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Bulgaria

January 10, 2023

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

Bulgaria (/bʌlˈɡɛəriə, bʊl-/ (listen); Bulgarian: България, romanized: Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Реnубʌиkа Бъʌƨаpия),[a] is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. Bulgaria covers a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi), and is the sixteenth-largest country in Europe. Sofia is the nation's capital and largest city; other major cities are Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas.

Republic of Bulgaria
Република България
Republika Bǎlgariya
Motto: Съединението прави силата
Sǎedinenieto pravi silata
("Unity makes strength")
Anthem: Мила Родино
Mila Rodino
("Dear Motherland")
Location of Bulgaria (dark green)

– in Europe (green & dark grey)
– in the European Union (green)  –  [Legend]

Capital
and largest city
Sofia
42°41′N 23°19′E / 42.683°N 23.317°E / 42.683; 23.317Coordinates: 42°41′N 23°19′E / 42.683°N 23.317°E / 42.683; 23.317
Official languagesBulgarian[1]
Official scriptCyrillic
Ethnic groups
(2021)[2]
Religion
(2021)[2]
  • 15.9% Unaffiliated
  • 9.8% Islam
  • 0.1% Others
  • 9.5% Unanswered
Demonym(s)
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary republic
• President
Rumen Radev
Iliana Iotova
Galab Donev
Vezhdi Rashidov
LegislatureNational Assembly
Establishment history
681–1018
1185–1396
3 March 1878
5 October 1908
• Monarchy abolished
15 September 1946
15 November 1990
1 January 2007
Area
• Total
110,993.6[3] km2 (42,854.9 sq mi) (103rd)
• Water (%)
2.16[4]
Population
• 2021 estimate
6,520,314 (106th)
• Density
63/km2 (163.2/sq mi) (120th)
GDP (PPP)2022 estimate
• Total
 US$203 billion[5] (73rd)
• Per capita
 $27,890[5] (55th)
GDP (nominal)2022 estimate
• Total
 $86 billion[5] (68th)
• Per capita
 $12,340[5] (61st)
Gini (2021) 39.7[6]
medium
HDI (2021) 0.796[7]
high · 68th
CurrencyLev (BGN)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+3 (EEST)
Date formatdd.mm.yyyy
Driving sideright
Calling code+359
ISO 3166 codeBG
Internet TLD

One of the earliest societies in the lands of modern-day Bulgaria was the Neolithic Karanovo culture, which dates back to 6,500 BC. In the 6th to 3rd century BC the region was a battleground for ancient Thracians, Persians, Celts and Macedonians; stability came when the Roman Empire conquered the region in AD 45. After the Roman state splintered, tribal invasions in the region resumed. Around the 6th century, these territories were settled by the early Slavs. The Bulgars, led by Asparuh, attacked from the lands of Old Great Bulgaria and permanently invaded the Balkans in the late 7th century. They established First Bulgarian Empire, victoriously recognised by treaty in 681 AD by the Eastern Roman Empire. It dominated most of the Balkans and significantly influenced Slavic cultures by developing the Cyrillic script. The First Bulgarian Empire lasted until the early 11th century, when Byzantine emperor Basil II conquered and dismantled it. A successful Bulgarian revolt in 1185 established a Second Bulgarian Empire, which reached its apex under Ivan Asen II (1218–1241). After numerous exhausting wars and feudal strife, the empire disintegrated and in 1396 fell under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries.

The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 resulted in the formation of the third and current Bulgarian state. Many ethnic Bulgarians were left outside the new nation's borders, which stoked irredentist sentiments that led to several conflicts with its neighbours and alliances with Germany in both world wars. In 1946, Bulgaria came under the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc and became a socialist state. The ruling Communist Party gave up its monopoly on power after the revolutions of 1989 and allowed multiparty elections. Bulgaria then transitioned into a democracy and a market-based economy. Since adopting a democratic constitution in 1991, Bulgaria has been a unitary parliamentary republic composed of 28 provinces, with a high degree of political, administrative, and economic centralisation.

Bulgaria is a developing country, with an upper-middle-income economy, ranking 68th in the Human Development Index. Its market economy is part of the European Single Market and is largely based on services, followed by industry—especially machine building and mining—and agriculture. Widespread corruption is a major socioeconomic issue; Bulgaria ranked as the most corrupt country in the European Union in 2018.[8] The country also faces a demographic crisis, with its population slowly shrinking, down from a peak of nearly nine million in 1988, to roughly 6.5 million today. Bulgaria is a member of the European Union, NATO, and the Council of Europe; it is also a founding member of the OSCE, and has taken a seat on the United Nations Security Council three times.

Etymology

The name Bulgaria is derived from the Bulgars, a tribe of Turkic origin that founded the First Bulgarian Empire. Their name is not completely understood and is difficult to trace back earlier than the 4th century AD,[9] but it is possibly derived from the Proto-Turkic word bulģha ("to mix", "shake", "stir") and its derivative bulgak ("revolt", "disorder").[10] The meaning may be further extended to "rebel", "incite" or "produce a state of disorder", and so, in the derivative, the "disturbers".[11][12][13] Tribal groups in Inner Asia with phonologically close names were frequently described in similar terms, as the Buluoji, a component of the "Five Barbarian" groups, which during the 4th century were portrayed as both: a "mixed race" and "troublemakers".[14]

History

Main article: History of Bulgaria

Prehistory and Antiquity

Further information: Prehistoric Europe, Old Europe (archaeology), Neolithic Europe, Chalcolithic Europe, Bronze Age Europe, Iron Age Europe, Odrysian kingdom, Thracians, Greek colonisation, and Slavs
 
