, from the Middle Ages to the early modern period.The terms Tatars or Tartars are applied to nomadic Turkic peoples who, themselves, were conquered by Mongols and incorporated into their horde...
(beginning in the later 13th century), internal conflicts, and constant attacks from the Byzantines and the Hungarians, the power of the country declined. Emperor
Theodore SvetoslavTheodore Svetoslav ruled as emperor of Bulgaria from 1300 to 1322. The date of his birth is unknown. He was a wise and capable ruler who brought stability and relative prosperity to the Bulgarian Empire after two decades of constant Mongol intervention in the internal issues of the Empire...
(reigned 1300–1322) restored Bulgarian prestige from 1300 onwards, but only temporarily. Political instability continued to grow, and Bulgaria gradually began to lose territory. This led to a peasant rebellion led by swineherd,
IvayloIvaylo , nicknamed Bardokva or Lakhanas in Greek, was a rebel leader and emperor of Bulgaria. In 1277, he spearheaded a peasant uprising, and forced the nobles to accept him as emperor...
, who eventually managed to defeat the Emperor's forces and sit on the throne.
By the end of the 14th century, factional divisions between Bulgarian feudal landlords (
boyars) had gravely weakened the cohesion of the Second Bulgarian Empire. It split into three small Tsardoms and several semi-independent principalities which fought among themselves, and also with Byzantines, Hungarians, Serbs, Venetians, and Genoese. In these battles, Bulgarians often allied themselves with Ottoman Turks. Similar situations of internecine quarrel and infighting existed also in Byzantium and Serbia. In the period 1365–1370, the Ottomans conquered most Bulgarian towns and fortresses south of the Balkan Mountains.
Ottoman rule
In 1393, the Ottomans captured Tarnovo, the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, after a three-month siege. In 1396, the Vidin Tsardom fell after the defeat of a Christian crusade at the
Battle of NicopolisThe Battle of Nicopolis took place on September 25, 1396, between the Ottoman Empire versus an allied force from the Kingdom of Hungary, France, the Knights Hospitaller, and the Republic of Venice, as well as smaller contingents and individuals from elsewhere in Europe, near the Danubian fortress...
. With this, the Ottomans finally subjugated and occupied Bulgaria.
A
PolishPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
–
HungarianHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
crusade commanded by Władysław III of Poland set out to free the Balkans in 1444, but the Turks defeated it in the
battle of VarnaThe Battle of Varna took place on November 10, 1444 near Varna in eastern Bulgaria. In this battle the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Murad II defeated the Polish and Hungarian armies under Władysław III of Poland and János Hunyadi...
.
The Ottomans decimated the Bulgarian population, which lost most of its cultural relics. Turkish authorities destroyed most of the medieval Bulgarian fortresses in order to prevent rebellions. Large towns and the areas where Ottoman power predominated remained severely depopulated until the 19th century. Bulgarians had to pay much higher taxes than the
Muslim:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits ". Muslim is the participle of the same verb of which Islam is the infinitive. Muslims believe that there is only one God, translated in Arabic as Allah...
population, and completely lacked judicial equality with them. Bulgarians who converted to Islam, the
PomaksPomaks are a Bulgarian speaking, Muslim population group native to some parts of Bulgaria, specifically southern Bulgaria, and the adjacent parts of Greece and Turkey. Members of the group today declare a variety of ethnic identities, Bulgarian, Turkish, Greek, Pomak or Muslim...
, retained Bulgarian language, dress and some customs compatible with Islam.
During the last two decades of the 18th and first decades of the 19th centuries the Balkan Peninsula dissolved into virtual anarchy. Bulgarians refer to this period as the
kurdjaliistvo: armed bands of Turks called
kurdjalii plagued the area. In many regions, thousands of peasants fled from the countryside either to local towns or (more commonly) to the hills or forests; some even fled beyond the
DanubeThe Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg rivers which join at the German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows...
to
MoldovaMoldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east and south....
,
WallachiaWallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
or southern
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Throughout the five centuries of Ottoman rule, the Bulgarian people organized many attempts to re-establish their own state. The
National awakening of BulgariaBulgarian nationalism emerged in the early 19th century under the influence of western ideas such as liberalism and nationalism, which trickled into the country after the French revolution, mostly via Greece, although the first Bulgarian historical text Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya was written in...
became one of the key factors in the struggle for
liberationIn Bulgarian historiography, the term Liberation of Bulgaria is used to denote the events of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 that led to the establishment of a Bulgarian state with the Treaty of San Stefano of 3 March, 1878...
. The 19th century saw the creation of the
Bulgarian Revolutionary Central CommitteeThe Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee or BRCK was a Bulgarian revolutionary organisation founded in 1869 among the Bulgarian emigrant circles in Romania. The decisive influence for the establishment of the committee was exerted by the Svoboda newspaper which Lyuben Karavelov began to...
and the
Internal Revolutionary OrganisationThe Internal Revolutionary Organisation or IRO was a Bulgarian revolutionary organisation founded and built up by Bulgarian revolutionary Vasil Levski in the period between 1869 and 1871. The organisation represented a network of regional revolutionary committees which were governed by a Central...
led by liberal revolutionaries such as
Vasil LevskiVasil Levski was the nickname of Vasil Ivanov Kunchev , a Bulgarian revolutionary renowned as the national hero of Bulgaria. Dubbed the Apostle of Freedom, Levski ideologised and strategised a revolutionary movement to liberate Bulgaria from Ottoman rule...
,
Hristo BotevHristo Botev , born Hristo Botyov Petkov , was a Bulgarian poet and national revolutionary. Botev is widely considered by Bulgarians to be a symbolic historical figure and national hero.-Early years:Botev was born in Kalofer...
,
Lyuben KaravelovLyuben Stoychev Karavelov was a Bulgarian writer and an important figure of the Bulgarian National Revival.Karavelov was born in Koprivshtitsa. He began his education in a church school, but in 1850 he moved to the school of Nayden Gerov in Plovdiv...
and many others.
In 1876 the
April uprisingThe April Uprising was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876, which indirectly resulted in the re-establishment of Bulgaria as an autonomous nation in 1878...
broke out: the largest and best-organized Bulgarian rebellion against the Ottoman Empire. Though crushed by the Ottoman authorities, the uprising (together with the 1875
rebellion in BosniaThe Herzegovinian Rebellion of 1875 is the most significant of the rebellions against the Ottoman rule in Herzegovina...
) prompted the Great Powers to convene the 1876 Conference of Constantinople, which delimited the ethnic Bulgarian territories as of the late 19th century, and elaborated the legal and political arrangements for establishing two autonomous Bulgarian provinces. The Ottoman Government declined to comply with the Great Powers’ decisions. This allowed
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to seek a solution by force without risking military confrontation with other Great Powers as in the
Crimean WarThe Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire on one side and an alliance of the British Empire, France, the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia on the other. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
of 1854 to 1856.
Principality and Kingdom
In the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-1878, Russian soldiers together with a
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
n expeditionary force and volunteer Bulgarian troops defeated the Ottoman armies. The
Treaty of San StefanoThe Preliminary Treaty of San Stefano was a treaty between Russia and the Ottoman Empire signed at the end of the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–78...
(3 March 1878), set up an autonomous Bulgarian principality. But the Western
Great PowersA great power is a nation or state that has the ability to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess economic, military, diplomatic, and cultural strength, which may cause other smaller nations to consider the opinions of great powers before taking actions of...
immediately rejected the treaty, fearing that a large Slavic country in the
BalkansThe Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
might serve Russian interests. This led to the
Treaty of Berlin (1878)The Treaty of Berlin was the final act of the Congress of Berlin , by which the United Kingdom, Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Hamid revised the Treaty of San Stefano signed on March 3 of the same year. The most important task of the Congress was...
which provided for an autonomous Bulgarian principality comprising
MoesiaMoesia was an ancient region and Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River...
and the region of
SofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city by population in the European Union, with 1.4 million people living in the Capital Municipality...
. Alexander, Prince of Battenberg, became Bulgaria's first Prince. Most of
ThraceThrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded on the north by the Balkan Mountains, on the south by the Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea and on the east by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara...
became part of the autonomous region of
Eastern RumeliaEastern Rumelia or Eastern Roumelia was an autonomous province in the Ottoman Empire from 1878 to 1908, however it was under Bulgarian control from 1885, when it de facto annexed by the Principality of Bulgaria...
, whereas the rest of Thrace and all of
MacedoniaMacedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but the region is nowadays held to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania and Serbia...
returned to the sovereignty of the Ottomans. After the
Serbo-Bulgarian WarThe Serbo-Bulgarian War was a war between Serbia and Bulgaria that erupted on 14 November 1885 and lasted until 28 November the same year. Final peace was signed on 19 February 1886 in Bucharest...
and unification with
Eastern RumeliaEastern Rumelia or Eastern Roumelia was an autonomous province in the Ottoman Empire from 1878 to 1908, however it was under Bulgarian control from 1885, when it de facto annexed by the Principality of Bulgaria...
in 1885, the Bulgarian principality proclaimed itself a fully independent kingdom on 5 October (22 September O.S.), 1908, during the reign of
Ferdinand I of BulgariaFerdinand , born Prince Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was the Knjaz and later Tsar of Bulgaria as well as an author, botanist, entomologist and philatelist....
.
Ferdinand, of the ducal family of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, became the Bulgarian Prince after Alexander von Battenberg abdicated in 1886 following a
coup d'état staged by pro-Russian army-officers. (Although the counter-
coup coordinated by
Stefan StambolovStefan Nikolov Stambolov was a Bulgarian statesman, in his capacity as Prime Minister and Prince Regent of Bulgaria. He is considered one of the most important and popular "Founders of Modern Bulgaria" and is sometimes referred to as "the Bulgarian Bismarck".- Early years :Stambolov was born in...
succeeded, Prince Alexander decided not to remain the Bulgarian ruler without the approval of
Alexander III of RussiaAlexander III Alexandrovich reigned as Emperor of Russia from 13 March 1881 until his death in 1894.-Early life:...
.) The struggle for liberation of the Bulgarians in the Adrianople Vilayet and in Macedonia continued throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, culminating with the
Ilinden-Preobrazhenie UprisingThe Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising or simply the Ilinden Uprising of August 1903 was an organized revolt against the Ottoman Empire, which was prepared and carried out by the Secret Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization. The British researcher of the Balkans H. N...
organised by the
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary OrganizationThe Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization , was the name of from a revolutionary, Bulgarian national liberation movement in the Ottoman territories in Europe, that operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
in 1903.
The Balkan Wars and World War I
In the years following the achievement of complete independence Bulgaria became increasingly militarised: Dillon in 1920 called Bulgaria "the
PrussiaPrussia was a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries this state had substantial influence on German and European history...
of the Balkans"
In 1912 and 1913, Bulgaria became involved in the
Balkan WarsThe Balkan Wars were two wars in South-eastern Europe in 1912–1913. The First Balkan War broke out on 8 October 1912 when Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro and Serbia , having large parts of their ethnic populations under Ottoman sovereignty, attacked the Ottoman Empire, terminating its five-century...
, first entering into conflict alongside Greece, Serbia and Montenegro against the Ottoman Empire. The
First Balkan WarThe First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies, and achieved rapid success...
(1912–1913) proved a success for the Bulgarian army, but a conflict over the division of Macedonia arose between the victorious allies. The
Second Balkan WarThe Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria dissatisfied from its share after the division of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies repulsed the Bulgarian offensive and counter-attacked...
(1913) pitted Bulgaria against Greece and Serbia, joined by Romania and Turkey. After its defeat in the Second Balkan War Bulgaria lost considerable territory conquered in the first war, as well as Southern Dobrudzha and parts of the
region of MacedoniaMacedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but the region is nowadays held to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania and Serbia...
.
During
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, Bulgaria found itself fighting again on the losing side as a result of its alliance with the
Central PowersThe Central Powers was one of the two sides that participated in World War I, the other being the Entente Powers.-Member states:...
. Defeat in 1918 led to new territorial losses (the
Western OutlandsThe Western Outlands is a term used by Bulgarians to describe several territorially separate regions located in southeastern Serbia and eastern Macedonia which at one point passed directly from Bulgaria to Yugoslavia.The territories in question were ceded by Bulgaria to the Kingdom of the Serbs,...
to
SerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country located in both Central and Southeastern Europe. Its territory covers the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and central part of the Balkans...
