Profile
Background and figures as recorded in the CIA World Factbook.
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 Ottoman Turks overran the country. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878, and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire 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.
- Capital
- Sofia
- Government
- parliamentary republic
- Population
- 6,737,997
- Area
- 110,879 sq km
- Location
- Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
- Climate
- temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
- Natural resources
- bauxite; copper; lead; zinc; coal; timber…
- Languages
- Bulgarian (official) 77.3%; Turkish 7.9%; Romani 3.5%; other 1%…
- Religions
- Christian 64.7%; Muslim 9.8%; other 0.1%; none 4.7%…
- Independence
- 3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire);
- Administrative divisions
- 28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Haskovo, Kardzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech…
- Currency
- leva (BGN)
- Export partners
- Germany 14%; Romania 11%; Italy 8%; Greece 6%…
- Import partners
- Germany 12%; Turkey 8%; Romania 8%; Russia 7%…
Source: CIA World Factbook — a work of the US government, in the public domain