The country is situated on the Balkan peninsula. It is bordered in the north by Rumania (609 km. ,from which 470 km. along the Danube river), in the west by Jugoslavia (3451 km.), Macedonia (165 km.) and in the south by Greece (493 km.) and Turkey (253 km.) . It has a coast line in the east with the Black sea – 378 km.
Climate – temperate-continental, in the southern parts – Mediterranean. The average temperature for January is between -2 and 2 degrees centigrade in the lowlands and till -10 degrees centigrade in the mountains, and for July 19-25 degrees centigrade in the plains and 10 degrees centigrade in the high parts of the mountains.
Population – 8 240 thousand of inhabitants. Density of population – 74.3 inhabitants by a square metre. Population growth -5. The average duration of life – men -68 years old, women- 75 years old.
Ethnic structure – Bulgarians – 85.5 % ; Turkish- 9.7% ; Gipsies -3.4 % ; Russians -0.3% ;Armenians -0.2% and others 0.6% .
Official language – Bulgarian . The Turkish and the Gypsy language are used too.
Religious composition – christians - 87 % (from which 98.8% are the Orthodox and 0.6% are the Catholic people), Muslims – 12.3% and others - 0.7%. Over 2 million Bulgarian people live abroad, mostly in Ukrain, Rumania, Jugoslavia, Macedonia, USA, Canada and others. The urban population is about 73 %.
The capital of Bulgaria is Sofia . The bigger towns are Plovdiv , Varna , Bourgas , Russe , Stara Zagora, Pleven, Sliven.

Stats system – a parliamentary republic, governed by a president, chosen for a five-year period of time. Permanently active legislative power is the National Assembly , which consists of 240 deputies, elected for four years. The executive power is the Parliament with a prime-minister at the head of it.

Currency is Bulgarian lev (BGN, BGL), equal to 100 stotinki.
Economy –an industrial and an agricultural country with a market economy. There are limited resources of ores and minerals – iron, cooper, uran ores, coals, marble and others. The leading industrial branches are : ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy, machinery construction,chemistry industry, petroleum refining,cement industry,woodworking industry, textile and tobacco industry, wine-production and can- production. Agriculture – the cultivable lands occupy over 50% of the territory of the country. Main cultivations –wheat, corn, barley, sunflower, sugar beet, vineyards, lavender, peppermint and others. There are traditions in the cultivation of the oil-bearing rose (the rose oil).
The main sea harbours are Bourgas and Varna.The ports along the Danube river are Russe, Lom ,Vidin, Silistra and others.

The country has 4 International airports - Sofia airport, Varna airport, Burgas airport and Plovdiv airport.
Tourism – a well-developed tourist infrastructure. Sea resorts – Albena, Zlatni pyasaci (Golden sands), Nesebar, Slanchev brjag (Sunny beach), Sozopol, Ravda and many others. The winter resorts are – Bansko , Pamporovo, Borovetc, Vitosha and etc. The balneologic resorts (there are over 500 curative mineral springs) - Hisarya, Vurshetc, Sandanski and others). The average annual visitors are about 3 700 thousand people.
If you are planning to visit Bulgaria and hire a car read this useful driving information for Bulgaria.
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