,
Western ThraceThrace is a geographic and historical region of Greece, located between the Nestos and Evros rivers in the northeast of the country. Together with the regions of Macedonia and Epirus, it is often referred to informally as northern Greece...
to
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
and the re-conquered Southern Dobrudzha to
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
). The Balkan Wars and World War I led to the influx of over 250,000 Bulgarian refugees from
MacedoniaMacedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but the region is nowadays held to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania and Serbia...
, Eastern and
Western ThraceThrace is a geographic and historical region of Greece, located between the Nestos and Evros rivers in the northeast of the country. Together with the regions of Macedonia and Epirus, it is often referred to informally as northern Greece...
and Southern Dobrudzha.
World War II
In the 1930s the country suffered political unrest, which led to the establishment of
military ruleMilitary rule may mean:* Militarism or militarist ideology - the ideology of government as best served when under military control* Military occupation, when a country or area is occupied after invasion.** List of military occupations...
, eventually transforming into a royal
authoritarian ruleAuthoritarianism describes a form of government characterized by an emphasis on the authority of state in a republic or union. It is a political system controlled by typically non-elected rulers who usually permit some degree of individual freedom....
by King
Boris IIIBoris III the Unifier, Tsar of Bulgaria , originally Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver , son of Ferdinand I, came to the throne in 1918 upon the abdication of his father, following the defeat of the Kingdom of Bulgaria during World War I...
(reigned 1918–1943). After regaining control of Southern Dobrudzha in 1940, Bulgaria became allied with the
Axis PowersThe Axis powers comprised the countries that were opposed to the Allies during World War II. The three major Axis powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan—were part of a military alliance on the signing of the Tripartite Pact in September 1940, which officially founded the Axis powers...
, although it declined to participate in
Operation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa was the code name for Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a 2,900 km front...
(1941) and never declared war on the
USSRThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
. During World War II
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
allowed Bulgaria to occupy parts of
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
and of
YugoslaviaThe Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a kingdom stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
, although control over their population and territories remained in German hands. Bulgaria became one of only three countries (along with
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
and
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
) that saved its entire Jewish population (around 50,000 people) from the
NaziNazism, known officially in German as National Socialism , is the totalitarian ideology and practices of the Nazi Party or National Socialist German Workers’ Party under Adolf Hitler, and the policies adopted by the dictatorial government of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945.Nazism is often considered...
camps through different rationales and the continued postponement of compliance with German demands. However, the Nazis deported almost the entire Jewish population of the Bulgarian-occupied Yugoslav and Greek territories to the
Treblinka death campTreblinka II was a Nazi German extermination camp in occupied Poland during World War II. Around 850,000 people - more than 99.5 percent of whom were Jews, but also other victims - were killed there between July 1942 and October 1943; the camp was closed after a revolt during which a few Germans...
in occupied Poland.
In the summer of 1943, Boris III died suddenly, and the country fell into political turmoil as the war turned against Nazi Germany and the communist movement gained more power. In early September 1944, the Soviet Union declared war on Bulgaria and invaded it, meeting no resistance. This enabled the Communists (the
Bulgarian Workers' PartyThe Bulgarian Communist Party was the name of the communist and Marxist-Leninist ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1946 until 1990 when the country ceased to be a Communist state...
) to seize power and establish a
communist stateIn political science, a Communist state is a state with a form of government characterized by single-party rule of a Communist party and a professed allegiance to a communist ideology as the guiding principle of the state....
. The new régime turned Bulgaria's forces against Germany.
The People's Republic of Bulgaria
The
Fatherland FrontThe Fatherland Front was originally a Bulgarian political resistance movement during World War II. The Zveno movement, the communist Bulgarian Workers Party, a wing of the Agrarian Union and the Bulgarian Social Democratic Party, were all part of the FF...
, a Communist-dominated political coalition, took over the government in 1944 and the Communist party increased its membership from 15,000 to 250,000 during the following six months. It established its rule with the
coup d'état of September 9The Bulgarian coup d'état of 1944, also known as the 9 September coup d'état and called in pre-1989 Bulgaria the National Uprising of 9 September or the Revolution of 9 September, was a forceful shuffle in the Kingdom of Bulgaria's state authority carried out on the eve of 9 September 1944...
that year. However, Bulgaria did not become a
people's republicPeople's Republic, also especially in other languages Popular Republic, is a title that has often been used by Marxist-Leninist governments to describe their state...
until 1946. It fell under the Soviet sphere of influence, with
Georgi DimitrovGeorgi Dimitrov Mikhaylov , also known as Georgi Mikhaylovich Dimitrov , was a Bulgarian Communist leader.- Early career :...
(Prime Minister 1946 to 1949) as the foremost Bulgarian political
leaderA leader is one who influences others.Leader may also refer to:- Media :* Leader , a fictional character from Marvel Comics* Leader , a 1964 Hindi film starring Dilip Kumar* The Leader...
. The country installed a Soviet-type
planned economyA planned economy or directed economy is an economic system in which the state or workers' councils manage the economy. It is an economic system in which the central government makes all decisions on the production and consumption of goods and services...
, although some market-oriented policies emerged on an experimental level under
Todor ZhivkovTodor Hristov Zhivkov was a communist politician and leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from March 4, 1954 until November 10, 1989.- Early life :...
(First Secretary, 1954 to 1989). By the mid
1950sThe 1950s was the decade that ran from January 1, 1950, to December 31, 1959. During the early 1950s in the United States manufacturing and home construction was on the rise as the American economy was on the upswing. The Korean War and the beginning of the Cold War created a politically...
standards of living rose significantly, and in 1957 collective farm workers benefited from the first agricultural pension and welfare system in
Eastern EuropeEastern Europe is a region lying in the Eastern part of Europe. The term is highly context-dependent and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. Todor Zhivkov dominated the country from 1956 to 1989, thus becoming one of the most estalished Eastern Bloc leaders. Zhivkov asserted Bulgaria's position as the most reliable Soviet ally, and increased its overall importance in the
ComeconThe Council for Mutual Economic Assistance , 1949–1991, was an economic organization of communist states and a kind of Eastern Bloc equivalent to—but less geographically inclusive than—the European Economic Community...
. His daughter
Lyudmila ZhivkovaLyudmila Todorova Zhivkova was the daughter of Bulgarian Communist leader Todor Zhivkov, who reached the rank of senior Bulgarian Communist Party functionary and Politburo member. Her life remains uniquely controversial and colourful in the history of Communist Bulgaria and that of the Soviet...
became very popular in the country by promoting national heritage, culture and arts on a global scale. On the other hand, a forced assimilation campaign of the late 1980s directed against ethnic Turks resulted in the emigration of some 300,000
Bulgarian TurksTurks in Bulgaria constituted 9.4% of the total population in 2001 and are the largest minority group in Bulgaria. The Turks in Bulgaria are descendants of the early Turkic settlers who came from Anatolia across the narrows of the Dardanelles and the Bosporus following the Ottoman conquest of the...
to Turkey. This severely damaged Zhivkov's image and increased even more the already existing overall discontent with the stagnating system.
The People's Republic ended in 1989 as many Communist regimes in
Eastern EuropeEastern Europe is a region lying in the Eastern part of Europe. The term is highly context-dependent and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, as well as the Soviet Union itself, began to collapse. Opposition forced Zhivkov and his right-hand man Milko Balev to give up their power on 10 November 1989.
The Republic of Bulgaria
In February 1990 the Communist Party voluntarily gave up its monopoly on power, and in June 1990 free elections took place, won by the moderate wing of the Communist Party (renamed the
Bulgarian Socialist PartyThe Bulgarian Socialist Party is a political party in Bulgaria and successor to the Bulgarian Communist Party. The BSP is a member of the Socialist International and is currently led by Sergei Stanishev.-History:...
— BSP). In July 1991, the country adopted a
new constitutionThe Constitution of Bulgaria is the supreme and basic law of the Republic of Bulgaria. The current constitution was adopted on 12 July 1991 by the 7th Grand National Assembly of Bulgaria, and defines the country as a unitary parliamentary republic...
which provided for a relatively weak elected President and for a Prime Minister accountable to the legislature. The 1990s featured high unemployment, unstable (and often high) inflation rates and discontent.
Since 1989, Bulgaria has held multi-party elections and privatized its
economyBulgaria became a member state of the European union in 2007. It is classified as an upper-middle-income country by the World Bank. The Bulgarian economy is a free market economy...
, but economic difficulties and a tide of corruption have led over 800,000 Bulgarians, most of them qualified
profession"A profession is a vocation founded upon specialised educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain"....
als, to emigrate in a "
brain drainBrain drain or human capital flight is a large emigration of individuals with technical skills or knowledge, normally due to conflict, lack of opportunity, political instability, or health risks. Brain drain is usually regarded as an economic cost, since emigrants usually take with them the...
". The reform package introduced in 1997 restored positive economic growth, but led to rising social inequality. Bulgaria became a member of
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
in 2004 and of the
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
in 2007, and the US Library of Congress Federal Research Division reported it in 2006 as having generally good
freedom of speechFreedom of speech is the freedom to speak without censorship or limitation. The synonymous term freedom of expression is sometimes used to indicate not only freedom of verbal speech but any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
and
human rightsHuman rights refer to the "basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the...
records.
In 2007 the A.T. Kearney/Foreign Policy Magazine
globalization indexThis article includes a list of countries of the world sorted by their globalization, the global connectivity, integration and interdependence in the economic, social, technological, cultural, political, and ecological spheres....
ranked Bulgaria 36th (between the
PRCThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
and
IcelandThe Republic of Iceland is a European island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km². Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, whose surrounding area is home to approximately two thirds of the national population...
) out of 122 countries.
Politics
Since 1991 Bulgaria has a democratic,
unitaryA unitary state is a sovereign state governed as one single unit in which the central government is supreme and any administrative divisions exercise only powers that the central government chooses to delegate...
parliamentary republicA parliamentary republic or parliamentary constitutional republic is a type of republic which operates under a parliamentary system of government .- The Power of Parliament :In contrast to republics operating...
an
constitutionThe Constitution of Bulgaria is the supreme and basic law of the Republic of Bulgaria. The current constitution was adopted on 12 July 1991 by the 7th Grand National Assembly of Bulgaria, and defines the country as a unitary parliamentary republic...
.
The country became a member of the
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
in 1955, and a founding member of
OSCEThe Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
in 1995. As a Consultative Party to the Antarctic Treaty, Bulgaria takes part in the administration of the territories situated south of 60° south latitude. The National Assembly or
Narodno Sabranie (Народно събрание) consists of 240 deputies, each elected for four-year terms by popular vote. A party or
coalitionA coalition is an alliance among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in his own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
must win a minimum of 4% of the vote in order to enter the parliament. The National Assembly has the power to enact laws, approve the budget, schedule presidential elections, select and dismiss the Prime Minister and other ministers, declare war, deploy troops abroad, and ratify international treaties and agreements. A
minority governmentA minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when the governing political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament. It is also known as a hung parliament...
formed by the
Citizens for European Development of BulgariaCitizens for European Development of Bulgaria , abbreviated GERB , is a Bulgarian centre-right political party established on 2006-12-03....
party took office following the
election of July 2009Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 5 July 2009. The decisive winner of the elections was Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, led by Sofia mayor Boyko Borisov...
.
The judicial system consists of regional, district and appeal courts, as well as a Supreme Court of Cassation. In addition, Bulgaria has a Supreme Administrative Court and a system of military courts.
The President of Bulgaria serves as the
head of stateHead of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state...
and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He also chairs the Consultative Council for National Security. While unable to initiate
legislationLegislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it. The term may refer to a single law, or the collective body of enacted law, while "statute" is also used to refer to a single law...
other than Constitutional amendments, the President can return a bill for further debate, although the parliament can override the President's veto by vote of a majority of all MPs.
The country joined
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
on 29 March 2004 and signed the
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
Treaty of AccessionThe Treaty of Accession 2005 is an agreement between the member states of European Union and Bulgaria and Romania. It entered into force on 1 January 2007. The Treaty arranged accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU and amended earlier Treaties of the European Union...
on 25 April 2005. It became a full member of the European Union on 1 January 2007, and elects 17 members to the
European ParliamentThe European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union , it forms the bicameral legislative branch of the Union's institutions and has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
Military
The
militaryThe Bulgarian Army represents the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria. The Commander-in-Chief is the President of Bulgaria Georgi Parvanov. The Ministry of Defense is in charge of political leadership while military command remains in the hands of the General Staff, headed by the Chief of Staff...
consists of three services –
land forcesThe Bulgarian Land Forces are one of the service branches of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. Their existence is to be traced back to the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681. In more recent history the Land Forces have played an active role in the Bulgarian participation in the Balkan...