Odrysian golden wreath in the National History Museum

Neanderthal remains dating to around 150,000 years ago, or the Middle Paleolithic, are some of the earliest traces of human activity in the lands of modern Bulgaria.[15] Remains from Homo sapiens found there are dated c. 47,000 years BP. This result represents the earliest arrival of modern humans in Europe.[16][17] The Karanovo culture arose circa 6,500 BC and was one of several Neolithic societies in the region that thrived on agriculture.[18] The Copper Age Varna culture (fifth millennium BC) is credited with inventing gold metallurgy.[19][20] The associated Varna Necropolis treasure contains the oldest golden jewellery in the world with an approximate age of over 6,000 years.[21][22] The treasure has been valuable for understanding social hierarchy and stratification in the earliest European societies.[23][24][25]

The Thracians, one of the three primary ancestral groups of modern Bulgarians, appeared on the Balkan Peninsula some time before the 12th century BC.[26][27][28] The Thracians excelled in metallurgy and gave the Greeks the Orphean and Dionysian cults, but remained tribal and stateless.[29] The Persian Achaemenid Empire conquered parts of present-day Bulgaria (in particular eastern Bulgaria) in the 6th century BC and retained control over the region until 479 BC.[30][31] The invasion became a catalyst for Thracian unity, and the bulk of their tribes united under king Teres to form the Odrysian kingdom in the 470s BC.[29][31][32] It was weakened and vassalised by Philip II of Macedon in 341 BC,[33] attacked by Celts in the 3rd century,[34] and finally became a province of the Roman Empire in AD 45.[35]

By the end of the 1st century AD, Roman governance was established over the entire Balkan Peninsula and Christianity began spreading in the region around the 4th century.[29] The Gothic Bible—the first Germanic language book—was created by Gothic bishop Ulfilas in what is today northern Bulgaria around 381.[36] The region came under Byzantine control after the fall of Rome in 476. The Byzantines were engaged in prolonged warfare against Persia and could not defend their Balkan territories from barbarian incursions.[37] This enabled the Slavs to enter the Balkan Peninsula as marauders, primarily through an area between the Danube River and the Balkan Mountains known as Moesia.[38] Gradually, the interior of the peninsula became a country of the South Slavs, who lived under a democracy.[39][40] The Slavs assimilated the partially Hellenised, Romanised, and Gothicised Thracians in the rural areas.[41][42][43][44]

First Bulgarian Empire

Main article: First Bulgarian Empire
 
Knyaz Boris I meeting the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius.

Not long after the Slavic incursion, Moesia was once again invaded, this time by the Bulgars under Khan Asparukh.[45] Their horde was a remnant of Old Great Bulgaria, an extinct tribal confederacy situated north of the Black Sea in what is now Ukraine and southern Russia. Asparukh attacked Byzantine territories in Moesia and conquered the Slavic tribes there in 680.[27] A peace treaty with the Byzantine Empire was signed in 681, marking the foundation of the First Bulgarian Empire. The minority Bulgars formed a close-knit ruling caste.[46]

Succeeding rulers strengthened the Bulgarian state throughout the 8th and 9th centuries. Krum introduced a written code of law[47] and checked a major Byzantine incursion at the Battle of Pliska, in which Byzantine emperor Nicephorus I was killed.[48] Boris I abolished paganism in favour of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in 864. The conversion was followed by a Byzantine recognition of the Bulgarian church[49] and the adoption of the Cyrillic alphabet, developed in the capital, Preslav.[50] The common language, religion and script strengthened central authority and gradually fused the Slavs and Bulgars into a unified people speaking a single Slavic language.[51][50] A golden age began during the 34-year rule of Simeon the Great, who oversaw the largest territorial expansion of the state.[52]

After Simeon's death, Bulgaria was weakened by wars with Magyars and Pechenegs and the spread of the Bogomil heresy.[51][53] Preslav was seized by the Byzantine army in 971 after consecutive Rus' and Byzantine invasions.[51] The empire briefly recovered from the attacks under Samuil,[54] but this ended when Byzantine emperor Basil II defeated the Bulgarian army at Klyuch in 1014. Samuil died shortly after the battle,[55] and by 1018 the Byzantines had conquered the First Bulgarian Empire.[56] After the conquest, Basil II prevented revolts by retaining the rule of local nobility, integrating them in Byzantine bureaucracy and aristocracy, and relieving their lands of the obligation to pay taxes in gold, allowing tax in kind instead.[57][58] The Bulgarian Patriarchate was reduced to an archbishopric, but retained its autocephalous status and its dioceses.[58][57]

Second Bulgarian Empire

Main article: Second Bulgarian Empire
 
The walls of Tsarevets fortress in Veliko Tarnovo, the capital of the second empire

Byzantine domestic policies changed after Basil's death and a series of unsuccessful rebellions broke out, the largest being led by Peter Delyan. The empire's authority declined after a catastrophic military defeat at Manzikert against Seljuk invaders, and was further disturbed by the Crusades. This prevented Byzantine attempts at Hellenisation and created fertile ground for further revolt. In 1185, Asen dynasty nobles Ivan Asen I and Peter IV organised a major uprising and succeeded in re-establishing the Bulgarian state. Ivan Asen and Peter laid the foundations of the Second Bulgarian Empire with its capital at Tarnovo.[59]

Kaloyan, the third of the Asen monarchs, extended his dominion to Belgrade and Ohrid. He acknowledged the spiritual supremacy of the pope and received a royal crown from a papal legate.[60] The empire reached its zenith under Ivan Asen II (1218–1241), when its borders expanded as far as the coast of Albania, Serbia and Epirus, while commerce and culture flourished.[60][59] Ivan Asen's rule was also marked by a shift away from Rome in religious matters.[61]

The Asen dynasty became extinct in 1257. Internal conflicts and incessant Byzantine and Hungarian attacks followed, enabling the Mongols to establish suzerainty over the weakened Bulgarian state.[60][61] In 1277, swineherd Ivaylo led a great peasant revolt that expelled the Mongols from Bulgaria and briefly made him emperor.[62][59] He was overthrown in 1280 by the feudal landlords,[62] whose factional conflicts caused the Second Bulgarian Empire to disintegrate into small feudal dominions by the 14th century.[59] These fragmented rump states—two tsardoms at Vidin and Tarnovo and the Despotate of Dobrudzha—became easy prey for a new threat arriving from the Southeast: the Ottoman Turks.[60]

Ottoman rule

Main article: Ottoman Bulgaria
 
The Battle of Nicopolis in 1396 marked the end of medieval Bulgarian statehood.

