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. The northern part of the country is
occupied by the Gornodunavska plain, which
passes in the east into the Ludogorsko and
Dobrudjansko plateau. To the south of them
along the length of the whole country is
situated the mountain range of Stara planina
(The Balkans) with the highest top Botev -2
376 m., to the south of which is the lower
mountain of Sredna gora. The central part of
Southern Bulgaria is occupied by the
Gornotrakijska low-land. In the southern and
south-western parts of the country are : the
highest mountain in the Balkan peninsula,
named the Rila mountain with its top peak the
Musala (2 925 m.), the Pirin mountain with the
Vihren peak (2 914 m.), the Rodopi Range with
the Golyam Perelik top (2 191 m.) , the
Vitosha with the Cherni vruh (2 290m.) and
others . The Blacksea coast is mostly low with
vast strips of sand.
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. Rainfall – 450-600 mm. in the
plains and till 1300 mm. in the mountains.
Main rivers – the Danube (470 km., a border
with Rumania), the Ogosta, Iskur, Vit, Osum
Yantra (all feedrs of the Danube river),
Kamchiya, Maritca, Mesta, Struma. Vegetation
–deciduous and coniferous forests cover almost
30% of the territory. 1700 m. above sea-level
height there are pastures and meadows.
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 – Sofia (1 110 thousand
inhabitants). The bigger towns – Plovdiv (340
000) , Varna (310 000) , Bourgas (200 000) ,
Russe (170 000), Stara Zagora (150 000) ,
Pleven (130 000) Sliven (110 000).
Administrative division –there are 28
districts, from which 14 are in the northern
part of the country (Vidinska, Montanska,
Vrachanska, Plevenska, Loveshka, Gabrovska,
Velikoturnovska, Russenska, Silistrenska,
Razgradska, Turgovishka, Shumenska, Varnenska,
Dobrichka) and 14 in the southern Bulgaria
(Bourgaska, Slivenska, Yambolska, Haskovska,
Starozagorska, Kurdjalijska, Plovdivska,
Smolyanska, Pazardjishka,
BlagoevgradskaKjustendilska, Pernishka ,
Sofijska and Sofia -city).
Stats system – a parliamentary republic,
governed by a president, chosen for a
five-year period of time. À permanently active
legislative power is the National Assembly ,
which consists of 240 deputies, elected for
four years. Òhe executive power is the
Parliament with a prime-minister at the head
of it.
Currency – lev=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.
Òhe 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 and livestock
beering – 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).Rearing of stock – Bulgaria is
specialized in the beering of pigs,
sheep,poultry and cattle.
Transport – roads 37.3 thousand km. ,railway
lines – 6.5 thousand km. The main sea harbours
are Bourgas and Varna.The ports along the
Danube river are Russe, Lom ,Vidin, Silistra
and others. International airports – 4.
Tourism
– a well-developed tourist infrastructure. Sea
resorts – Albena, Zlatni pyasaci, Nesebar,
Slanchev brjag, Sozopol 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). Òhe average annual visitors are about
3 700 thousand people.