,
navyThe Bulgarian Navy is the navy of Bulgaria and forms part of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. It has been largely overlooked in the reforms that Bulgaria had to go through in order to comply with NATO standards, mostly because of the great expense involved and the fact that naval assaults are not...
and
air forceThe Bulgarian Air Force is a branch of the Bulgarian Army, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and protect the sovereignty of Bulgarian airspace, to provide aerial support and to assist the Land Forces in case of war. The Bulgarian Air Force is...
.
Following a series of reductions beginning in 1989, the active troops number fewer than 45,000 , down from nearly 200,000 in 1988. Reserve forces include 303,000 soldiers and officers. A number of
paramilitaryA paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military force, but which is not regarded as having the same status...
branches, such as border-guard and railroad-construction troops exist and number about 34,000 men. The armed forces have an inventory including highly capable Soviet equipment, such as MiG-29 fighters,
SA-6 GainfulThe 2K12 "Kub" mobile surface-to-air missile system is a Soviet low to medium-level air defence system designed to protect ground forces from air attack. "2К12" is the GRAU designation of the system...
and SA-10 Grumble SAMs and
SS-21 ScarabOTR-21 Tochka is a Soviet short-range tactical ballistic missile. Its GRAU designation is 9K79; its NATO reporting name is SS-21 Scarab. It is transported in a 9P129 vehicle, then erected vertically prior to launch...
short-range ballistic missiles.
Bulgarian military personnel have participated in international missions in
CambodiaThe Kingdom of Cambodia , formerly known as Kampuchea , is a country in South East Asia with a population of over 14 million people. The kingdom's capital and largest city is Phnom Penh...
,
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( or (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian Latin: Bosna i Hercegovina; Serbian Cyrillic: Босна и Херцеговина) is a country in Southeast Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula...
,
KosovoKosovo is a disputed territory in the Balkans. Its majority is governed by the partially-recognised Republic of Kosovo , a self-declared independent state which has de facto control over the territory; the exceptions are some Serb enclaves...
,
AfghanistanThe Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a landlocked country in south central Asia. It is variously described as being located within Central Asia, South Asia, or the Middle East...
and
IraqIraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , also known as Mesopotamia, is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria...
. Bulgaria had more than 700 military personnel deployed abroad, mostly in Afghanistan (610 men), in Bosnia and Herzegovina (about 100 men) and in Kosovo (about 50 men).
In 2008 Bulgaria abolished compulsory military service for its citizens. Bulgaria's naval and air forces became fully
professionalA professional is a member of a vocation founded upon specialised educational training.The word professional traditionally means a person who has obtained a degree in a professional field...
in 2006, and the land forces followed suit at the end of 2008. The Special Forces have conducted missions with the
SASThe Special Air Service is a special forces regiment within the British Army which has served as a model for the special forces of other countries. The SAS forms a significant section of United Kingdom Special Forces alongside the Special Boat Service , Special Reconnaissance Regiment , and the...
,
Delta ForceThe 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta — commonly known as Delta, Delta Force or the Combat Applications Group by the United States Department of Defense, is an elite Special Operations Force and an integral element of the Joint Special Operations Command...
,
KSKThe Kommando Spezialkräfte is part of Germany's Special Forces. Organized under the Special Operations Division The Kommando Spezialkräfte (Special Forces Command, KSK) is part of Germany's Special Forces. Organized under the Special Operations Division The Kommando Spezialkräfte (Special Forces...
, and the
SpetsnazRussian special purpose regiments or Spetsnaz, Specnaz is a general term for "special forces" in Russian, literally "special purpose"...
of Russia.
In April 2006 Bulgaria and the United States of America signed a defence cooperation agreement providing for the usage of the air bases at
BezmerBezmer Air Base is situated in the eastern part of the Upper Thracian Lowland, in Yambol Oblast , 10 km west of the city of Yambol and 30 km southeast of the city of Sliven, between the villages of Bezmer and Bolyarsko, and near the Sofia-Burgas railway...
(near
YambolYambol is a city in southeastern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Yambol Province. It lies on both banks of the Tundzha in the historical region of Thrace. Today, the town has 85,966 inhabitants...
) and
Graf IgnatievoGraf Ignatievo is a village in the Maritsa municipality, southern Bulgaria. As of 2006 it has 2015 inhabitants. There is the major military Graf Ignatievo Air Base of great importance used by the Bulgarian Air Force and the US....
(near
PlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, with a population of 380,312. Known in ancient times as Philippoupolis, it is the administrative center of Plovdiv Province in southern Bulgaria and three municipalities and Bulgaria's Yuzhen tsentralen planning region , as well as the...
), the
Novo SeloThe Novo Selo Training Range is a major Bulgarian military training facility established in 1962, presently used by other NATO nations as well. The range has a surface area of 144 sq. km The Novo Selo Training Range is a major Bulgarian military training facility established in 1962, presently...
training range (near
SlivenSliven is a town in southeast Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Sliven Province. It is a relatively large town with 115,000 inhabitants . Sliven is famous for its Bulgarian Haiduts who fought against the Ottoman Turks in the 19th century and is known as the "City of the 100 Voyvodi", a...
), and a logistics centre in Aytos as joint military facilities.
Foreign Policy magazine lists Bezmer Air Base as one of the six most important overseas facilities used by the
USAFThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. armed forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 - 80 P.L....
.
military spending accounts for 1,98% of GDP.
Provinces and municipalities
Between 1987 and 1999 Bulgaria consisted of nine provinces (
oblasti, singular
oblastOblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
); since 1999, it has consisted of twenty-eight. All take their names from their respective capital cities:
- Blagoevgrad
Blagoevgrad Province , also known as Pirin Macedonia , is a province of southwestern Bulgaria. To the north and east it borders with four other Bulgarian provinces, to the south with Greece and the west with the Republic of Macedonia...
- Burgas
Burgas Province or oblast is located in southeastern Bulgaria, on the southern Black Sea coast. Its capital is the city of Burgas. It is the largest province by area, ahead of Sofia Province, and fourth by population.-Municipalities:...
- Dobrich
Dobrich Province is a province in northeastern Bulgaria.-Municipalities:The Dobrich province contains eight municipalities...
- Gabrovo
Gabrovo is a small province lying at the geographical centre of Bulgaria.-Municipalities:The Gabrovo province contains four municipalities...
- Haskovo
Haskovo Province is a province in southern Bulgaria, neighbouring Greece and Turkey to the southeast. It has a territory of 5,543 km² and population of 279,067. It comprises parts of the Thracian valley along the river Maritsa...
- Kardzhali
Kardzhali Province is a province of southern Bulgaria, neighbouring Greece with the Greek prefectures of Xanthi, Rodhopi and Evros to the south and east. Kardzhali Province area is 3209.1 km²...
- Kyustendil
Kyustendil Province is a province in southwestern Bulgaria, extending over an area of 3084.3 km² , and has a population of 163,889...
- Lovech
Lovech Province is one of the 28 provinces of Bulgaria. Its main city is Lovech.-Municipalities:...
- Montana
Montana Province is a province in northwestern Bulgaria, bordering Serbia and Romania. The average density of the population is .-Municipalities:...
- Pazardzhik
Pazardzhik is a province located in southern Bulgaria and covers 4,458 km². Ranging from 190 to 370 m above sea level, Pazardzhik is home to 319,358 people ....
- Pernik
Pernik Province is a province in western Bulgaria, neighbouring Serbia. Its main city is Pernik, and other municipalities are Breznik, Kovachevtsi, Radomir, Tran, and Zemen.Industry is of vital importance for the economy of the province...
- Pleven
Pleven Province or Plevenska Oblast is a province located in central northern Bulgaria, bordering the Danube river, Romania and the Bulgarian provinces of Vratsa, Veliko Tarnovo and Lovech. Pleven Province embraces a territory of 4,333.54 km² and a population of 310,449...
- Plovdiv
Plovdiv is an oblast in central southern Bulgaria , onе of the 28 Bulgarian provinces. It comprises 18 municipalities Plovdiv is an oblast in central southern Bulgaria (formerly part of Eastern Rumelia), onе of the 28 Bulgarian provinces. It comprises 18 municipalities Plovdiv is an oblast in...
- Razgrad
Razgrad Province is a province in northeastern Bulgaria. The province is geographically part of the Ludogorie region.-Municipalities:...
|
Rousse
Shumen Shumen is a province in northeastern Bulgaria. Its main city is Shumen, and other municipalities are Hitrino, Kaolinovo, Kaspichan, Nikola Kozlevo, Novi Pazar, Smyadovo, Varbitsa, Veliki Preslav, and Venets....
SilistraSilistra Province is a province of Bulgaria, named for its main city, Silistra. The province is known for its pelicans and apricot brandy. Silistra Province is a traditionally agricultural province, mainly because of its fertile soil...
SlivenSliven Province is a province in central Bulgaria. Its main city is Sliven, while other municipalities are Kotel, Nova Zagora, and Tvarditsa....
SmolyanSmolyan Province is a province in southern Bulgaria. It borders Greece and is situated in the Rhodope Mountains...
Sofia City
Sofia ProvinceSofia Province is a province of Bulgaria. It borders three sides of the city of Sofia , but does not include it....
Stara ZagoraStara Zagora is a province of south central Bulgaria. Its main city is Stara Zagora, second biggest city is Kazanlak. There is another town nearby called Radnevo. On the edge of Radnevo there is a coal production facility.Radnevo is 20 kilometers south of Stara Zagora...
TargovishteTargovishte is a province in northeastern Bulgaria. Its main city is Targovishte, and other municipalities are Antonovo, Omurtag, Opaka, and Popovo.-Municipalities:-Technical Infrastructure:...
VarnaVarna Province Varna Province Varna Province ( is a province in northeastern Bulgaria, onе of the 28 Bulgarian provinces. It comprises 12 municipalities (общини, obshtini, sing. общинa, obshtina); its administrative centre is Varna.-Geography:...
Veliko TarnovoVeliko Tarnovo is a province in the middle of the northern part of Bulgaria. Its capital city, Veliko Tarnovo, is of historical significance as it is known as the capital of Medieval Bulgaria....
VidinVidin Province is the northwesternmost province of Bulgaria. It borders Serbia and Romania. Its administrative centre is Vidin on the Danube, and other municipalities are Belogradchik, Boynitsa, Bregovo, Chuprene, Dimovo, Gramada, Kula, Makresh, Novo Selo, and Ruzhintsi.There are remains of many...
VratsaVratsa is a province of north western Bulgaria, that borders with Romania to the north. Its main city is Vratsa, and other municipalities are Borovan, Byala Slatina, Hayredin, Kozloduy, Krivodol, Mezdra, Miziya, Oryahovo, and Roman....
YambolYambol is a province in south eastern Bulgaria, neighbouring Turkey to the south. It is named after its main city Yambol, while other towns include Straldzha, Bolyarovo and Elhovo. It has an area of 3336 km² and, according to the 2001 census, a population of 156,631...
|
The provinces subdivide into 264
municipalitiesThe 28 provinces of Bulgaria are divided into 260 municipalities .-Blagoevgrad Province:# Bansko Municipality # Belitsa Municipality # Blagoevgrad Municipality...
.
Economy
Bulgaria has an industrialised, open free market economy, with a large, moderately advanced private sector and a number of strategic state-owned enterprises.
The
World BankThe World Bank is an international financial institution that provides leveraged loans to poorer countries for capital programs, tied to neoliberal market restructurings...
classifies it as an "upper-middle-income economy".
Bulgaria has experienced rapid economic growth , even though it continues to rank as the lowest-income member state of the EU. According to
EurostatEurostat is a Directorate-General of the European Commission located in Luxembourg. Its main responsibilities are to provide the European Union with statistical information at European level and to promote the harmonisation of statistical methods across the Member States of the European Union,...
data, Bulgarian PPS GDP per capita stood at 40 per cent of the EU average in 2008. The United States Central Intelligence Agency estimated Bulgarians' GDP per capita at $12,900 in 2008, or about a third that of Belgium. The economy relies primarily on industry and agriculture, although the services sector increasingly contributes to GDP growth. Bulgaria produces a significant amount of manufactures and raw materials such as
ironIron is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a group 8 and period 4 element and is therefore classified as a transition metal. Iron and iron alloys are by far the most common metals and the most common ferromagnetic materials in everyday use...
