BULGARIA
Located in southeastern Europe and occupying the northeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula, Bulgaria is a small, picturesque country, which has existed for more than 13 centuries in the European continent, linking East and West.
To the north of Bulgaria lie Romania, Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia, on its west is Greek and it is bordered by Turkey on its southern side. Its eastern border is mostly bound by the black Sea. The classical regions of Moesia, Thrace, and Macedonia comprise the country of Bulgaria.
The oldest nation-state in Europe, Bulgaria derives its name from Bulgar people, who arrived here in the late seventh century. Bulgar is a term most likely derived from a Turkic verb meaning "to mix."
Bulgaria came under Ottoman rule the mid fourteenth century. The Ottoman rule lasted till the Russo-Turkish War and in 1878 Bulgaria was re-established as a constitutional monarchy.
During the First Balkan War Bulgarian Air Force developed the first air-dropped bomb in military history!
Bulgaria became a communist state and part of the Eastern Bloc, after WW2. Its monopoly on power was given up by the communist party of Bulgaria in 1990, making way for democracy and free-market capitalism. . There is a Parliamentary Democracy in the country now, under a unitary Constitutional Republic.
In January 2007 Bulgaria became a member of European Union and since 2004 has been a part of NATO
There is a bacterium that can be found only in Bulgarian air and is called Lactobacillus Bulgaricus.
BRIEF HISTORY
Bulgaria's liberation from the Ottoman Empire 1908.
Social and political unrest was witnessed in the country in first half of the 20th century. The country became involved in the two Balkan wars and the two World Wars and in 1944 communism emerged as the dominant political force within Bulgaria. It was only in the 90s that the process of democracy began in the country.
GEOGRAPHY
Bulgaria is spread over an area of 110,550 square kilometers. The land is divided into plains, plateaus, hills, mountains, basins, gorges, and deep river valleys and the geographic center of Bulgaria is located in Uzana.
Earthquakes form quite a significant feature on the Bulgarian land and the two especially sensitive areas are- North Bulgarian Swell in north-central Bulgaria and West Rhodopes Vault, extending from the northern Pirin regions to Plovdiv in south-central Bulgaria.
CLIMATE
The climate of Bulgaria is of the temperate kind with cold winters having considerable snowfall and hot rainy summers. In the coastal area of the Black Sea, the climate is milder than the rest of the country; the summer, temperatures in the southeast Bulgaria often exceed 40 degrees Celsius, but remain cooler by the coast.
CAPITAL AND MAIN CITIES
Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria like any other European capital it is the hub of the country's political, business and culture life, the center of various international events.
The other key cities of the country include:
Varna- is the most remarkable city of the country, which is crowded with tourists during the summers owing to its cultural attraction and historical buildings, museums and art galleries. It has an old culture, living traditions and ambitious undertakings and is an "around the year" holiday destination.
Albena and Plovdiv are the other major cities of the country.
PEOPLE, CULTURE AND LANGUAGES
There are mainly three ethnic groups in the country- a central Asian Turkic people, and Slavs, a central European people. There is hardly any sense of shared national culture among the three main ethnic groups and the dominant national culture is that of the ethnic Bulgarians.
The Bulgarian Orthodox church has long played a role in retaining a sense of being "Bulgarian", acting as the default support system under Ottoman and Communist rule.
The country has a multifarious culture that has been assimilated over the years and a number of languages which have mingled yet retain their idiosyncratic characters. Bulgarian and Turkish are the two official languages of the country although there are 11 languages in Bulgaria, each of which has definite characteristics and history of origin.
CURRENCY AND ECONOMY
Lev (BGL) is Bulgaria’s monetary unit.
The economy in Bulgaria is industrialized and open free market. Its economy has been described as ‘upper-middle-income economy”, by the World Bank.
Bulgaria is a country vastly riddled with corruption, so much so that the EU has partly frozen EU funds of about €450 million and may freeze more if Bulgarian authorities do not show solid progress in fighting corruption.
TOURIST INTEREST INFO
The glorious coastline of Bulgaria is vast, so enjoy its luxurious sandy beaches or try swimming in the Black Sea.
Bulgaria has several ski slopes, way marked paths for hiking and organized mountaineering and mountain climbing, for the adventure seeking tourist. Additionally indulge in horse riding, which has been traditionally popular in Bulgaria and mountain biking in the Rhodope Mountains or along the Black Sea coast.
The capital city of Sofia, offers a taste of the Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Turkish architectural styles besides boasting museums, churches, art galleries and opera houses.
Bulgaria’s oldest and second largest city with its narrow cobbled streets and quaint houses, and the Roman Amphitheatre is good for just wandering around.
Visit Rila Monastery which has a fascinating and vast collection of murals, woodcarvings, old weapons and bibles written on parchment.
The Batchkovo Monastery, 8km (5 miles) from Plovdiv, founded in the 11th century, with some rare frescoes, icons, manuscripts and coins, is worth exploring.
Bulgarians have planted roses for centuries, and extracted their heavenly essence - attar of roses- and in May and early June each year when The Festival of Roses is celebrated in many towns of the region, The Rose Valley is magically transformed with breathtaking blooms.
Melnik, the tiny town, with 18th- and 19th-century houses is famous for its wine cellars and during weekends, you can join the Bulgarians, who flock here for its wonderful mehanas for traditional food and the local brew.
Veliko Turnovo is an ancient museum town, which contains extraordinary collections of historic works of art, including church relics and it could be a real treat for all the history enthusiasts.
Bulgaria has several World Heritage monuments including the perfectly preserved fourth-century murals in the Thracian Kazanluk Tomb, the Sveshtari Tomb near Razgrad, the 13th-century Boyana Church on the outskirts of Sofia, and the Ivanovo Rock Monasteries near Rousse, which reflect the history of the country.
Nightlife
If you are interested in music then traditional music and dancing is there in many restaurants, especially in resorts and in some Sofia eateries. The State Opera House in Sofia has opera performances, which you can also find in Plovdiv and a few other cities. The local orchestras or the National Folk Ensemble perform classical concerts, which could lighten up your evening.
Rakia, the local brandy is popular among the locals and you might like to try it with your course. Although Western European standards dishes are served by many restaurants, you might like to try some national specialties like-
-Tarator, a cold soup made from cucumber, walnuts and yogurt.
-Shopska salata, a large salad starter with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and white cheese.
-Kavarma, an individual casserole of pork or veal.
-Kebapche, small minced meat balls, strongly spiced.
The nightclub and bar scene in Bulgaria is fantastic. The resorts pump out great music including chalga, which is home-grown gypsy/dance/techno music and international sounds are played out as well.
Shopping
Sofia has some good shopping prospects ranging from clothes, shoes, handicrafts, wines, spirits and confectionery.
ACCOMMODATION
Hotels
Sofia has seen a surge of many new hotels and guest houses but other than that too there are plenty of hotels in other Bulgarian towns and cities. Although the standards of the hotels are comparatively lower than the European level but they have star grading ranging from one to five stars.
Guest Houses
Guest house accommodation is offered in small villas with private rooms, particularly near the coast, but also in small towns and villages inland in older houses as well.
Youth Hostels
All the 30 major towns of the country have youth hostel facilities.
Camping
The top two camping site categories have hot and cold water, showers, electricity, grocery stores, restaurants, telephones and sports grounds and the camping areas are located in main tourist areas.
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