The Ottomans were employed as mercenaries by the Byzantines in the 1340s but later became invaders in their own right.[63] Sultan Murad I took Adrianople from the Byzantines in 1362; Sofia fell in 1382, followed by Shumen in 1388.[63] The Ottomans completed their conquest of Bulgarian lands in 1393 when Tarnovo was sacked after a three-month siege and the Battle of Nicopolis which brought about the fall of the Vidin Tsardom in 1396. Sozopol was the last Bulgarian settlement to fall, in 1453.[64] The Bulgarian nobility was subsequently eliminated and the peasantry was enserfed to Ottoman masters,[63] while much of the educated clergy fled to other countries.[65]

Bulgarians were subjected to heavy taxes (including Devshirme, or blood tax), their culture was suppressed,[65] and they experienced partial Islamisation.[66] Ottoman authorities established a religious administrative community called the Rum Millet, which governed all Orthodox Christians regardless of their ethnicity.[67] Most of the local population then gradually lost its distinct national consciousness, identifying only by its faith.[68][69] The clergy remaining in some isolated monasteries kept their ethnic identity alive, enabling its survival in remote rural areas,[70] and in the militant Catholic community in the northwest of the country.[71]

As Ottoman power began to wane, Habsburg Austria and Russia saw Bulgarian Christians as potential allies. The Austrians first backed an uprising in Tarnovo in 1598, then a second one in 1686, the Chiprovtsi Uprising in 1688 and finally Karposh's Rebellion in 1689.[72] The Russian Empire also asserted itself as a protector of Christians in Ottoman lands with the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca in 1774.[72]

 
The Russo-Bulgarian defence of Shipka Pass in 1877

The Western European Enlightenment in the 18th century influenced the initiation of a national awakening of Bulgaria.[63] It restored national consciousness and provided an ideological basis for the liberation struggle, resulting in the 1876 April Uprising. Up to 30,000 Bulgarians were killed as Ottoman authorities put down the rebellion. The massacres prompted the Great Powers to take action.[73] They convened the Constantinople Conference in 1876, but their decisions were rejected by the Ottomans. This allowed the Russian Empire to seek a military solution without risking confrontation with other Great Powers, as had happened in the Crimean War.[73] In 1877, Russia declared war on the Ottomans and defeated them with the help of Bulgarian rebels, particularly during the crucial Battle of Shipka Pass which secured Russian control over the main road to Constantinople.[74][75]

Third Bulgarian state

Main articles: History of Bulgaria (1878–1946), People's Republic of Bulgaria, and History of Bulgaria since 1989

The Treaty of San Stefano was signed on 3 March 1878 by Russia and the Ottoman Empire. It was to set up an autonomous Bulgarian principality spanning Moesia, Macedonia and Thrace, roughly on the territories of the Second Bulgarian Empire,[76][77] and this day is now a public holiday called National Liberation Day.[78] The other Great Powers immediately rejected the treaty out of fear that such a large country in the Balkans might threaten their interests. It was superseded by the Treaty of Berlin, signed on 13 July. It provided for a much smaller state, the Principality of Bulgaria, only comprising Moesia and the region of Sofia, and leaving large populations of ethnic Bulgarians outside the new country.[76][79] This significantly contributed to Bulgaria's militaristic foreign affairs approach during the first half of the 20th century.[80]

 
Borders of Bulgaria according to the preliminary Treaty of San Stefano

The Bulgarian principality won a war against Serbia and incorporated the semi-autonomous Ottoman territory of Eastern Rumelia in 1885, proclaiming itself an independent state on 5 October 1908.[81] In the years following independence, Bulgaria increasingly militarised and was often referred to as "the Balkan Prussia".[82] It became involved in three consecutive conflicts between 1912 and 1918—two Balkan Wars and World War I. After a disastrous defeat in the Second Balkan War, Bulgaria again found itself fighting on the losing side as a result of its alliance with the Central Powers in World War I. Despite fielding more than a quarter of its population in a 1,200,000-strong army[83][84] and achieving several decisive victories at Doiran and Monastir, the country capitulated in 1918. The war resulted in significant territorial losses and a total of 87,500 soldiers killed.[85] More than 253,000 refugees from the lost territories immigrated to Bulgaria from 1912 to 1929,[86] placing additional strain on the already ruined national economy.[87]

 
Tsar Boris III

The resulting political unrest led to the establishment of a royal authoritarian dictatorship by Tsar Boris III (1918–1943). Bulgaria entered World War II in 1941 as a member of the Axis but declined to participate in Operation Barbarossa and saved its Jewish population from deportation to concentration camps.[88] The sudden death of Boris III in mid-1943 pushed the country into political turmoil as the war turned against Germany, and the communist guerrilla movement gained momentum. The government of Bogdan Filov subsequently failed to achieve peace with the Allies. Bulgaria did not comply with Soviet demands to expel German forces from its territory, resulting in a declaration of war and an invasion by the USSR in September 1944.[89] The communist-dominated Fatherland Front took power, ended participation in the Axis and joined the Allied side until the war ended.[90] Bulgaria suffered little war damage and the Soviet Union demanded no reparations. But all wartime territorial gains, with the notable exception of Southern Dobrudzha, were lost.[91]