,
copperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is rather soft and malleable and a freshly-exposed surface has a pinkish or peachy color...
,
goldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. It has been a highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Gold is...
,
bismuthBismuth is a chemical element that has the symbol Bi and atomic number 83. This trivalent poor metal chemically resembles arsenic and antimony. Bismuth is heavy and brittle; it has a silvery white color with a pink tinge owing to the surface oxide. Bismuth is the most naturally diamagnetic of all...
,
coalCoal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
,
electronicsElectronics is a branch of science and technology that deals with the controlled flow of electrons. The ability to control electron flow is usually applied to information handling or device control. Electronics is distinct from electrical science and technology, which deals with the generation,...
, refined petroleum fuels,
vehicleA vehicle is a mechanical means of conveyance, a carriage or transport. Most often they are manufactured , although some other means of transport which are not made by humans also may be called vehicles; examples include icebergs and floating tree trunks.Vehicles may be propelled or pulled by...
components, weapons and construction materials.
Due to high-profile allegations of corruption, and an apparent lack of willingness to tackle high-level corruption, the European Union has partly frozen EU funds of about €450 million and may freeze more if Bulgarian authorities do not show solid progress in fighting corruption.
Bulgaria has tamed its inflation since the deep economic crisis in 1996–1997, but figures show an increase in the inflation-rate to 12.5% for 2007. Unemployment declined from more than 17% in the mid 1990s to nearly 7% in 2007, but the unemployment-rate in some rural areas continues in high double-digits. Bulgaria's inflation means that the country's adoption of the
euroThe euro is the official currency of 16 of the 27 Member States of the European Union . The states, known collectively as the Eurozone, are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain...
might not take place until the year 2013–2014.
Economic forecasts for 2005 and 2006 predicted continued growth for the economy. Economists predicted annual year-on-year GDP growth for 2005 and 2006 of 5.3% and 6.0% respectively. Forecasters expected industrial output in 2005 to rise by 11.9% from the previous year, and by 15.2% in 2006. Projections of unemployment envisaged 11.5% for 2005, 9% for 2006 and 7.25% for 2007. Unemployment remained relatively low at 6.3% for 2008. GDP growth in 2008 remained relatively high (6%), but it has largely been negative in 2009.
Agriculture
Agricultural output has decreased overall since 1989, but production has grown in , and together with related industries like
food processingFood processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by humans or animals either in the home or by the food processing industry...
it still plays a key role in the economy. Arable farming predominates over stock breeding. Agricultural equipment amounts to over 150,000
tractorA tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
s and 10,000
combine harvesterThe combine harvester, or simply combine, is a machine that harvests grain crops. The objective is to complete three processes, which used to be distinct, in one pass of the machine over a particular part of the field. Among the crops harvested with a combine are wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn ,...
s, as well as a large fleet of light aircraft.
Bulgaria ranks as one of the top world producers of agricultural commodities such as
aniseis a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and southwest Asia known for its flavor that resembles liquorice, fennel, and tarragon.- Biology :Anise is an herbaceous annual plant growing to tall...
(6th in the world),
sunflower seedBotanically speaking, a sunflower seed is an achene. When dehulled, the edible remainder is called the sunflower kernel.For commercial purposes, sunflower seeds are usually classified by the pattern on their husks. If the husk is solid black, the seeds are called black oil sunflower seeds. The...
(11th),
raspberriesThe raspberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the subgenus Idaeobatus of the genus Rubus; the name also applies to these plants themselves...
(13th),
tobaccoTobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as an organic pesticide, and in the form of nicotine tartrate it is used in some medicines. In consumption it most commonly appears in the forms of smoking, chewing, snuffing, or...
(15th),
chili pepperChili pepper is the vegetable of the plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Botanically speaking, the fruit of capsicums are berries...
s (18th) and
flaxFlax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent. This is called as Agasi/Akshi in Kannada, Jawas/Javas or Alashi in Marathi...
fibre (19th).
Energy
Although Bulgaria has relatively few reserves of natural fuels such as
oilAn oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and is hydrophobic but soluble in organic solvents. Oils have a high carbon and hydrogen content and are nonpolar substances. The general definition above includes compound classes with otherwise unrelated chemical structures,...
and
gasThis page is about the physical properties of gas as a state of matter. For the uses of gases, and other meanings, see Gas .A gas is one of four states of matter. Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid...
, it has a very well-developed energy sector which plays a crucial role throughout the
BalkansThe Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. The country's strategic geographical location makes it a major hub for transit and distribution of
oilPetroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid found in rock formations in the Earth consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights, plus other organic compounds.The term "petroleum" was first used in the treatise De Natura Fossilium, published in...
and
natural gasNatural gas is a gas consisting primarily of methane. It is found associated with fossil fuels, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is created by methanogenic organisms in marshes, bogs, and landfills...
from Russia to Western Europe and to other Balkan states. In terms of electricity production per capita, it ranks fourth in
Eastern EuropeEastern Europe is a region lying in the Eastern part of Europe. The term is highly context-dependent and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
.
The
largest (and only)The Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant in Bulgaria situated 200 km north of Sofia and 5 km east of Kozloduy, a town on the Danube river, near the border with Romania. It is the country's only nuclear power plant. The construction of the plant began on 6 April...
nuclear power plant operates in the vicinity of
KozloduyKozloduy is a town of 13,871 inhabitants in northwest Bulgaria, located in Vratsa Province, on the river Danube. The city was liberated from Ottoman rule on 23 November 1877 by the Romanian Army under the command of the Imperial Russian Army...
, and has a total capacity of . Construction of a
secondThe Belene Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant currently under construction 3 km from Belene and 11 km from Svishtov in Pleven Province, northern Bulgaria, near the Danube River...
nuclear power plant has near
BeleneBelene is a town in northern Bulgaria. It is the capital of the Belene municipality, Pleven Province. Belene is situated on the right bank of the Danube, close to Svishtov....
with a projected capacity of . Thermal power plants (TPPs) provide a significant amount of energy, with most of the capacity concentrated in the
Maritsa Iztok ComplexThe Maritsa Iztok Complex is the largest energy complex in South Eastern Europe. It is located in Stara Zagora Province, south-central Bulgaria. It consists of three lignite-fired thermal power stations. The complex is located in a large lignite coal basin, which includes several mines, enrichment...
.
have seen a steady increase in electricity production from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, although it still relies mostly on coal and nuclear powerplants. Due to the abundance of forests and agricultural land,
biomassBiomass, a renewable energy source, is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms, such as wood, waste, and alcohol fuels. Biomass is commonly plant matter grown to generate electricity or produce heat. For example, forest residues , yard clippings and wood chips may be...
can provide a viable source of electricity. Wind energy has large-scale prospects, with up to 3,400 MW of installed capacity potential. Bulgaria operates more than 70
wind turbineA wind turbine is a rotating machine which converts the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used directly by machinery, such as a pump or grinding stones, the machine is usually called a windmill...
s with a total capacity of 112.6 MW, and plans to increase their number nearly threefold to reach a total capacity of 300 MW in 2010.
Industry and mining
Industry plays a key role in the economy. Although Bulgaria lacks large reserves of oil and gas, it produces significant quantities of minerals, metals and electricity.
Bulgaria ranks as a minor
oilAn oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and is hydrophobic but soluble in organic solvents. Oils have a high carbon and hydrogen content and are nonpolar substances. The general definition above includes compound classes with otherwise unrelated chemical structures,...
producer (97th in the world) with a total production of 3,520 bbl/day.
Prospectors discovered Bulgaria's first oil field near
TyulenovoTuylenovo is a village and seaside resort on the north Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, part of Dobrich Province in between Shabla and Kavarna. "Tyulen" means seal in Bulgarian, but seals hadn't been seen in the area since the 1980s...
in 1951. Proved reserves amount to 15,000,000 bbl.
Natural gasNatural gas is a gas consisting primarily of methane. It is found associated with fossil fuels, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is created by methanogenic organisms in marshes, bogs, and landfills...
production halted in the late 1990s. Proved reserves of natural gas amount to 5.663 bln. cu m.
MiningMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock salt and potash...
, an important source of export earnings, and has become pivotal to the Bulgarian economy. The country ranks as the 19th largest
coalCoal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
producer in the world, 9th largest
bismuthBismuth is a chemical element that has the symbol Bi and atomic number 83. This trivalent poor metal chemically resembles arsenic and antimony. Bismuth is heavy and brittle; it has a silvery white color with a pink tinge owing to the surface oxide. Bismuth is the most naturally diamagnetic of all...
producer, 19th largest
copperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is rather soft and malleable and a freshly-exposed surface has a pinkish or peachy color...
producer, and the 26th largest
zincZinc , also known as spelter, is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
producer. Ferrous
metallurgyMetallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
also has major importance. Much of the production of
steelSteel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most cost-effective alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
and
pig ironPig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Pig iron has a very high carbon content, typically 3.5–4.5%, which makes it very brittle and not useful directly as a material except for limited applications.The traditional shape of the molds...
takes place in
KremikovtsiKremikovtsi is an industrial municipality of Sofia, Bulgaria. It is located to the northeast of the capital. The Kremikovtsi Steel Complex which is close to the neighbourhood is one of the largest industrial enterprises in Bulgaria and the Balkans...
and
PernikPernik is a city in western Bulgaria with a population of 91,883 . It is the main city of Pernik Province and lies on both banks of the Struma River in the Pernik Valley between the Viskyar, Vitosha and Golo Bardo mountains.Originally the site of a Thracian fortress founded in the 4th century BC,...
, with a third metallurgical base in
DebeltDebelt is a village in Sredets municipality in Burgas Province in southeastern Bulgaria, about 25 kilometers from Burgas. It has a population of 1,574 and an altitude of 46 kilometers. The village was founded around the 2nd century by the Roman emperor Vespasian...
. In production of steel and steel products per capita the country heads the
BalkansThe Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. The largest refineries for
leadLead is a main-group element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metals. Lead has a bluish-white color when freshly cut, but tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed to air...
and
zincZinc , also known as spelter, is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
operate in
PlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, with a population of 380,312. Known in ancient times as Philippoupolis, it is the administrative center of Plovdiv Province in southern Bulgaria and three municipalities and Bulgaria's Yuzhen tsentralen planning region , as well as the...
(the biggest refinery between Italy and the Ural mountains),
KardzhaliKardzhali or Kurdzhali is a town in Bulgaria, capital of Kardzhali Province in the Eastern Rhodopes. Near the town is the noted Kardzhali Dam.-Geography:...
and
Novi IskarNovi Iskar is a town in western Bulgaria, located in Sofia City Province and the Capital Municipality. It is often regarded as a suburb of Sofia and lies in the northern part of the Sofia Valley, with the gorge of the Iskar's through the Balkan Mountains beginning just north of the town.Novi...
; for
copperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is rather soft and malleable and a freshly-exposed surface has a pinkish or peachy color...
in
PirdopPirdop is a town located in South-West Bulgaria of Sofia Province in the southeastern part of the Zlatitsa - Pirdop Valley at 670 m above sea level. It is surrounded by the Balkan Range to the north, Sredna Gora Mountain to the south, and Koznitsa and Galabets saddles to the east and west,...
and Eliseina (defunct ); for
aluminiumAluminium or aluminum is a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al; its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
in
ShumenShumen is a city in the northeastern part of Bulgaria, capital of Shumen Province. From 1950–1965 it was called Kolarovgrad, after Vasil Kolarov. Other English variants include Shoumen and Šumen...
. In production of many metals
per capita, such as zinc and iron, Bulgaria ranks first in
Eastern EuropeEastern Europe is a region lying in the Eastern part of Europe. The term is highly context-dependent and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
.
About 14% of the total industrial production relates to machine building, and 20% of the people work in this field. Its importance has decreased since 1989.
Tourism
In 2007 a total of 5,200,000 tourists visited Bulgaria, making it the 39th most popular destination in the world. Tourists from Greece, Romania and Germany account for 40% of visitors. Significant numbers of
BritishThe British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, one of the Channel Islands, or of one of the British overseas territories, and their descendants. In a historical context, the term refers to the ancient Britons, the indigenous inhabitants of Great Britain south of the...
(+300,000),
RussianThe Russian people are an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
(+200,000),
SerbianSerbs are a South Slavic people living in the Central Europe and the Balkans , between the Balkan- and Carpathian mountains in the east and the Adriatic sea in the west. They are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and, to a lesser extent, in Croatia...
