Sofia, Troyan

CAPITAL CITY OF Bulgaria: Sofia
LANGUAGE OF Bulgaria: Bulgarian
CURRENCY OF Bulgaria: Lev (BGL)
COMMENTS ABOUT Bulgaria:
Bulgaria is a country in Eastern Europe on the western side of the Black Sea.
Cities : Sofia (capital), Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Rousse, Vratsa, Shumen, Veliko Turnovo, Sliven, Smolyan, Belogradchik, Kurdzhali, Velingrad, Gabrovo, Kazanluk, Asenovgrad, Melnik, Nesebar, Sozopol, Bansko, Semkovo, Yambol
Best Places : Koprivshtitsa, Pamporovo, Rila, Balkan
Visas / Passport : No visa is required for entry for citizens of the EU, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Electricity : 220V/50Hz (European plug)
Calling Code : +359
Time Zone : UTC+2
The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. Today, reforms and democratization keep Bulgaria on a path toward eventual integration into the EU. The country joined NATO in 2004.
CLIMATE OF Bulgaria: temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
RELIGION OF Bulgaria: Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Roman Catholic 1.7%, Jewish 0.1%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 3.4% (1998)
POPULATION OF Bulgaria: 7,517,973 (July 2004 est.)>
ECONOMY OVERVIEW OF Bulgaria: Bulgaria, a former communist country striving to enter the European Union, has experienced macroeconomic stability and strong growth since a major economic downturn in 1996 led to the fall of the then socialist government. As a result, the government became committed to economic reform and responsible fiscal planning. A $300 million stand-by agreement negotiated with the IMF at the end of 2001 has supported government efforts to overcome high rates of poverty and unemployment.