 
Georgi Dimitrov, leader of the Bulgarian Communist Party from 1946 to 1949

The left-wing coup d'état of 9 September 1944 led to the abolition of the monarchy and the executions of some 1,000–3,000 dissidents, war criminals, and members of the former royal elite.[92][93][94] But it was not until 1946 that a one-party people's republic was instituted following a referendum.[95] It fell into the Soviet sphere of influence under the leadership of Georgi Dimitrov (1946–1949), who established a repressive, rapidly industrialising Stalinist state.[91] By the mid-1950s, standards of living rose significantly and political repression eased.[96][97] The Soviet-style planned economy saw some experimental market-oriented policies emerging under Todor Zhivkov (1954–1989).[98] Compared to wartime levels, national GDP increased five-fold and per capita GDP quadrupled by the 1980s,[99] although severe debt spikes took place in 1960, 1977 and 1980.[100] Zhivkov's daughter Lyudmila bolstered national pride by promoting Bulgarian heritage, culture and arts worldwide.[101] Facing declining birth rates among the ethnic Bulgarian majority, Zhivkov's government in 1984 forced the minority ethnic Turks to adopt Slavic names in an attempt to erase their identity and assimilate them.[102] These policies resulted in the emigration of some 300,000 ethnic Turks to Turkey.[103][104]

The Communist Party was forced to give up its political monopoly on 10 November 1989 under the influence of the Revolutions of 1989. Zhivkov resigned and Bulgaria embarked on a transition to a parliamentary democracy.[105] The first free elections in June 1990 were won by the Communist Party, now rebranded as the Bulgarian Socialist Party.[106] A new constitution that provided for a relatively weak elected president and for a prime minister accountable to the legislature was adopted in July 1991.[107] The new system initially failed to improve living standards or create economic growth—the average quality of life and economic performance remained lower than under communism well into the early 2000s.[108] After 2001, economic, political and geopolitical conditions improved greatly,[109] and Bulgaria achieved high Human Development status in 2003.[110] It became a member of NATO in 2004[111] and participated in the War in Afghanistan. After several years of reforms, it joined the European Union and the single market in 2007, despite EU concerns over government corruption.[112] Bulgaria hosted the 2018 Presidency of the Council of the European Union at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia.[113]

Geography and climate

Main article: Geography of Bulgaria
 
Rila, the highest mountain range in the Balkans and Southeast Europe
 
Topography of Bulgaria

Bulgaria is a middle-sized country situated in Southeastern Europe, in the east of the Balkans. Its territory covers an area of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi), while land borders with its five neighbouring countries run a total length of 1,808 kilometres (1,123 mi), and its coastline is 354 kilometres (220 mi) long.[114] Bulgaria's geographic coordinates are 43° N 25° E.[115] The most notable topographical features of the country are the Danubian Plain, the Balkan Mountains, the Thracian Plain, and the Rila-Rhodope massif.[114] The southern edge of the Danubian Plain slopes upward into the foothills of the Balkans, while the Danube defines the border with Romania. The Thracian Plain is roughly triangular, beginning southeast of Sofia and broadening as it reaches the Black Sea coast.[114]

The Balkan mountains run laterally through the middle of the country from west to east. The mountainous southwest has two distinct alpine type ranges—Rila and Pirin, which border the lower but more extensive Rhodope Mountains to the east, and various medium altitude mountains to west, northwest and south, like Vitosha, Osogovo and Belasitsa.[114] Musala, at 2,925 metres (9,596 ft), is the highest point in both Bulgaria and the Balkans. The Black Sea coast is the country's lowest point.[115] Plains occupy about one third of the territory, while plateaux and hills occupy 41%.[116] Most rivers are short and with low water levels. The longest river located solely in Bulgarian territory, the Iskar, has a length of 368 kilometres (229 mi). The Struma and the Maritsa are two major rivers in the south.[117][114]

Bulgaria has a varied and changeable climate, which results from being positioned at the meeting point of the Mediterranean, Oceanic and Continental air masses combined with the barrier effect of its mountains.[114] Northern Bulgaria averages 1 °C (1.8 °F) cooler, and registers 200 millimetres (7.9 in) more precipitation, than the regions south of the Balkan mountains. Temperature amplitudes vary significantly in different areas. The lowest recorded temperature is −38.3 °C (−36.9 °F), while the highest is 45.2 °C (113.4 °F).[118] Precipitation averages about 630 millimetres (24.8 in) per year, and varies from 500 millimetres (19.7 in) in Dobrudja to more than 2,500 millimetres (98.4 in) in the mountains. Continental air masses bring significant amounts of snowfall during winter.[119]

 
Köppen climate types of Bulgaria

Considering its relatively small area, Bulgaria has variable and complex climate. The country occupies the southernmost part of the continental climatic zone, with small areas in the south falling within the Mediterranean climatic zone.[120] The continental zone is predominant, because continental air masses flow easily into the unobstructed Danubian Plain. The continental influence, stronger during the winter, produces abundant snowfall; the Mediterranean influence increases during the second half of summer and produces hot and dry weather. Bulgaria is subdivided into five climatic zones: continental zone (Danubian Plain, Pre-Balkan and the higher valleys of the Transitional geomorphological region); transitional zone (Upper Thracian Plain, most of the Struma and Mesta valleys, the lower Sub-Balkan valleys); continental-Mediterranean zone (the southernmost areas of the Struma and Mesta valleys, the eastern Rhodope Mountains, Sakar and Strandzha); Black Sea zone along the coastline with an average length of 30–40 km inland; and alpine zone in the mountains above 1000 m altitude (central Balkan Mountains, Rila, Pirin, Vitosha, western Rhodope Mountains, etc.).[121]