(+150,000),
PolishThe Polish people, or Poles , are a Western Slavic ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. Poles are sometimes defined as people who share a common Polish culture and are of Polish descent. Their religion is predominantly Roman Catholic...
(+130,000) and
DanishDaneş is a commune in Mureş County, Romania, near Sighişoara....
(+100,000) tourists also visit Bulgaria. Most of them are attracted by the varying and beautiful landscapes, well-preserved historical and cultural heritage, and the tranquility of rural and mountain areas.
Main destinations include the capital
SofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city by population in the European Union, with 1.4 million people living in the Capital Municipality...
, coastal resorts like
AlbenaAlbena is a major Black Sea resort in northeastern Bulgaria, situated 12 km from Balchik and 30 km from Varna. Albena is served by the international airport of Varna....
,
SozopolSozopol is an ancient town and seaside resort located 35 km south of Burgas on the southern Black Sea Coast of Bulgaria. Today the town is mostly a seaside resort known for the Apollonia art and film festival and is named after one of Sozopol's ancient names.The busiest times of the year are the...
,
Golden SandsGolden Sands is a major seaside resort town on the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, adjacent to a national park of the same name in the municipality of Varna.Located 17 km north of downtown Varna, it is virtually connected to the city by a continuous swath of resorts and...
and
Sunny BeachSunny Beach is a major seaside resort on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, located approximately 35 km north of Burgas in Nessebar municipality, Burgas Province. It is the biggest and most popular holiday resort of the country, and is home to over 800 hotels with more than 300 000 beds...
; and winter resorts such as
PamporovoPamporovo is a popular ski resort in Smolyan Province, southern Bulgaria, one of the best-known in Southeastern Europe. It is set amongst magnificent pine forests and is primarily visited during the winter for skiing and snowboarding. It is also a popular tourist place in summer. The hub of...
,
ChepelareChepelare is a town and ski resort in Smolyan Province in Southern Bulgaria. It is situated in the central part of the Rhodopes, on the banks of Chepelare River. Chepelare is a popular winter resort with one of the longest ski runs in Southeastern Europe...
, Borovetz and
BanskoBansko is a town and ski resort in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of Pirin at an altitude of 925 m above sea level. It is considered to be the most developed Ski and Winter Resort in Eastern Europe....
. The rural tourist destinations of
ArbanasiArbanasi is a village in Veliko Tarnovo municipality, Veliko Tarnovo Province of central northern Bulgaria, set on a high plateau between the larger towns of Veliko Tarnovo and Gorna Oryahovitsa...
and
BozhentsiBozhentsi , officially but not commonly Bozhentsite , is a village and architectural reserve in Gabrovo municipality, Gabrovo Province, in central northern Bulgaria...
offer well-preserved ethnographic traditions. Other popular attractions include the 10th century
Rila MonasteryThe Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila, better known as the Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the northwestern Rila Mountains, south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River at an elevation of above sea level...
and the 19th century
EuxinogradEuxinograd is a former late 19th-century Bulgarian royal summer palace and park on the Black Sea coast, north of downtown Varna. It is currently a governmental and presidential retreat hosting cabinet meetings in the summer and offering access for tourists to several villas and hotels...
châteauA château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
.
Science, technology and telecommunications
Bulgaria spends 0.4% of its GDP on scientific research, or roughly $ 376 million on a 2008 basis. The country has a strong tradition in mathematics, astronomy, physics, nuclear technology and sciences-oriented education, and has significant experience in medical and pharmaceutical research. The
Bulgarian Academy of SciencesThe Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869. The Academy is autonomous and has a Society of Academicians, Correspondent Members and Foreign Members...
(BAS), the leading scientific institution in the country, employs most of Bulgaria's researchers working in its numerous branches.
Bulgarian scientists have made several important discoveries and inventions that have revolutionized global society. One of the best-known examples is the world's first electronic digital computer, by Bulgarian-American scientist
John Vincent AtanasoffJohn Vincent Atanasoff was an American physicist. The 1973 decision of the patent suit Honeywell v...
.
Peter PetroffPeter Petroff was a Bulgarian-American inventor, engineer, NASA scientist, and adventurer. He was instrumental in the evolution of the NASA space program, and was one of the most prolific inventors of the second half the 20th century...
, another Bulgarian-American engineer, developed the world's first computerized pollution monitoring system, telemetry devices for the world's first weather and communications satellites, the world's first wireless heart monitor, the first digital watch, and many other important devices and methods.
Captain Simeon Petrov of the
Bulgarian Air ForceThe Bulgarian Air Force is a branch of the Bulgarian Army, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and protect the sovereignty of Bulgarian airspace, to provide aerial support and to assist the Land Forces in case of war. The Bulgarian Air Force is...
invented the world's first purpose built air-to-surface bomb, which included innovations such as an aerodynamically stabilizing x-tail and an impact detonator. To this day the majority of aircraft bombs in the world are based on Petrov's 1912 design. The original prototype was put to use by the Bulgarian Air Force thus becoming the first military force in the world to conduct tactical airplane bombing sorties during
a full-scale warThe First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies, and achieved rapid success...
(in 1912).
The molecular-kinetic theory of crystal formation and
crystal growthThe crystalline state of matter is characterized by a distinct structural rigidity and virtual resistance to deformation . Most crystalline solids have high values both of Young's modulus and of the shear modulus of elasticity...
was formulated by
Ivan StranskiIvan Nikolov Stranski was a Bulgarian physical chemist. The founder of the Bulgarian school of physical chemistry, Stranski is considered the father of crystal growth research. Stranski headed the departments of physical chemistry at Sofia University and the Technical University of Berlin, of...
.
Georgi NadjakovGeorgi Nadjakov was a famous Bulgarian physicist. He became a member of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1958. Nadjakov worked with Paul Langevin and Marie Curie...
's discovery of
photoelectrets was an important step in the development of the first
photocopierA photocopier is a machine that makes paper copies of documents and other visual images quickly and cheaply. Most current photocopiers use a technology called xerography, a dry process using heat...
machine.
TrES-4b (the second-largest
planetA planet , is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
discovered to date, Georgi Mandushev).
More than 90 Bulgarian scientists are currently employed in
CERNThe European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , , is the world's largest particle physics laboratory, situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border, established in 1954...
and about 30 of them will actively participate in the
Large Hadron ColliderThe Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator intended to collide opposing particle beams of either protons at an energy of 7 TeV per particle or lead nuclei at an energy of 574 TeV per nucleus...
experiments.
Bulgaria became the 6th country in the world to have an astronaut in space:
maj. generalMajor General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General...
Georgi IvanovGeorgi Ivanov was the first Bulgarian in space. He was a member of the National Assembly of Bulgaria in 1990....
on
Soyuz 33Soyuz 33 was a 1979 Soviet manned space flight to the Salyut 6 space station. It was the ninth mission to the orbiting facility, but an engine failure forced the mission to be aborted, and the crew had to return to earth before docking with the station...
(1979) and
lt. colonelLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Alexander AlexandrovAlexander Alexandrov may refer to:*Aleksandr Danilovich Aleksandrov, Russian mathematician and physicist*Aleksandr Pavlovich Aleksandrov, Russian cosmonaut...
on
Soyuz TM-5Soyuz TM-5 was the fifth expedition to the Russian Space Station Mir.-Crew:Launched:*Anatoly Solovyev *Viktor Savinykh *Aleksandr Panayatov Aleksandrov - BulgariaLanded:*Vladimir Lyakhov *Abdul Ahad Mohmand - Afghanistan...
(1988).
Bulgaria hosts two major astronomical observatories: the
Rozhen ObservatoryRozhen Observatory is a Bulgarian astronomical observatory, located 90 km south of the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The nearest town, Chepelare, is 15 km away. It is owned and operated by the Institute of Astronomy of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The Observatory is the largest in South Eastern...
, the largest in Southeastern Europe, and the
Belogradchik ObservatoryThe Astronomical Observatory of Belogradchik or Belogradchik Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Bulgarian Academy of Sciences...
with three
telescopeA telescope is an instrument designed for the observation of remote objects by the collection of electromagnetic radiation. The first known practically functioning telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 17th century...
s; as well as several "public astronomical observatories" with
planetariaA planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
, focused on
educationEducation in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual...
al and
outreachOutreach is an effort by individuals in an organization or group to connect its ideas or practices to the efforts of other organizations, groups, specific audiences or the general public. Unlike marketing, outreach does not inherently revolve around a product or strategies to increase market share...
activities.
Computer technology is among Bulgaria's most advanced scientific branches, and in the 1980s the country was known as the
Silicon ValleySilicon Valley is the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California, United States. The term originally referred to the region's large number of silicon chip innovators and manufacturers, but eventually came to refer to all the high-tech businesses in the area; it is now...
of the
Eastern BlocThe terms Eastern Bloc, Communist Bloc or Soviet Bloc were used to refer to the former Communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, including the countries of the Warsaw Pact, along with Yugoslavia and Albania, which were not aligned with the Soviet Union after 1948 and 1960...
. According to the Brainbench Global IT IQ report, Bulgaria ranks first in Europe in terms of
ITInformation technology , as defined by the Information Technology Association of America , is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." IT deals with the use of electronic...
-certified specialists per capita
and 8th in the world in total
ICTInformation and communication technologies is an umbrella term that covers all technical means for processing and communicating information. The term has gained popularity partially due to the convergence of information technology and telecom technology...
specialists, out-performing countries with far larger populations.
The most powerful supercomputer in Eastern Europe (one of the top 100 in the world ), an IBM
Blue GeneBlue Gene is a computer architecture project designed to produce several supercomputers, designed to reach operating speeds in the PFLOPS range, and currently reaching sustained speeds of nearly 500 TFLOPS . It is a cooperative project among IBM Blue Gene is a computer architecture project...
/P, entered service in September 2008 at the State Agency of Information Technology. Scientists from
Sofia UniversityThe St. Clement of Ohrid University of Sofia or Sofia University is the oldest higher education institution in Bulgaria, founded on 1 October 1888...
and the Academy of Sciences operate the machine.
Since 2001 telecommunications has become one of the growing industries in the country. Bulgarians made use of some 10 million cellular phones
as of 2006. Bulgaria had about 298,781
Internet hosts as of 2007. The number of Internet users has increased sharply since in the last 9 years: in 2000, they numbered 430,000, in 2004 – 1,545,100, and in 2006 – 2.2 million.
Transport
Bulgaria occupies a unique and strategically important geographic location. Since ancient times, the country has served as a major crossroads between
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
,
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
and
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
.
 |
| |
 |
Sofia MetroThe Sofia Metropolitan is the underground urban railway network servicing the Bulgarian capital Sofia. It is the first and only network of this kind in Bulgaria...
stations (top to bottom): Musagenitsa, Serdika, and Obelya. |
Roads
Five of the ten
Trans-European corridorsThe ten Pan-European transport corridors were defined at the second Pan-European transport Conference in Crete, March 1994, as routes in Central and Eastern Europe that required major investment over the next ten to fifteen years. Additions were made at the third conference in Helsinki in 1997...
run through its territory. Bulgaria's roads have a total length of , of them paved and of them motorways. The country has several motorways in planning, under construction, or partially built:
Trakiya motorwayThe Trakiya motorway or Thrace motorway, designated A1, is a motorway currently in construction in Bulgaria. It is planned to connect the capital of Sofia with Burgas on the Black Sea through Plovdiv and with Kalotina on the Serbian border. The motorway is named after the historical region of...
,
Hemus motorwayThe Hemus motorway or Haemus motorway , designated A2, is a motorway currently under construction in Bulgaria. Its planned length is 433 km, of which 129 km are in operation , divided into two sections — Sofia-Yablanitsa and Varna-Shumen...
,
Cherno More motorwayThe Cherno More motorway or the Black Sea motorway is a Bulgarian motorway planned to link the major coastal cities of Varna and Burgas, passing along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is part of the Pan-European corridor VIII and is to be 103 km long when finished...
,
Struma motorwayThe Struma Motorway is a planned expressway that will lead from the Daskalovo junction 5 km away of Sofia to the Bulgarian border with Greece at the village of Kulata...
, Maritza motorway and
Lyulin motorwayThe Lyulin motorway will provide a link between the Sofia ringroad and with the junction of Daskalovo near Pernik. Its construction began in 2007 and is to be finished in 38 months...
.
