Bulgaria is a republic in southeastern Europe, known from 1946 to 1990 as the People's Republic of Bulgaria. Situated in the Balkan Peninsula, Bulgaria is bounded on the north by Romania, on the east by the Black Sea, on the south by Turkey and Greece, and on the west by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Once an independent empire, Bulgaria was dominated by the Communist Party from 1946 until 1990, when a multiparty system was adopted. During the Communist period, when Bulgaria was under the control of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the once-dominant agricultural sector was overtaken by manufacturing. The capital and largest city is Sofia. Bulgaria is a republic in southeastern Europe, known from 1946 to 1990 as the People's Republic of Bulgaria. Situated in the Balkan Peninsula, Bulgaria is bounded on the north by Romania, on the east by the Black Sea, on the south by Turkey and Greece, and on the west by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Once an independent empire, Bulgaria was dominated by the Communist Party from 1946 until 1990, when a multiparty system was adopted. During the Communist period, when Bulgaria was under the control of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the once-dominant agricultural sector was overtaken by manufacturing. The capital and largest city is Sofia.

Land and Resources

The area of Bulgaria is 110,912 sq km (42,823 sq mi). The greatest distance from north to south is about 330 km (about 210 mi) and from east to west it is about 500 km (about 310 mi). More than half of Bulgaria is hilly or mountainous; the average elevation is about 480 m (about 1575 ft). The Balkan Mountains cross the country from the northwestern corner to the Black Sea and form the watershed between the Danube River and the Aegean Sea. The northern side of the Balkan Mountains slopes gradually to form the northern Bulgarian plateau, which ends at the Danube River. The central portion of the southern side of the range is fringed by a series of narrow plains, notably the Thracian Plain, an important agricultural region. In the southern part of the country are the broad and irregular Rhodope Mountains, which delineate most of Bulgaria's southern boundary with Greece. At the western end of these mountains are the Rila Mountains, which culminate at Musala (2925 m/9597 ft), the highest peak in the Balkans. Several smaller ranges lie along the western boundaries.

Rivers and Lakes

The principal river draining Bulgaria is the Danube. Its primary tributaries in Bulgaria are the Isk?r (about 370 km/about 230 mi long) and the Yantra (about 290 km/about 180 mi long). The Maritsa (about 480 km/about 300 mi long), which flows east to Greece and Turkey across the Thracian Plain, is the deepest river of the Aegean Sea basin. Other important rivers are the Kamchiya (about 180 km/about 110 mi long), which empties into the Black Sea, and in the southwest, the Struma and Mesta, which flow south to the Aegean Sea.

Plant and Animal Life

Approximately one-third of Bulgaria is forested, and half this area supports tall trees suitable for timber. About 30 percent of the timber trees are conifers. The Balkan Mountains and their foothills support forests of various trees. Conifer, beech, and oak trees are found in the timber zone of the Rhodope Mountains and their western extensions. Most wildlife is confined to the mountainous southwestern portion of the country, where there are bears, wolves, elks, foxes, and wildcats.

Natural Resources

The main resources of Bulgaria are agricultural. The country also has a wealth of metallic and nonmetallic minerals, mainly iron ore and coal. Other mineral reserves are small, but some deposits, particularly those of manganese and petroleum, are valuable.

Soils

Soil types vary considerably. Some tablelands have fertile black and gray soils, high in humus content and well suited for growing grain. The Thracian Plain contains brown, loamy soils that are fertile and adapted to diversified cultivation. Deforestation and inadequate soil-conservation practices have caused gradual deterioration of several fertile areas.

Climate

Most of Bulgaria has a continental climate, with cold winters and hot summers. The climate in general is more severe than in other European areas of the same latitudes, and the average annual temperature range is greater than that of neighboring countries. Severe droughts, frosts, winds, and hail storms frequently damage crops. A Mediterranean climate, with dry summers and mild, humid winters, prevails in the valley of the southwestern Rhodope Mountains; the northern limit of the climatic zone is the Balkan Mountains. The average January temperature in Sofia ranges between -4° and 2° C (between 25° and 35° F) and the July temperature ranges between 16° and 27° C (between 60° and 81° F). In Varna, along the Black Sea, the average January temperature ranges between -1° and 6° C (between 30° and 42° F) and the July temperature ranges between 19° and 30° C (between 65° and 85° F). The average rainfall in Bulgaria is about 630 mm (about 25 in) per year, ranging from a low of about 190 mm (about 7 in) in the northeast, to a high of about 1900 mm (about 75 in) in the Rila Mountains. The wettest period is early summer in most of the country and autumn or winter in the southern valleys.