Climate data for Bulgaria (records from all meteo stations)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 24.8
(76.6) 		26.7
(80.1) 		35.7
(96.3) 		37.1
(98.8) 		38.8
(101.8) 		42.0
(107.6) 		45.2
(113.4) 		44.5
(112.1) 		41.9
(107.4) 		39.2
(102.6) 		32.4
(90.3) 		28.6
(83.5) 		45.2
(113.4)
Record low °C (°F) −38.3
(−36.9) 		−35
(−31) 		−30.2
(−22.4) 		−20.6
(−5.1) 		−15.6
(3.9) 		−12
(10) 		−8
(18) 		−9.8
(14.4) 		−14
(7) 		−17.8
(0.0) 		−27.4
(−17.3) 		−33.5
(−28.3) 		−38.3
(−36.9)
Source: Stringmeteo.com,

February record high : http://eea.government.bg/bg/soer/2016/climate/climate0 November record high : https://m.dir.bg/weather/novini/s-32-4-c-veliko-tarnovo-schupi-95-godishen-natsionalen-rekord

Biodiversity and environment

 
Lacerta viridis in Ropotamo, one of Bulgaria's 16 biosphere reserves

The interaction of climatic, hydrological, geological and topographical conditions has produced a relatively wide variety of plant and animal species.[122] Bulgaria's biodiversity, one of the richest in Europe,[123] is conserved in three national parks, 11 nature parks, 10 biosphere reserves and 565 protected areas.[124][125][126] Ninety-three of the 233 mammal species of Europe are found in Bulgaria, along with 49% of butterfly and 30% of vascular plant species.[127] Overall, 41,493 plant and animal species are present.[127] Larger mammals with sizable populations include deer (106,323 individuals), wild boar (88,948), golden jackal (47,293) and red fox (32,326). Partridges number some 328,000 individuals, making them the most widespread gamebird.[128] A third of all nesting birds in Bulgaria can be found in Rila National Park, which also hosts Arctic and alpine species at high altitudes.[129] Flora includes more than 3,800 vascular plant species of which 170 are endemic and 150 are considered endangered.[122] A checklist of larger fungi in Bulgaria by the Institute of Botany identifies more than 1,500 species.[130] More than 35% of the land area is covered by forests.[131]

In 1998, the Bulgarian government adopted the National Biological Diversity Conservation Strategy, a comprehensive programme seeking the preservation of local ecosystems, protection of endangered species and conservation of genetic resources.[132] Bulgaria has some of the largest Natura 2000 areas in Europe covering 33.8% of its territory.[133] It also achieved its Kyoto Protocol objective of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 30% from 1990 to 2009.[134]

Bulgaria ranks 30th in the 2018 Environmental Performance Index, but scores low on air quality.[135] Particulate levels are the highest in Europe,[136] especially in urban areas affected by automobile traffic and coal-based power stations.[137][138] One of these, the lignite-fired Maritsa Iztok-2 station, is causing the highest damage to health and the environment in the European Union.[139] Pesticide use in agriculture and antiquated industrial sewage systems produce extensive soil and water pollution.[140] Water quality began to improve in 1998 and has maintained a trend of moderate improvement. Over 75% of surface rivers meet European standards for good quality.[141]

Politics

Main article: Politics of Bulgaria
 
Independence Square in Sofia: The headquarters of the Presidency (right), the National Assembly (centre) and the Council of Ministers (left).

Bulgaria is a parliamentary democracy where the prime minister is the head of government and the most powerful executive position.[109] The political system has three branches—legislative, executive and judicial, with universal suffrage for citizens at least 18 years old. The Constitution also provides possibilities of direct democracy, namely petitions and national referendums.[142] Elections are supervised by an independent Central Election Commission that includes members from all major political parties. Parties must register with the commission prior to participating in a national election.[143] Normally, the prime minister-elect is the leader of the party receiving the most votes in parliamentary elections, although this is not always the case.[109]

Unlike the prime minister, presidential domestic power is more limited. The directly elected president serves as head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and has the authority to return a bill for further debate, although the parliament can override the presidential veto by a simple majority vote.[109] Political parties gather in the National Assembly, a body of 240 deputies elected to four-year terms by direct popular vote. The National Assembly has the power to enact laws, approve the budget, schedule presidential elections, select and dismiss the prime minister and other ministers, declare war, deploy troops abroad, and ratify international treaties and agreements.[144]

 
Rumen Radev
President
 
Galab Donev
Prime Minister

Overall, Bulgaria displays a pattern of unstable governments.[145] Boyko Borisov, the leader of the centre-right, pro-EU party GERB, served three terms as prime minister between 2009 and 2021. It won the 2009 general election and formed a minority government,[146] which resigned in February 2013 after nationwide protests over the low living standards, corruption[147] and the perceived failure of the democratic system.[148] The subsequent snap elections in May resulted in a narrow win for GERB,[149] but the Bulgarian Socialist Party eventually formed a government led by Plamen Oresharski after Borisov failed to secure parliamentary support.[150][151] The Oresharski government resigned in July 2014 amid continuing large-scale protests.[152][153] The October 2014 elections resulted in a third GERB victory.[154] Borisov formed a coalition[155] with several right-wing parties, but resigned again after the candidate backed by his party failed to win the 2016 Presidential election. The March 2017 snap election was again won by GERB, but with 95 seats in Parliament. They formed a coalition with the far-right United Patriots, who held 27 seats.[156]