Other planned motorways await finalisation of their routes. They include a link between the capital
SofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city by population in the European Union, with 1.4 million people living in the Capital Municipality...
and
VidinVidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
, a link between the Struma and Trakia motorways south of Rila Mountain, a link between
RousseRuse is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria with a population of near 175,600. Ruse is situated in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, 300 km from the capital Sofia and 200 km from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast...
and
Veliko TarnovoVeliko Tarnovo is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province...
, and the
Sofia ringroadThe Sofia ringroad is an important thoroughfare surrounding Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Ringroad is around 60 km long and is going to be extended in several stages by 2010, which will cost a total of around €300,000,000....
. Many roads have undergone reconstruction.
Railways
Bulgaria has of railway track, more than 60% electrified. A €360,000,000 project exists for the modernisation and electrification of the
PlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, with a population of 380,312. Known in ancient times as Philippoupolis, it is the administrative center of Plovdiv Province in southern Bulgaria and three municipalities and Bulgaria's Yuzhen tsentralen planning region , as well as the...
–
Kapitan AndreevoKapitan Andreevo is a village in Svilengrad municipality, Haskovo Province, southern Bulgaria. As of 2005 it has 948 inhabitants and the mayor is Dimitar Shiderov. Due to the proximity with Turkey, there is a major border checkpoint built there, with the Turkish side of the checkpoint being called...
railway. The only
high-speed railHigh-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions include 200 km/h and faster — depending on whether the track is upgraded or new — by the European Union, and above 90 mph by the United...
way in the region, between Sofia and Vidin, will operate by 2017, at a cost of €3,000,000,000.
Air transport
Air travel has developed relatively comprehensively. Bulgaria has six official international airports — at
SofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city by population in the European Union, with 1.4 million people living in the Capital Municipality...
,
BurgasBurgas is the second-largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast with population 210,260. It is also the fourth-largest by population in the country, after Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna...
,
VarnaVarna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and in Northern Bulgaria, third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, and 77th-largest in the European Union, with a population of 355,450 .Commonly referred to as the marine capital of Bulgaria, Varna is a...
,
PlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, with a population of 380,312. Known in ancient times as Philippoupolis, it is the administrative center of Plovdiv Province in southern Bulgaria and three municipalities and Bulgaria's Yuzhen tsentralen planning region , as well as the...
,
RousseRuse is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria with a population of near 175,600. Ruse is situated in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, 300 km from the capital Sofia and 200 km from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast...
and
Gorna OryahovitsaGorna Oryahovitsa is a town in northern Bulgaria, situated in Veliko Tarnovo Province, between the towns of Veliko Tarnovo and Dolna Oryahovitsa. It is the administrative centre for the Gorna Oryahovitsa Municipality...
. Massive investment plans exist for the first three. Important domestic airports include those of
VidinVidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
,
PlevenPleven is the seventh most populous city in Bulgaria. Located in the northern part of the country, it is the administrative centre of Pleven Province, as well as of the subordinate Pleven municipality....
,
SilistraSilistra is a port city of northeastern Bulgaria, lying on the southern bank of the lower Danube at the country's border with Romania...
,
TargovishteTargovishte is a city in Bulgaria, capital of Targovishte Province. It is situated at the southern foot of the low mountain of Preslav on both banks of the Vrana River...
,
Stara ZagoraStara Zagora is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria, and one of the nationally important economic centres. Stara Zagora is known as the city of straight streets, linden trees, and poets. According to the city's chamber of commerce, it is one of the oldest settlements in Europe, being at least eight...
,
KardzhaliKardzhali or Kurdzhali is a town in Bulgaria, capital of Kardzhali Province in the Eastern Rhodopes. Near the town is the noted Kardzhali Dam.-Geography:...
,
HaskovoHaskovo ; is the name of a town and administrative centre of the province of the same name in southern Bulgaria, not far from the borders with Greece and Turkey. Its population is 96,010. The province includes the town of Dimitrovgrad....
and
SlivenSliven is a town in southeast Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Sliven Province. It is a relatively large town with 115,000 inhabitants . Sliven is famous for its Bulgarian Haiduts who fought against the Ottoman Turks in the 19th century and is known as the "City of the 100 Voyvodi", a...
. After the fall of communism in 1989, most of them stood unused as the importance of domestic flights declined. The country has many military airports and agricultural airfields. 128 of the 213 airports in Bulgaria are paved.
Shipping
The most important ports by far,
VarnaVarna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and in Northern Bulgaria, third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, and 77th-largest in the European Union, with a population of 355,450 .Commonly referred to as the marine capital of Bulgaria, Varna is a...
and
BurgasBurgas is the second-largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast with population 210,260. It is also the fourth-largest by population in the country, after Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna...
, have the largest turnover. Like Burgas,
SozopolSozopol is an ancient town and seaside resort located 35 km south of Burgas on the southern Black Sea Coast of Bulgaria. Today the town is mostly a seaside resort known for the Apollonia art and film festival and is named after one of Sozopol's ancient names.The busiest times of the year are the...
,
NesebarNesebar is an ancient city and a major seaside resort on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, located in Nesebar municipality, Burgas Province...
and
PomoriePomorie is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, located on a narrow rocky peninsula in Burgas Bay on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is located in Burgas Province 20 km from Burgas and 18 km from Sunny Beach...
support large fishing fleets. Large ports on the Danube River include
RousseRuse is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria with a population of near 175,600. Ruse is situated in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, 300 km from the capital Sofia and 200 km from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast...
and
LomLom is a town in northwestern Bulgaria, part of Montana Province, situated on the right bank of the Danube, close to the estuary of the Lom River. It is 162 km north of Sofia, 56 km southeast of Vidin, 50 km north of Montana and 42 km west of Kozloduy...
(which serves the capital).
Intra-city transport
The cities and many smaller towns have well-organised public transport systems, using buses,
trolleybusA trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles...
es (in about 20 cities) and trams (in Sofia). The
Sofia MetroThe Sofia Metropolitan is the underground urban railway network servicing the Bulgarian capital Sofia. It is the first and only network of this kind in Bulgaria...
in the capital has three planned lines with total length of about and 52 stations, but some parts of it remain incomplete .
Demographics
According to the 2001
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
,
Bulgaria's population consists mainly of
ethnic BulgarianThe Bulgarians are a South Slavic people, generally associated with the Republic of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian language. Emigration has resulted in Bulgarian minorities or immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-Ethnogenesis:...
s (83.9%), with two sizable minorities,
TurksThe Turkish people , also known as the "Turks" are defined mainly as citizens of the Republic of Turkey. An early historic text provided the definition of being a Turk as "any individual within the Republic of Turkey; whatever his/her faith or racial/ethnic background; who speaks Turkish, grows up...
(9.4%) and
RomaThe Roma in Bulgaria are the country's second largest minority and third largest ethnic group . According to the 2001 census, there were 370,908 Roma in Bulgaria, equivalent to 4.7% of the country's total population, making Bulgaria the European country with the highest percentage of Roma...
(4.7%).
Of the remaining 2.0%, 0.9% comprises some 40 smaller minorities, most prominently in numbers the
RussiansThe Russian people are an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
,
ArmeniansArmenians are the fourth largest minority in Bulgaria, numbering 10,832 according to the 2001 census, while Armenian organizations estimate up to 22,000. They have been inhabiting the Balkans since no later than the 5th century, when they moved there as part of the Byzantine cavalry...
,
ArabsArabs in Bulgaria are the people from Arab countries, particularly Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian Territories, and Iraq, who emigrated from their native nations and currently reside in Bulgaria. Most Arab Bulgarians are of Lebanese or Syrian origin. In the forty year history of this community,...
,
VlachsVlachs or Walachians is a blanket term covering several modern Latin peoples descending from the Latinised population in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe...
, Jews,
Crimean TatarsAfter 1241 , the year of the earliest recorded Tatar invasion of Bulgaria, the Second Bulgarian Empire maintained constant political contacts with the Tatars. In this early period , "Tatar" was not an ethnonym but a general term for the armies of Genghis Khan’s successors...
and
SarakatsaniThe Sarakatsani are a group of Greek transhumant shepherds inhabiting Greece and neighbouring countries. Historically centered around the Pindus mountains, they have been currently urbanised to a significant degree. Most of them now reside throughout Central and Northern Greece...
(historically known also as Karakachans). 1.1% of the population did not declare their ethnicity in the latest census in 2001.
The 2001 census defines an ethnic group as a "community of people, related to each other by origin and language, and close to each other by mode of life and culture"; and one's mother tongue as "the language which a person speaks best and which is usually used for communication in the family (household)".
| Native Language | By ethnic group | Percentage | By first language | Percentage |
|---|
BulgarianBulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian demonstrates several linguistic innovations that set it apart from all other Slavic languages except the Macedonian language, such as the elimination of case declension, the development of a suffixed definite...
|
6,655,000 |
83.93% |
6,697,000 |
84.46% |
| Turkish Turkish is spoken as a first language by over 63 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Cyprus, with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania and other...
|
747,000 |
9.42% |
763,000 |
9.62% |
| Gypsies (roma) |
371,000 |
4.67% |
328,000 |
4.13% |
| Others |
69,000 |
0.87% |
71,000 |
0.89% |
| Total |
7,929,000 |
100% |
7,929,000 |
100% |
In years Bulgaria has had one of the lowest population growth rates in the world. Negative population growth has occurred since the early 1990s,
due to economic collapse and high emigration. In 1989 the population comprised 9,009,018 people, gradually falling to 7,950,000 in 2001 and 7,606,000 in 2009. The population had a fertility-rate of 1.48 children per woman in 2008. The fertility rate will need to reach 2.2 to restore natural growth in population.
Religion
Most Bulgarians (82.6%) belong, at least nominally, to the
Bulgarian Orthodox ChurchThe Bulgarian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.8 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 2.5 and 3.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
. Founded in 870 AD under the Patriarchate of Constantinople (from which it obtained its first
primatePrimate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence .-Roman Catholic Church:In the Western Church, a Primate is an archbishop—or rarely a suffragan...
, its clergy and theological texts), the Orthodox Church had
autocephalousAutocephaly, in hierarchical Christian churches and especially Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, is the status of a hierarchical church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop...
status from 927 AD. Other religious denominations include
IslamIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
(12.2%), various Protestant denominations (0.8%) and Roman Catholicism (0.5%); with other denominations, atheists and undeclared totalling approximately 4.1%. Bulgaria is officially a
secular stateA secular state is a concept of secularism, whereby a state or country purports to be officially neutral in matters of religion, supporting neither religion nor irreligion. A secular state also claims to treat all its citizens equally regardless of religion, and claims to avoid preferential...
and the Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion but appoints Orthodoxy as an official religion. In the 2001 census, 82.6% of the people declared themselves Orthodox Christians, 12,2% Muslim, 1.2% other Christian denominations, 4% other religions (
BuddhismBuddhism, as traditionally conceived, is a path of salvation attained through insight into the ultimate nature of reality. It encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha...
,
TaoismDaoism refers to a variety of related philosophical and religious traditions and concepts that have influenced East Asia for over two millennia and the West for over two centuries. The word 道, Tao , means "path" or "way", although in Chinese folk religion and philosophy it has taken on more...
,
HinduismHinduism is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as ', a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal law", by its adherents. Generic "types" of Hinduism that attempt to accommodate a variety of complex views span folk and Vedic Hinduism to bhakti tradition, as...
,
JudaismJudaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts...
).
IslamThe Muslim population of Bulgaria, including Turks, Muslim Bulgarians, Pomaks, Roma, and Crimean Tatars, lives mainly in northeastern Bulgaria and in the Rhodope Mountains...
came to the country at the end of the fourteenth century after the conquest of the country by the Ottomans. In the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries, missionaries from Rome converted Paulicians from the districts of
PlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, with a population of 380,312. Known in ancient times as Philippoupolis, it is the administrative center of Plovdiv Province in southern Bulgaria and three municipalities and Bulgaria's Yuzhen tsentralen planning region , as well as the...
and
SvishtovSvishtov is a town in northern Bulgaria, located in Veliko Tarnovo Province on the right bank of the Danube.The city is the third largest in Veliko Tarnovo Province after the towns of Veliko Tarnovo and Gorna Oryahovitsa.The town is also the administrative centre of Svishtov...
to Roman Catholicism. Bulgaria's Jewish community, once one of the largest in Europe, numbers less than 2,000 people.
Urban geography
This list details the twenty largest cities in Bulgaria.
