Search results
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located west of the Black Sea and south of the Danube river, Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, and Romania to the north.
- National Assembly
The National Assembly (Bulgarian: Народно събрание,...
- Culture of Bulgaria
A man from Florence, 1888 Renaissance-style painting by...
- Bulgarians
In 1018, Bulgaria lost its independence and remained a...
- History of Bulgaria
The history of Bulgaria can be traced from the first...
- People's Republic
1961 USSR stamp marking the 15th anniversary of the People's...
- Lev
The lev (Bulgarian: лев, plural: лева, левове / leva,...
- Principality of Bulgaria
The Principality of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Княжество България,...
- Demographics of Bulgaria
The demography of the Republic of Bulgaria is monitored by...
- National Assembly
Bulgaria (officially called the Republic of Bulgaria) is a country in south-eastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bulgaria is the south of the River Danube and west of the Black Sea. To the south of Bulgaria is North Macedonia, Greece, European continental Turkey.
- Overview
- Land
- Relief
- Drainage
- Soils
- Climate
Bulgaria, country occupying the eastern portion of the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe. Founded in the 7th century, Bulgaria is one of the oldest states on the European continent. It is intersected by historically important routes from northern and eastern Europe to the Mediterranean basin and from western and central Europe to the Middle East. Before the creation of the Bulgarian state, the empires of ancient Rome, Greece, and Byzantium were strong presences, and people and goods traveled the land with frequency.
Emerging from centuries of Ottoman rule, Bulgaria gained its independence in the late 19th century, joined the losing side of several conflagrations in the first half of the 20th century, and, despite gravitating toward the Axis powers in World War II, found itself within close orbit of the Soviet Union by mid-century. This alliance had profound effects on the Bulgarian state and psyche, altering everything from land use and labour practices to religion and the arts. As communist governments fell in eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Bulgaria was suddenly released from the magnetic field of the Soviet giant and drifted into the uneasy terrain of postcommunism. Today its gaze is firmly fixed on the West; Bulgaria became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2004 and of the European Union (EU) in 2007. The members of the EU engage in the bulk of Bulgarian trade.
Nearly rectangular in outline, Bulgaria is bounded by Romania to the north, with most of the border marked by the lower Danube River. The Black Sea lies to the east, Turkey and Greece to the south, North Macedonia to the southwest, and Serbia to the west. The capital city, Sofia, lies in a mountainous basin in the west.
Britannica Quiz
Within a relatively small compass, the Bulgarian landscape exhibits striking topographic variety. Open expanses of lowland alternate with broken mountain country, cut by deep river gorges and harbouring upland basins such as that in which Sofia lies. Three basic structural and physiographic divisions run east-west, splitting the country into the tr...
Bulgaria has a complex drainage pattern characterized, with the notable exception of the Danube, by relatively short rivers. The major rivers are the Maritsa (Marica), Iskŭr, Struma, Arda, Tundzha, and Yantra. Overall, more than half of the runoff drains to the Black Sea, and the rest flows to the Aegean Sea.
Bulgaria’s numerous lakes may be coastal (such as the large lakes around Varna and Burgas, both on the Black Sea), glacial (such as those in the southern mountains), structural, or karst in origin. The country has some 500 mineral springs, half of which are warm or hot (reaching 217 °F [103 °C] at Sapareva Banya, in the west). Numerous dams have been constructed in the mountains.
The varied Bulgarian natural environment has produced about 20 soil types and subtypes, which may be grouped into three main regions. Northern Bulgaria is characterized by the fertile black-earth soils known as chernozems and also by gray soils of forest origin. Southern Bulgaria has forest soils with acidic (cinnamonic) traces—by far the most exte...
Most of Bulgaria has a moderate continental climate, which is tempered by Mediterranean influences in the south. The average annual temperature is 51 °F (10.5 °C), but this conceals a wide variation; temperatures as low as −37 °F (−38 °C) and as high as 113 °F (45 °C) have been recorded. Mean annual precipitation ranges from about 18 inches (450 mm...
Geography of Bulgaria; Continent: Europe: Region: Balkan Peninsula, Southeast Europe: Coordinates: Area: Ranked 103rd • Total: 110,993.6 km 2 (42,854.9 sq mi) Coastline: 378 km (235 mi) Borders: 1,867 km: Highest point: Musala, 2,925 m (9,596 ft) Lowest point: Black Sea, 0 m: Longest river
People also ask
What is the history of Bulgaria?
Which country is south of Bulgaria?
What is Bulgaria known for?
When did Bulgaria become a country?
Jul 10, 2023 · Capital: Sofia. Area: 110,913 sq km. Population: 6.7 million. Language: Bulgarian. Life expectancy: 77 years (men) 69 years (women) LEADERS. President: Rumen Radev. Getty Images. Rumen Radev...
Bulgaria’s telecom market was for some years affected by the difficult macroeconomic climate, as well as by relatively high unemployment and a shrinking population; these factors continue to slow investments in the sector, though revenue growth has returned since 2019; there still remains pressure on revenue growth, with consumers migrating ...
