Bulgaria

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This article is about the country. For other uses, see Bulgaria (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 4245N 2530E

Republic of Bulgaria

Republika Blgariya (Bulgarian)

Flag Coat of arms

Motto:

(Bulgarian)

"Sedinenieto pravi silata" (transliteration)

"Unity makes strength"

Anthem:
(Bulgarian)
Mila Rodino (transliteration)
Dear Motherland

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 Location of Bulgaria (dark green)

in Europe (green & dark grey)

in the European Union (green) [Legend]

Capital Sofia
and largest city 4241N 2319E

Official languages Bulgarian

Official script Cyrillic

Ethnic groups (2011[1])

84.8% Bulgarian
s

8.8% Turks

4.9% Roma

1.5% others

Religion Bulgarian Orthodox

Church

Demonym Bulgarian

Government Unitaryparliamentaryrep
ublic

President Rumen Radev

 Acting Prime Minister Ognyan Gerdzhikov

Legislature National Assembly

Formation

First Bulgarian Empire 6811018

Second Bulgarian Empire 11851396

Principality of Bulgaria 3 March 1878[note 1]

Declaration of 5 October 1908[note 2]

Independence from
the Ottoman Empire

Current constitution 13 July 1991

European Union accession 1 January 2007

Area

Total 110,994 km2(42,855 sq

mi) (105th)

Water (%) 0.3

Population

31 December 7,153,784[2](100th)
2015 estimate

2011 census 7,364,570

Density 64.9/km2(168.1/sq mi)

(95th)

GDP (PPP) 2016 estimate

Total $143.102 billion[3](76th)

Per capita $20,116 (62nd)

GDP (nominal) 2016 estimate

Total $50.446 billion[3](81st)

 Per capita $7,091 (75th)

Gini (2015) 37[4]

medium

HDI (2015) 0.794[5]

high 56th

Currency Lev (BGN)

Time zone EET (UTC+2)

Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)

Drives on the right

Calling code +359

ISO 3166 code BG

Internet TLD .bg

Bulgaria ( /blri, bl-/; Bulgarian: , tr. Blgariya), officially the Republic of

i

Bulgaria (Bulgarian: , tr. Republika Blgariya, pronounced [rpublik b

arij]), is a country in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the
north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the
east. With a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi), Bulgaria is Europe's 16th-largest
country.

Organised prehistoric cultures began developing on current Bulgarian lands during

the Neolithic period. Its ancient history saw the presence of
the Thracians, Greeks, Persians, Celts, Romans, Goths, Alans and Huns. The emergence of a
unified Bulgarian state dates back to the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681 AD,
which dominated most of the Balkans and functioned as a cultural hub for Slavs during the Middle
Ages. With the downfall of the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1396, its territories came
under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries. The Russo-Turkish War of 187778 led to the formation
of the Third Bulgarian State. The following years saw several conflicts with its neighbours, which
prompted Bulgaria to align with Germany in both world wars. In 1946 it became a one-party socialist
state as part of the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc. In December 1989 the ruling Communist
Party allowed multi-party elections, which subsequently led to Bulgaria's transition into
a democracy and a market-based economy.

Bulgaria's population of 7.2 million people is predominantly urbanised and mainly concentrated in the
administrative centres of its 28 provinces. Most commercial and cultural activities are centred on the
 capital and largest city, Sofia. The strongest sectors of the economy are heavy industry, power
engineering, and agriculture, all of which rely on local natural resources.

The country's current political structure dates to the adoption of a democratic constitution in 1991.
Bulgaria is a unitary parliamentary republic with a high degree of political, administrative, and
economic centralisation. It is a member of the European Union, NATO, and the Council of Europe; a
founding state of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); and has taken a
seat at the UN Security Council three times.

Contents

[hide]

1History

o 1.1Prehistory and antiquity

o 1.2First Bulgarian Empire

o 1.3Second Bulgarian Empire

o 1.4Ottoman rule

o 1.5Third Bulgarian state

2Geography

o 2.1Environment

o 2.2Biodiversity

3Politics

o 3.1Government

o 3.2Legal system

o 3.3Administrative divisions

o 3.4Foreign relations

o 3.5Military

4Corruption

o 4.1General

o 4.2Corruption case example: Corporate Commercial Bank

 5Human rights

6Economy

o 6.1Science and technology

o 6.2Infrastructure

7Demographics

8Culture

o 8.1UNESCO World Heritage

8.1.1Cultural

8.1.2Natural

o 8.2Sports

9See also

10Footnotes

11References

12Bibliography

13External links