Borisov's last cabinet saw a dramatic decrease in freedom of the press, and a number of corruption revelations that triggered yet another wave of mass protests in 2020.[157][158] GERB came out first in the regular April 2021 election, but with its weakest result so far.[159] All other parties refused to form a government,[160] and after a brief deadlock, another election was called for July 2021. It too failed to break the stalemate, as no political party was able to form a coalition government.[161]

Freedom House has reported a continuing deterioration of democratic governance after 2009, citing reduced media independence, stalled reforms, abuse of authority at the highest level and increased dependence of local administrations on the central government.[162] Bulgaria is still listed as "Free", with a political system designated as a semi-consolidated democracy, albeit with deteriorating scores.[162] The Democracy Index defines it as a "Flawed democracy".[163] A 2018 survey by the Institute for Economics and Peace reported that less than 15% of respondents considered elections to be fair.[164]

Legal system

Bulgaria has a civil law legal system.[165] The judiciary is overseen by the Ministry of Justice. The Supreme Administrative Court and the Supreme Court of Cassation are the highest courts of appeal and oversee the application of laws in subordinate courts.[143] The Supreme Judicial Council manages the system and appoints judges. The legal system is regarded by both domestic and international observers as one of Europe's most inefficient due to pervasive lack of transparency and corruption.[166][167][168][169][170][excessive citations] Law enforcement is carried out by organisations mainly subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior.[171] The General Directorate of National Police (GDNP) combats general crime and maintains public order.[172] GDNP fields 26,578 police officers in its local and national sections.[173] The bulk of criminal cases are transport-related, followed by theft and drug-related crime; homicide rates are low.[174] The Ministry of the Interior also heads the Border Police Service and the National Gendarmerie—a specialised branch for anti-terrorist activity, crisis management and riot control. Counterintelligence and national security are the responsibility of the State Agency for National Security.[175]

Administrative divisions

Main articles: Provinces of Bulgaria and Municipalities of Bulgaria

Bulgaria is a unitary state.[176] Since the 1880s, the number of territorial management units has varied from seven to 26.[177] Between 1987 and 1999, the administrative structure consisted of nine provinces (oblasti, singular oblast). A new administrative structure was adopted in parallel with the decentralisation of the economic system.[178] It includes 27 provinces and a metropolitan capital province (Sofia-Grad). All areas take their names from their respective capital cities. The provinces are subdivided into 265 municipalities. Municipalities are run by mayors, who are elected to four-year terms, and by directly elected municipal councils. Bulgaria is a highly centralised state where the Council of Ministers directly appoints regional governors and all provinces and municipalities are heavily dependent on it for funding.[143]

Foreign relations and security

Main articles: Foreign relations of Bulgaria and Military of Bulgaria

Bulgaria became a member of the United Nations in 1955 and since 1966 has been a non-permanent member of the Security Council three times, most recently from 2002 to 2003.[179] It was also among the founding nations of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 1975. Euro-Atlantic integration has been a priority since the fall of communism, although the communist leadership also had aspirations of leaving the Warsaw Pact and joining the European Communities by 1987.[180][181] Bulgaria signed the European Union Treaty of Accession on 25 April 2005,[182] and became a full member of the European Union on 1 January 2007.[112] In addition, it has a tripartite economic and diplomatic collaboration with Romania and Greece,[183] good ties with China[184] and Vietnam[185] and a historical relationship with Russia.[186]

 
Mikoyan MiG-29 jet fighters of the Bulgarian Air Force

Bulgaria deployed significant numbers of both civilian and military advisors in Soviet-allied countries like Nicaragua[187] and Libya during the Cold War.[188] The first deployment of foreign troops on Bulgarian soil since World War II occurred in 2001, when the country hosted six KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft and 200 support personnel for the war effort in Afghanistan.[24] International military relations were further expanded with accession to NATO in March 2004[111] and the US-Bulgarian Defence Cooperation Agreement signed in April 2006. Bezmer and Graf Ignatievo air bases, the Novo Selo training range, and a logistics centre in Aytos subsequently became joint military training facilities cooperatively used by the United States and Bulgarian militaries.[189][190] Despite its active international defence collaborations, Bulgaria ranks as among the most peaceful countries globally, tying 6th alongside Iceland regarding domestic and international conflicts, and 26th on average in the Global Peace Index.[164]

Domestic defence is the responsibility of the all-volunteer Bulgarian armed forces, composed of land forces, navy and an air force. The land forces consist of two mechanised brigades and eight independent regiments and battalions; the air force operates 106 aircraft and air defence systems across six air bases, and the navy operates various ships, helicopters and coastal defence weapons.[191] Active troops dwindled from 152,000 in 1988[192] to 31,300 in 2017, supplemented by 3,000 reservists and 16,000 paramilitary troops.[193] Military inventory mainly consists of Soviet equipment like Mikoyan MiG-29 and Sukhoi Su-25 jets,[194] S-300PT air defence systems[195] and SS-21 Scarab short-range ballistic missiles.[196]

Economy

Main article: Economy of Bulgaria
 
Historical development of GDP per capita
 
Economic growth (green) and unemployment (blue) statistics since 2001

Bulgaria has an open, upper middle income range market economy where the private sector accounts for more than 70% of GDP.[197][198] From a largely agricultural country with a predominantly rural population in 1948, by the 1980s Bulgaria had transformed into an industrial economy, with scientific and technological research at the top of its budgetary expenditure priorities.[199] The loss of COMECON markets in 1990 and the subsequent "shock therapy" of the planned system caused a steep decline in industrial and agricultural production, ultimately followed by an economic collapse in 1997.[200][201] The economy largely recovered during a period of rapid growth several years later,[200] but the average salary of 1,036 leva ($615) per month remains the lowest in the EU.[202] More than a fifth of the labour force work for a minimum wage of $1.16 per hour.[203]

