Here are some facts about Bulgaria.
- Bulgaria is a country in south east Europe, with a population of just over 7.4 million people.
- It is bordered by Greece, Turkey, Romania, Serbia, Macedonia and the Black Sea.
- It is the 105th largest country in the world, covering about 111,000 square km.
- It has a coastline of about 354 km and is divided into two by the Balkan Mountains.
- Sofia is the capital and largest city, with about 1.4 million people.
- Sofia’s Alexander Nevsky cathedral is one of the world’s largest, with a 45 metre high gold plated dome.
- One of Eastern Europe’s largest museums is Sofia’s National Historical Museum, with over 650,000 items. The National Library has over 7 million items, including rare books in Persian and Arabic.
- The Bulgarian Empire thrived from the 7th to the 13th centuries. In the 14th century, the Ottomans captured much of the area and ruled until the late 19th century.
- Bulgaria became a Communist state after World War II, with Todor Zhivkov ruling for 35 years.
- In 1989 Bulgaria became a parliamentary democracy, holding its first free elections the following year.
- Bulgaria’s oldest tree is an oak which is estimated to be over 1,600 years old.
- The country has over 4,000 caves, including one that measures 15 km in length.
- The first digital wristwatch was developed in Bulgaria, and the inventor of the first computer was a Bulgarian.
- The first air dropped bomb was dropped by the Bulgarian Air Force during the Balkan War.
- The Cyrillic alphabet was devised by two monks and is today used in Bulgaria, Russia and other countries.
- The country’s name comes from the Bulgar people who arrived in the 7th century.
- Bulgaria has over 300 varieties of yogurt. The country also produces about 80 percent of the world’s rose oil and is a major producer of wine.