Population and Settlement

The population of Bulgaria at the 1992 census was 8,472,724. The 1985 census population was 8,948,649; the subsequent decrease was largely caused by emigration. Bulgaria has a population density of about 76 persons per sq km (about 198 per sq mi). The population became increasingly urbanized after 1945, and today about 71 percent of the people live in urban areas. About 85 percent of the population is classified as ethnic Bulgarian and about 9 percent is Turkish. Small groups of Armenians, Roma (Gypsies), and Greeks also inhabit the country.

Principal Cities

Sofia is the largest city, with an estimated population of 1,114,476 in 1992. Other major cities are Plovdiv (341,374), a center for light industry; and Varna (308,601), the principal seaport.

Language and Religion

The official language is Bulgarian, spoken by about 90 percent of the population. Turkish is the largest minority language. For more than 40 years the Bulgarian government promoted atheism, to which an estimated 65 percent of the population subscribed in the early 1980s. The governmental reform of the late 1980s loosened religious restrictions, however, and by the early 1990s almost 90 percent of the population belonged to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (an Eastern Orthodox branch). There are also Muslims, Jews, Roman Catholics, Uniate Catholics, and Protestants.

Education

Bulgaria's literacy rate is about 99 percent. Education is free and compulsory for children from the ages of 6 through 16, and about 85 percent of eligible students in this age group attend school. Students attend primary school for four years, basic (or middle) school for three years, and secondary school for three to five years depending on the course of study. About 30 percent of students continue their education past the secondary level. There are more than 20 institutions of higher learning in Bulgaria, including the University of Sofia (founded in 1909).

Way of Life

Bulgarians value a neat, well-dressed appearance. Clothing is Western in style and European fashions are popular. The main ingredients in Bulgarian food are lamb, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, and yogurt. A typical meal may consist of "shopska salata" (cucumber salad), "tarator" (yogurt and cucumber soup) or "chorba" (bean soup), and "agneshki drebuliyki" (shish kebab). "Lokum" (a nut-filled pastry) is a common dessert. Domestically produced wine and brandy is of high quality. In rural areas Bulgarians live in single-family houses; most urban dwellers live in apartments. Soccer is the most popular sport; the Bulgarian soccer team became a source of national pride when they competed in the semifinal round of the 1994 World Cup, an international soccer tournament held every four years. Bulgaria's Black Sea beaches and large mountainous areas offer recreational opportunities.

Libraries and Museums

Large libraries in Sofia include the Central Library of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (founded in 1869), the library of the University of Sofia (1888), and the Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius National Library (1878). The Ivan Vazov National Library (1879) is located in Plovdiv. In addition, the people of Bulgaria are served by many smaller public libraries. The country has more than 200 museums. In Sofia are botanical and zoological museums and gardens; the National Archaeological Museum (1892), with a collection of old coins and finds from many ancient burial mounds; and the National Ethnographical Museum (1906). Other museums in the country are devoted to history, science, and the revolutionary movement.

Economy

Until 1947 Bulgaria was predominantly agricultural, with virtually no heavy industry. In Communist Bulgaria following World War II (1939-1945), all industrial enterprises were nationalized and operated under a series of five-year economic plans, modeled after the Soviet system, with financial aid from the USSR. Heavy industry was the government's highest priority. Since the mid-1950s new resorts have been developed along the Black Sea, partly by private individuals, in an attempt to attract foreign visitors. In 1990 Bulgaria began converting from a socialist to a market economy and these changes were expected to result in a positive economic reversal. By the mid-1990s this reversal had not happened. Consequently, the legislature did not enact laws that would have resulted in mass privatization and the major industrial sectors remained under state control. Some reforms and privatization had begun, however, and in 1994 the number of state-owned enterprises privatized each year more than doubled from the number privatized in 1993. In 1994 Bulgaria received about $270 million in direct foreign investments and there were more than 2000 joint-venture companies. In the early 1990s the national budget included about $14 billion in revenues and $17.4 billion in expenditures. The failure to engage in reform fully, however, began to yield dangerous consequences by 1996, as the national currency plummeted in value and the fragile banking system came near collapse. New elections followed in 1997, won by the anti-communist United Democratic Forces (UDF), and a new government under Ivan Kostov was appointed. The government introduced a packet of reforms, including the establishment of a currency board. The Bulgarian currency, the lev, was tied to the Deutsche mark at a rate of 1 lev for 1 Deutsche mark; the money supply was put under strict control; and a US$1.4 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund was received. So far, the economy shows healthy signs of recovery, with privatization, deregulation, and economic development progressing rapidly.