A balanced budget was achieved in 2003 and the country began running a surplus the following year.[204] Expenditures amounted to $21.15 billion and revenues were $21.67 billion in 2017.[205] Most government spending on institutions is earmarked for security. The ministries of defence, the interior and justice are allocated the largest share of the annual government budget, whereas those responsible for the environment, tourism and energy receive the least funding.[206] Taxes form the bulk of government revenue[206] at 30% of GDP.[207] Bulgaria has some of the lowest corporate income tax rates in the EU at a flat 10% rate.[208] The tax system is two-tier. Value added tax, excise duties, corporate and personal income tax are national, whereas real estate, inheritance, and vehicle taxes are levied by local authorities.[209] Strong economic performance in the early 2000s reduced government debt from 79.6% in 1998 to 14.1% in 2008.[204] It has since increased to 28.7% of GDP by 2016, but remains the third lowest in the EU.[210]

The Yugozapaden planning area is the most developed region with a per capita gross domestic product (PPP) of $29,816 in 2018.[211] It includes the capital city and the surrounding Sofia Province, which alone generate 42% of national gross domestic product despite hosting only 22% of the population.[212][213] GDP per capita (in PPS) and the cost of living in 2019 stood at 53 and 52.8% of the EU average (100%), respectively.[214][215] National PPP GDP was estimated at $143.1 billion in 2016, with a per capita value of $20,116.[216] Economic growth statistics take into account illegal transactions from the informal economy, which is the largest in the EU as a percentage of economic output.[217][218] The Bulgarian National Bank issues the national currency, lev, which is pegged to the euro at a rate of 1.95583 levа per euro.[219]

After several consecutive years of high growth, repercussions of the financial crisis of 2007–2008 resulted in a 3.6% contraction of GDP in 2009 and increased unemployment.[220][221] Positive growth was restored in 2010 but intercompany debt exceeded $59 billion, meaning that 60% of all Bulgarian companies were mutually indebted.[222] By 2012, it had increased to $97 billion, or 227% of GDP.[223] The government implemented strict austerity measures with IMF and EU encouragement to some positive fiscal results, but the social consequences of these measures, such as increased income inequality and accelerated outward migration, have been "catastrophic" according to the International Trade Union Confederation.[224]

Siphoning of public funds to the families and relatives of politicians from incumbent parties has resulted in fiscal and welfare losses to society.[225][226] Bulgaria ranks 71st in the Corruption Perceptions Index[227] and experiences the worst levels of corruption in the European Union, a phenomenon that remains a source of profound public discontent.[228][229] Along with organised crime, corruption has resulted in a rejection of the country's Schengen Area application and withdrawal of foreign investment.[230][231][232] Government officials reportedly engage in embezzlement, influence trading, government procurement violations and bribery with impunity.[166] Government procurement in particular is a critical area in corruption risk. An estimated 10 billion leva ($5.99 billion) of state budget and European cohesion funds are spent on public tenders each year;[233] nearly 14 billion ($8.38 billion) were spent on public contracts in 2017 alone.[234] A large share of these contracts are awarded to a few politically connected[235] companies amid widespread irregularities, procedure violations and tailor-made award criteria.[236] Despite repeated criticism from the European Commission,[232] EU institutions refrain from taking measures against Bulgaria because it supports Brussels on a number of issues, unlike Poland or Hungary.[228]

Structure and sectors

 
Tree map of Bulgarian exports in 2016

The labour force is 3.36 million people,[237] of whom 6.8% are employed in agriculture, 26.6% in industry and 66.6% in the services sector.[238] Extraction of metals and minerals, production of chemicals, machine building, steel, biotechnology, tobacco, food processing and petroleum refining are among the major industrial activities.[239][240][241] Mining alone employs 24,000 people and generates about 5% of the country's GDP; the number of employed in all mining-related industries is 120,000.[242][243] Bulgaria is Europe's fifth-largest coal producer.[243][244] Local deposits of coal, iron, copper and lead are vital for the manufacturing and energy sectors.[245] The main destinations of Bulgarian exports outside the EU are Turkey, China and the United States, while Russia and Turkey are by far the largest import partners. Most of the exports are manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel products and food.[246] Two-thirds of food and agricultural exports go to OECD countries.[247]

Although cereal and vegetable output dropped by 40% between 1990 and 2008,[248] output in grains has since increased, and the 2016–2017 season registered the biggest grain output in a decade.[249][250] Maize, barley, oats and rice are also grown. Quality Oriental tobacco is a significant industrial crop.[251] Bulgaria is also the largest producer globally of lavender and rose oil, both widely used in fragrances.[24][252][253][254] Within the services sector, tourism is a significant contributor to economic growth. Sofia, Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo, coastal resorts Albena, Golden Sands and Sunny Beach and winter resorts Bansko, Pamporovo and Borovets are some of the locations most visited by tourists.[255][256] Most visitors are Romanian, Turkish, Greek and German.[257] Tourism is additionally encouraged through the 100 Tourist Sites system.[258]

Science and technology

Main article: Science and technology in Bulgaria

Spending on research and development amounts to 0.78% of GDP,[259] and the bulk of public R&D funding goes to the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS).[260] Private businesses accounted for more than 73% of R&D expenditures and employed 42% of Bulgaria's 22,000 researchers in 2015.[261] The same year, Bulgaria ranked 39th out of 50 countries in the Bloomberg Innovation Index, the highest score being in education (24th) and the lowest in value-added manufacturing (48th).[262] Bulgaria was ranked 35th in the Global Innovation Index in 2021, up from 40th in 2019.[263][264][265][266] Chronic government underinvestment in research since 1990 has forced many professionals in science and engineering to leave Bulgaria.[267]