Culture
A number of ancient civilisations, most notably the
ThraciansThe ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes who spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
,
GreeksAncient Greece is the civilisation belonging to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth. It is generally considered to be the seminal culture which provided the...
,
RomansAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, Slavs, and
BulgarsThe Bulgars were originally semi-nomadic people, probably of Turkic descent, originating in Central Asia, who from the 2nd century onwards conquered different parts of Europe...
, have left their mark on the culture, history and heritage of Bulgaria. Thracian artifacts include numerous tombs and golden treasures, while ancient Bulgars have left traces of their heritage in music and early architecture.
The oldest treasure of worked
goldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. It has been a highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Gold is...
in the world, dating back to the 5th millennium BC, comes from the site of the
Varna NecropolisThe Varna Necropolis is a burial site in the western industrial zone of Varna , Bulgaria, internationally considered one of the key archaeological sites in world prehistory.-Discovery and excavation:The site was accidentally discovered in October 1972 by excavator operator Raycho...
.
Bulgaria functioned as the hub of
Slavic EuropeSlavic Europe is a region of Europe where Slavic languages are spoken. This area corresponds, more or less, to Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans, and consists of: Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Russia,...
during much of the Middle Ages, exerting considerable literary and cultural influence over the Eastern Orthodox Slavic world by means of the
PreslavThe Preslav Literary School was the first literary school in the medieval Bulgarian Empire. It was established by Boris I in 885 or 886 in Bulgaria's capital, Pliska...
and
Ohrid Literary SchoolThe Ohrid Literary School was one of the two major medieval Bulgarian cultural centres, along with the Preslav Literary School ....
s. The
Cyrillic alphabetThe Cyrillic script writing system isan alphabet developed in the First Bulgarian Empire, and used in the Slavic national languages of Russian, Bulgarian, Belarusian, Rusyn, Serbian, Macedonian, and Ukrainian, and in the non-Slavic languages of Moldovan, Kazakh, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Tuvan, and...
, used in many languages in Eastern Europe and Asia, originated in these two schools in the tenth century AD.
Bulgaria's contribution to humanity continued throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, with individuals such as John Atanasoff — a United States citizen of Bulgarian descent, regarded as the father of the digital computer. A number of noted opera-singers (
Nicolai GhiaurovNicolai Ghiaurov was a Bulgarian opera singer and one of the most famous bass singers of the postwar period. He was admired for his powerful, sumptuous voice, and was particularly associated with roles of Verdi.Ghiaurov married the Italian soprano Mirella Freni in 1978. The two singers...
,
Boris ChristoffBoris Christoff was a Bulgarian opera singer, one of the greatest basses of the 20th century.- Training :...
,
Raina KabaivanskaRaina Kabaivanska is a Bulgarian opera singer, one of the leading lirico-spinto sopranos of her generation, particularly associated with Verdi and Puccini, although she sang a wide range of roles....
,
Ghena DimitrovaGhena Dimitrova was a Bulgarian operatic soprano. Her voice was known for its power and extension used in operatic roles such as Turandot in a career spanning four decades.-Early career:...
,
Anna Tomowa-SintowAnna Tomowa-Sintow is a Bulgarian soprano who has sung to great acclaim in all the major opera houses around the world in a repertoire that includes Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, and Strauss...
,
Vesselina Kasarova- Early life and education :Vesselina Kasarova was born in the central Bulgarian town of Stara Zagora in July 1965. Under the communist regime she studied Russian as a second language and began her music education in early childhood, taking her first piano lesson when she was only 4 years old...
), pianist
Alexis Weissenberg- Early life and career :He was born in Sofia and had piano lessons from the age of three with Pancho Vladigerov. He gave his first public performance at the age of eight. After escaping to Israel in 1945, where he studied with Leo Kestenberg, he went to the Juilliard School in 1946 to study with...
and successful artists (
ChristoChristo and Jeanne-Claude are a married couple who create environmental works of art...
,
PascinJulius Mordecai Pincas, known as Pascin, Jules Pascin, or the "Prince of Montparnasse", was a Bulgarian painter.- Early life :...
,
Vladimir Dimitrov) popularised the culture of Bulgaria abroad.
Bulgaria has nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the early medieval large rock relief
Madara RiderThe Madara Rider or Madara Horseman is an early medieval large rock relief carved on the Madara Plateau east of Shumen in northeastern Bulgaria, near the village of Madara....
, two Thracian tombs (in
SveshtariThe Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari is situated 2,5 km southwest of the village of Sveshtari, Razgrad Province, which is located 42 km northeast of Razgrad, in the northeast of Bulgaria....
and
KazanlakThe Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak is a vaulted brickwork "beehive" tomb near the town of Kazanlak in central Bulgaria.The tomb is part of a large Thracian necropolis. It comprises a narrow corridor and a round burial chamber, both decorated with murals representing a Thracian couple at a ritual...
), the
Boyana ChurchThe Boyana Church is a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church situated on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, in the Boyana quarter...
, the
Rila MonasteryThe Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila, better known as the Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the northwestern Rila Mountains, south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River at an elevation of above sea level...
and the
Rock-hewn Churches of IvanovoThe Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo are a group of monolithic churches, chapels and monasteries hewn out of solid rock and completely different from other monastery complexes in Bulgaria, located near the village of Ivanovo, 20 km south of Rousse, on the high rocky banks of the Rusenski Lom, 32 m...
,
Pirin National ParkPirin National Park is a World Heritage national park that encompasses the larger part of the Pirin Mountains in the southwest of Bulgaria. It has an area of and lies at an altitude from ....
and
Sreburna Nature ReserveThe Srebarna Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in northeastern Bulgaria , near the village of the same name, 18 km west of Silistra and 2 km south of the Danube...
, as well as the ancient city of
NesebarNesebar is an ancient city and a major seaside resort on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, located in Nesebar municipality, Burgas Province...
.
Bulgaria has an long-standing musical tradition, traceable back to the early
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
. One of the earliest known composers of Medieval Europe, Yoan Kukuzel (ca. 1280–1360), became famous for his work
Polieleion of the Bulgarian Woman. About 90 of his works have survived. Kukuzel also reformed the Byzantine musical writing system, and became known as
The Angel-voiced for his singing abilities.
The distinctive sound of Bulgarian folk music comes partly from the asymmetric rhythms, harmony and
polyphonyIn music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
, such as the use of close intervals like the
major secondA major second , also called a whole step or a whole tone, is a musical interval that occurs between the first and second degrees of a major scale, the tonic and the supertonic. The major second is abbreviated as M2; its inversion is the minor seventh...
and the singing of a drone accompaniment underneath the melody, especially common in songs from the
ShopiShopi is a regional term referring to the ethnographic group of Bulgarians inhabiting the Shopluk , a region located in central western Bulgaria .-Dialect:The Shopi of Bulgaria speak a group of related dialects that belong to...
region in Western Bulgaria and the Pirin region.
Regional folk musical styles abound in Bulgaria. Dobrudzha,
SofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city by population in the European Union, with 1.4 million people living in the Capital Municipality...
,
RodopiRodopi may refer to:* Rhodope Mountains, a mountain range in Southeastern Europe* Rhodope Prefecture, in Thrace, Greece* Rodopi municipality, a municipality in Plovdiv Province, Bulgaria* Rodopi Publishers, an academic publishing company in the Netherlands...
,
MacedoniaMacedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but the region is nowadays held to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania and Serbia...
,
ThraceThrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded on the north by the Balkan Mountains, on the south by the Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea and on the east by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara...
and the
DanubeThe Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg rivers which join at the German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows...
plain all have distinctive sounds. Traditional instruments include
gudulkaThe Gadulka is a traditional Bulgarian bowed string instrument. Alternate spellings are "gudulka" and "g'dulka". It is a descendant of the Hudok or Gudok. Its name comes from a root meaning "to make noise, hum or buzz". The gadulka is an integral part of Bulgarian traditional instrumental...
(гъдулка),
gaidaThe gaida is a bagpipe from South Eastern Europe . It originates from the territory of present-day Bulgaria, Northern Greece and European Turkey and was first used by Thracian tribes....
(гайда) – bagpipe,
kaval"Kaval" is also the ring name of professional wrestler Brandon Silvestry.The kaval is a chromatic end-blown flute traditionally played throughout Azerbaijan, Turkey, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, southern Serbia , northern Greece , southern Romania , and Armenia .The kaval is primarily associated...
(кавал),
tupanA Davul is a large double-headed drum with many names depending on the country and region.-Names:Some names of davuls include:*davul *tapan *tapan, goč...
(тъпан) and others.
Bulgaria has a rich heritage in the visual arts, especially in
frescoFresco is any of several related painting types, done on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Italian word affresco which derives from the adjective fresco , which has Latin origins...
es,
muralA mural is any piece of artwork painted directly on a wall, ceiling, or other large permanent surface.-History:Murals of sorts date to Upper Paleolithic times such as the paintings in the Chauvet Cave in Ardèche department of southern France...
s and
iconAn icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Catholicism...
s. The
Thracian Tomb of KazanlakThe Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak is a vaulted brickwork "beehive" tomb near the town of Kazanlak in central Bulgaria.The tomb is part of a large Thracian necropolis. It comprises a narrow corridor and a round burial chamber, both decorated with murals representing a Thracian couple at a ritual...
offers fine examples of excellently preserved ancient Thracian art. Tomb art provides one of the most important sources of information about Thracian
lifestyleLifestyle was originally coined by Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler in 1929. The current broader sense of the word dates from 1961.In sociology, a lifestyle is the way a person lives. A lifestyle is a characteristic bundle of behaviors that makes sense to both others and oneself in a given time...
and culture.
The crypt of the
Alexander Nevski CathedralThe St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Built in Neo-Byzantine style, it serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world, as well as one of Sofia's symbols...
features an exhibition of a large collection of medieval icons. The earliest of those dates from around the
9th centuryThe 9th century is the period from 801 to 900 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian/Common Era.- Britain :Britain experienced a great influx of Viking peoples in the ninth century as the Viking Age continued from the previous century. The kingdoms of the Heptarchy were gradually...
AD. The
Tarnovo Artistic SchoolThe painting of the Tarnovo Artistic School was the mainstream of the Bulgarian fine arts between 13th and 14th centuries named after the capital and the main cultural center of the Second Bulgarian Empire, Tarnovo...
, the mainstream of the Bulgarian fine arts and architecture between
13thAs a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 through 1300 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian/Common Era...
and
14thAs a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was the century which lasted from 1301 to 1400.-Events:* The transition from the Medieval Warm Period to the Little Ice Age...
centuries, takes its name from the capital and main cultural centre of the
Second Bulgarian EmpireThe Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually declining to be conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
,
TarnovoVeliko Tarnovo is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province...
. Although it shows the influence of some tendencies of the
Palaeologan RenaissanceByzantine art is the term commonly used to describe the artistic products of the Byzantine Empire from about the 4th century until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453....
in the
Byzantine EmpireThe Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors in direct and de jure succession to the ancient Roman Emperors...
, Tarnovo painting had its own unique features which make it a separate artistic school.
The works of the Tarnovo school show some degree of realism, portrait individualism and psychology.
The unique and realistic portraits in the Boyana Church class as forerunners of the
RenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe...
. During the period of Ottoman rule (1396–1878) the authorities suppressed Bulgarian art. Many churches suffered destruction, and newly built ones remained somewhat modest. At the end of the
18th centuryThe 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini/Common Era numbering system.However, Western historians sometimes specifically define the 18th century otherwise for the purposes of their work...
the
IslamIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
ic Ottoman Empire began a slow decay, thus permitting the
Bulgarian National RevivalThe Bulgarian National Revival , sometimes called the Bulgarian Renaissance, was a period of socio-economic development and national integration among Bulgarian people under Ottoman rule...
of the 18th and 19th centuries to occur. Bulgaria experienced a cultural revival. Following the Liberation in 1878, fine arts rapidly recovered and came under the influence of European artistic currents such as late
RomanticismRomanticism is a complex artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the Industrial Revolution...
.
Owing to the relatively warm climate and diverse geography affording excellent growth-conditions for a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruits, Bulgarian cuisine (българска кухня,
bulgarska kuhnya) offers great diversity.
Famous for its rich salads (required at every meal), the cuisine also features diverse quality dairy products and a variety of wines and local alcoholic drinks such as
rakiaRakia is fruit brandy that is produced by distillation of fermented fruit; it is a popular beverage throughout the Balkans, Italy, and France. Its alcohol content is normally 40% ABV, but home-produced rakia can be stronger...
