Bulgaria is situated in the South-eastern part of Europe, in the East site of the Balkan Peninsula. The country is bordered on the North by Romania, on the West by Ex-Yugoslavia, on the Southwest by Macedonian Republic, on the South by Greece and on the Southeast by Turkey. Black Sea borders Bulgaria on the East and provides direct access to the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Georgia.
Founded in 681, Bulgaria is one of the most ancient states on the European continent, and the meeting point of Europe and Asia. With its unique geography positions, mild climate and extraordinary pristine nature there is no doubt, that Bulgaria is the best kept secret of Europe waiting to be discovered.

Relief

A unique variety of geographical and landscape features. There is a sea coast - the Black Sea, to the East - with long and broad sandy or dune beaches; monumental river - the Danube, to the north, which connects by cruiseships to the riverports of Austria, Germany and Hungary.The mountains are extremely diverse, too: the Rila (taller than Olympus by 50 feet) with a jagged, Alpine character and crystalline mountain lakes; the Pirin nearby, with well-traversed walking paths and beautiful plant life and villages, the Rhodopes in the south, with glacially smoothed peak-tops and a pastoral atmosphere shared with the Balkan range which cuts across central Bulgaria; Sredna Gora and Strandzha with centuries-old afforestation. As Bulgaria is very concerned with agriculture, there are expansive flatlands sown with wheat and sunflower in the northeast and ubiquitously, extensive orchards and vineyards.

Coastal Resorts

The Bulgarian coastal stretch faces east and extends over 378 km, dotted with vast beaches covered with fine golden sand, and natural dunes - the majority of which have been awarded the EU Blue Flag for environmental excellence. Long sunny days enjoy temperatures in summer of around 23°C to 28°C, while water temperatures range between 17°C and 25°C. There are more than 240 hours of sunshine in May and September, and more than 300 hours each for July and August.

Facts:  

Territory 111.000 sq km.

Population
8,428,006

Language
Bulgarian.
English, German, French and Russian is spoken in the country's resorts, hotels and restaurants.

Alphabet
Cyrillic. Signs along international motorways, in airports and resorts are also spelled in Roman letters.

 Religion
86.6% of the population is Eastern Orthodox, 13% are Muslims. The Bulgarian Church is autonomous and headed by a Patriarch.

State government
Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic.

Official holidays
January 1 - New Year
March 3 - Bulgaria's Liberation from Ottoman rule - the National Day
Easter - one week after the Catholic Easter
May 1 - Labour Day
May 6 - Bulgarian Army Day
May 24 - Day of Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture and the Slav Script
September 6 - Bulgaria's Unification
September 22 - Independance Day
December 25-26 - Christmas

Capital
Sofia (pop. 1,141,000)

Large Cities
Varna , Plovdiv, Burgas, Ruse, Veliko Turnovo