(ракия),
mastikaMasticha or "Mastika" is originally a liquor seasoned with the resin of the mastic tree. Mastic trees are small evergreen trees native to the Mediterranean region...
(мастика) and
mentaMenta is a sweet mint liqueur prepared from natural ingredients like spearmint oil. It is a refreshing drink popular in Bulgaria in the summertime. It is a component of some cocktails as the traditional "Cloud" where it is combined with Mastica....
(мента).
Exports of
Bulgarian wineGrape growing and wine production have a long history in Bulgaria, dating back to the times of the Thracians. Wine is, together with beer and grape rakia, among the most popular alcoholic beverages in the country.-Viticultural regions:...
go worldwide, and until 1990 the country exported the world's second-largest total of bottled wine. The rich soil, perfect climate and the millennia-old tradition of wine-making, which dates back to the time of the
ThraciansThe ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes who spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
, contribute to the wide variety of fine Bulgarian wines. As of 2007, Bulgaria produced 200,000 tonnes of wine annually, ranking 20th in the world.
Sports
In its men's national volleyball side, controlled by the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation, Bulgaria fields one of the leading
volleyball Volleyball is an Olympic team sport in which two teams of 6 players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules...
teams in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
and the world. the team held 4th place in the world according to FIVB rankings. Bulgaria has regularly featured in the Top 10, and has earned
silver medalA silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc....
s at the
1980 Summer OlympicsThe 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
, the 1970
Volleyball World ChampionshipThe Volleyball World Championship is a men's and women's indoor volleyball competition. It is the oldest and most important of all the international events organized by the FIVB and must not be confused with the Volleyball World Cup or the FIVB World League/FIVB World Grand Prix.- Origins :The...
and the 1951
European ChampionshipThe European Volleyball Championship is a sport competition for national teams, currently held biannually and organized by the CEV, the European volleyball federation. There are both men's and women's competitions....
, as well as numerous bronze medals, including at the
2007 World CupThe 2007 FIVB Men's World Cup was held from November 18 to December 2, 2007 in Japan.-Qualifying:12 teams participated in the World Cup:*The 2007 champions of their respective continental championship :**, , , ,...
in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Football has become by far the most popular sport in the country.
Dimitar BerbatovDimitar Ivanov Berbatov is a Bulgarian footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United in the Premier League and the Bulgarian national team. He has won the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year award five times, equalling the number of wins by Hristo Stoichkov...
(Димитър Бербатов) ranks as one of the most famous Bulgarian football players. he plays for the UK club Manchester United, for which he scored his first two goals for the team in their 3–0 win away to Aalborg in the
Champions League group stageThe 2008–09 UEFA Champions League group stage matches took place between 16 September and 10 December 2008.-Seeding structure:Seeding was determined by the UEFA coefficients: Pot 1 held teams ranked 1–10 , Pot 2 held teams ranked 11–23, Pot 3 held teams ranked 25–45, while Pot 4 held teams ranked...
on 30 September 2008, less than a month after he joined the team. Some of the best-known players of all time include
Georgi Asparuhov-GundiGeorgi R. Asparuhov , nicknamed Gundi was a Bulgarian football player. He is considered to be among the top Bulgarian footballers of all time, if not the best....
(1943–1971), (declared Bulgarian football player №1 award for the twentieth century),
Hristo StoichkovHristo Stoichkov Stoichkov alternatively spelt Stoitchkov is a football manager and former striker who was a member of the Bulgaria national team that finished fourth at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Apart from his footballing talent, he was notable for his on-pitch temper. He was honoured as European...
(former
FC BarcelonaFútbol Club Barcelona , also known simply as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça , is a football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The team was founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and Spanish men led by Joan Gamper. The club has become a Catalan institution, hence the motto "Més que...
player and winner of
Ballon d'OrThe "", "", referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award, is an annual association football award. It is presented to the player who has been considered to have performed the best over the previous calendar year. The award was conceived by France Football's chief magazine writer Gabriel...
and
Golden BootGolden Boot may refer to:*World Cup Golden Boot, a FIFA award to the top goal-scorer*European Golden Shoe, an award to the highest goalscorer in all the top European divisions*MLS Golden Boot, an award to the MLS player who leads the league in goals...
in 1994),
Georgi SlavkovGeorgi Slavkov is a former Bulgarian football player.He scored 61 goals in 112 games for Botev Plovdiv between 1976 and 1982. In 1981 he won the France Football's Golden Boot award. With CSKA Sofia he played between 1982 and 1986, scoring 48 goals. Then he was transferred to the French club AS...
and Petar Jekov.
PFC Levski SofiaPFC Levski Sofia, also known simply as Levski, is a Bulgarian football club founded in 1914 and based in the capital Sofia. So far, Levski has won 26 League titles and 27 National cups...
became the first Bulgarian team to participate in the modern
UEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe...
in 2006/2007.
PFC CSKA SofiaPFC CSKA Sofia is a Bulgarian football club from Sofia. CSKA stands for Central Sport Club of the Army . The home ground of CSKA Sofia is Bulgarska Armia Stadium. The club was officially founded on May 5, 1948...
,
PFC Slavia SofiaPFC Slavia Sofia is a Bulgarian football club founded on 10 April 1913 in Sofia.Slavia's ground is Ovcha Kupel Stadium with a capacity of 32,000...
,
PFC Lokomotiv SofiaPFC Lokomotiv Sofia is a Bulgarian football club from the capital city of Sofia, founded on 2 September 1929 as Railway Sports Club .- Honours :See also: PFC Lokomotiv Sofia in Europe...
,
PFC Litex LovechPFC Litex Lovech or simply Litex is a Bulgarian football club from the town of Lovech, which currently competes in the Bulgarian A Professional Football Group, the top division of Bulgarian football. The club's home ground is the Lovech Stadium, which has a capacity of 7,000 seats, electric...
have often played in the
UEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is a competition for eligible European football clubs; the second most prestigious European football contest after the UEFA Champions League. It is an annual football cup competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations...
championship, achieving remarkable results.
Bulgaria participates both in the Summer and Winter Olympics, and its first appearance dates back to the
first modern Olympic gamesThe 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in Athens, Greece, from April 6 to April 15, 1896. It was the first Olympic Games held in the Modern era...
in 1896, when the Swiss gymnast
Charles ChampaudCharles Champaud was a Swiss gymnast. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.Champaud competed in the parallel bars, vault, and pommel horse events...
represented the country. Since then Bulgaria has appeared in most Summer Olympiads, and by 2008 had won a total of 212 medals: 51 gold, 84 silver, and 77 bronze. The most successful Bulgarian teams competed at
MunichThe 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, in what was then West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
(21 medals),
MontrealThe 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976...
(22 medals),
MoscowThe 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
(41), and
SeoulThe 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan...
(35). At the Winter Olympic games, Bulgaria has a less impressive record: only 6 medals (of which only one gold) out of 17 participations.
Some of the most prominent Olympians include
Maria GrozdevaMaria Grozdeva is a Bulgarian sport shooter, concentrating on both 25 metre pistol and 10 metre air pistol. Apart from her five Olympic medals, she also has been successful at CISM World Championships and ISSF World Cups...
(shooting),
Ekaterina DafovskaEkaterina Dafovska is a Bulgarian biathlete. She won a gold Olympic medal at the 15 km Individual event during the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano....
(biathlon), Armen Nazaryan (wrestling),
Stefka KostadinovaStefka Kostadinova is a Bulgarian former athlete specialising in the high jump and current president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee....
(high jump, holder of the world record since 1987), Yordan Yovtchev (gymnastics),
Neshka RobevaNeshka Robeva is a Bulgarian former Rhythmic Gymnast and coach.Born in Rousse, Robeva graduated from the Bulgarian State Choreography School in "Bulgarian Dances" in 1966 and since then had been a member of the Bulgarian national rhythmic gymnastics squad until 1973. She took part in four World...
(gymnastics),
Rumyana NeykovaRumyana Neykova is a Bulgarian rower. Neykova competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics, the 1996 Summer Olympics, the 2000 Summer Olympics, where she won silver in Single Sculls, the 2004 Summer Olympics, where she won bronze and the 2008 Summer Olympics, where she won gold in the same discipline. Her...
(rowing). Outside the field of Olympics,
Veselin TopalovVeselin Topalov is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster and former FIDE world chess champion. He currently has the highest rating in the world....
(chess),
Grigor DimitrovGrigor Dimitrov is a tennis player from Bulgaria. His career high rank was #255, achieved on September 15, 2009.-Junior career:...
(tennis), couple
Albena DenkovaAlbena Denkova is a Bulgarian ice dancer. With partner Maxim Staviski, she is a two-time World Champion, two-time European silver medalist, and Grand Prix Final champion...
and
Maxim StaviskiMaxim Staviski is a Bulgarian ice dancer. With partner and fiancée Albena Denkova, he is a former two-time World Champion, two-time European silver medalist, and Grand Prix Final champion...
(ice skating) and
Kotoōshū KatsunoriKotoōshū Katsunori is a professional sumo wrestler or rikishi. He made his debut in 2002, reaching the top division just two years later...
(sumo) are among Bulgaria's top sportspeople of all time.
See also
Further reading
- Crampton, R. J. A Concise History of Bulgaria (2005) Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press ISBN 9780521616379
- Detrez, Raymond Historical Dictionary of Bulgaria (2006) Second Edition lxiv + 638 pp. Maps, bibliography, appendix, chronology ISBN 978-0-8108-4901-3
- Lampe, John R., and Marvin R. Jackson Balkan Economic History, 1550-1950: From Imperial Borderlands to Developing Nations (1982)
- Lampe, John R. The Bulgarian Economy in the Twentieth Century (1986) London: Croom Helm ISBN 0709916442
Pre 1939
- Monroe, W. S. "Bulgaria and her people, with an account of the Balkan wars, Macedonia, and the Macedonian Bulgars (1914)"
- Fox, Frank, Sir Bulgaria (1915) London: A. and C. Black, Ltd., book scanned by Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain...
- Hall, Richard C. Bulgaria's Road to the First World War (1996) New York: Columbia University Press ISBN 088033357X
- Perry, Duncan M. Stefan Stambolov and the Emergence of Modern Bulgaria, 1870-1895 (1993) Durham: Duke University Press ISBN 0822313138 (Васил Н. Златарски, История на българската държава през средните векове, Част II, II изд., Наука и изкуство, София 1970)
World War II
- Bar-Zohar, Michael
Dr Michael Bar-Zohar is an Israeli historian, novelist and politician. His World War II-era nonfiction and fiction works have been published in English, French, Hebrew, and other languages. He was also a member of the Knesset on behalf of the Alignment.-Background:Born in Bulgaria, Bar-Zohar...
Beyond Hitler's Grasp: The Heroic Rescue of Bulgaria's Jews
- Groueff, Stephane
Stephane Groueff, a writer, journalist and a political refugee, was born in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1922. He died in May 2006 in the USA. He was studying law in the University of Geneva when the communists seized power in his country in 1944. His father was Chief of Cabinet of King Boris III and was...
Crown of Thorns: The Reign of King Boris III of Bulgaria, 1918–1943
- Todorov, Tzvetan
Tzvetan Todorov is a Franco-Bulgarian philosopher. He has lived in France since 1963 writing books and essays about literary theory, thought history and culture theory....
The fragility of goodness: why Bulgaria’s Jews survived the Holocaust: a collection of texts with commentary (2001) Princeton: Princeton University Press ISBN 0691088322
Communist era
- Todorov, Tzvetan Voices from the Gulag: Life and Death in Communist Bulgaria
- Dimitrova, Alexenia The Iron Fist — Inside the Bulgarian secret archives
- Bell, John D., ed. (1998). Bulgaria in Transition: Politics, Economics, Society, and Culture after Communism. Westview. ISBN 978-0813390109
Guide-books
- Annie Kay Bradt Guide: Bulgaria
- Paul Greenway Lonely Planet World Guide: Bulgaria
- Pettifer, James Blue Guide: Bulgaria
- Timothy Rice Music of Bulgaria
- Jonathan Bousfield The Rough Guide To Bulgaria
External links
Government
General information
- Bulgaria information from the United States Department of State
The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, similar to foreign ministries, foreign offices, ministries of external relations, etc. in other countries...
- Portals to the World from the United States Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress and is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and holds the largest number of books. The head...
- Article Eco Friendly Bulgaria
- Bulgaria at UCB Libraries GovPubs
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