 
The launch of BulgariaSat-1 by SpaceX

Despite the lack of funding, research in chemistry, materials science and physics remains strong.[260] Antarctic research is actively carried out through the St. Kliment Ohridski Base on Livingston Island in Western Antarctica.[268][269] The information and communication technologies (ICT) sector generates three per cent of economic output and employs 40,000[270] to 51,000 software engineers.[271] Bulgaria was known as a "Communist Silicon Valley" during the Soviet era due to its key role in COMECON computing technology production.[272] A concerted effort by the communist government to teach computing and IT skills in schools also indirectly made Bulgaria a major source of computer viruses in the 1980s and 90s.[273] The country is a regional leader in high performance computing: it operates Avitohol, the most powerful supercomputer in Southeast Europe, and will host one of the eight petascale EuroHPC supercomputers.[274][275]

Bulgaria has made numerous contributions to space exploration.[276] These include two scientific satellites, more than 200 payloads and 300 experiments in Earth orbit, as well as two cosmonauts since 1971.[276] Bulgaria was the first country to grow wheat and vegetables in space with its Svet greenhouses on the Mir space station.[277][278] It was involved in the development of the Granat gamma-ray observatory[279] and the Vega program, particularly in modelling trajectories and guidance algorithms for both Vega probes.[280][281] Bulgarian instruments have been used in the exploration of Mars, including a spectrometer that took the first high quality spectroscopic images of Martian moon Phobos with the Phobos 2 probe.[276][279] Cosmic radiation en route to and around the planet has been mapped by Liulin-ML dosimeters on the ExoMars TGO.[282] Variants of these instruments have also been fitted on the International Space Station and the Chandrayaan-1 lunar probe.[283][284] Another lunar mission, SpaceIL's Beresheet, was also equipped with a Bulgarian-manufactured imaging payload.[285] Bulgaria's first geostationary communications satellite—BulgariaSat-1—was launched by SpaceX in 2017.[286]

Infrastructure

Main articles: Energy in Bulgaria and Transport in Bulgaria

Telephone services are widely available, and a central digital trunk line connects most regions.[287] Vivacom (BTC) serves more than 90% of fixed lines and is one of the three operators providing mobile services, along with A1 and Telenor.[288][289] Internet penetration stood at 69.2% of the population aged 16–74 and 78.9% of households in 2020.[290][291]

Bulgaria's strategic geographic location and well-developed energy sector make it a key European energy centre despite its lack of significant fossil fuel deposits.[292] Thermal power plants generate 48.9% of electricity, followed by nuclear power from the Kozloduy reactors (34.8%) and renewable sources (16.3%).[293] Equipment for a second nuclear power station at Belene has been acquired, but the fate of the project remains uncertain.[294] Installed capacity amounts to 12,668 MW, allowing Bulgaria to exceed domestic demand and export energy.[295]

The national road network has a total length of 19,512 kilometres (12,124 mi),[296] of which 19,235 kilometres (11,952 mi) are paved. Railroads are a major mode of freight transportation, although highways carry a progressively larger share of freight. Bulgaria has 6,238 kilometres (3,876 mi) of railway track, [287] with rail links available to Romania, Turkey, Greece, and Serbia, and express trains serving direct routes to Kyiv, Minsk, Moscow and Saint Petersburg.[297] Sofia and Plovdiv are the country's air travel hubs, while Varna and Burgas are the principal maritime trade ports.[287]

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Bulgaria
 
Population trend since 1960
 
Population pyramid of Bulgaria in 2017

The population of Bulgaria is 6,519,789 people according to the 2021 national census. The majority of the population, 72.5%, reside in urban areas.[298] As of 2019, Sofia is the most populated urban centre with 1,241,675 people, followed by Plovdiv (346,893), Varna (336,505), Burgas (202,434) and Ruse (142,902).[213] Bulgarians are the main ethnic group and constitute 84.8% of the population. Turkish and Roma minorities account for 8.8 and 4.9%, respectively; some 40 smaller minorities account for 0.7%, and 0.8% do not self-identify with an ethnic group.[299][300] Former Statistics head Reneta Indzhova has disputed the 2011 census figures, suggesting the actual population is smaller than reported.[301][302] The Roma minority is usually underestimated in census data and may represent up to 11% of the population.[303][304] Population density is 65 per square kilometre, almost half the European Union average.[305]

In 2018, the average total fertility rate (TFR) in Bulgaria was 1.56 children per woman,[306] below the replacement rate of 2.1 and considerably below the historical high of 5.83 children per woman in 1905.[307] Bulgaria thus has one of the oldest populations in the world, with an average age of 43 years.[308]

Bulgaria is in a state of demographic crisis.[309][310] It has had negative population growth since the early 1990s, when the economic collapse caused a long-lasting emigration wave.[311] Some 937,000 to 1,200,000 people—mostly young adults—had left the country by 2005.[311][312] The majority of children are born to unmarried women.[313] Furthermore, a third of all households consist of only one person and 75.5% of families do not have children under the age of 16.[310] The resulting birth rates are among the lowest in the world[314][315] while death rates are among the highest.[316]

Bulgaria scores high in gender equality, ranking 18th in the 2018 Global Gender Gap Report.[317] Although women's suffrage was enabled relatively late, in 1937, women today have equal political rights, high workforce participation and legally mandated equal pay.[317] In 2021, market research agency Reboot Online ranked Bulgaria as the best European country for women to work.[318] Bulgaria has the highest ratio of female ICT researchers in the EU,[319] as well as the second-highest ratio of females in the technology sector at 44.6% of the workforce. High levels of female participation are a legacy of the Socialist era.[320]

Largest cities

 
Largest cities or towns in Bulgaria
2011 Census[321]
Rank Name Province Pop. Rank Name Province Pop.
 
Sofia
 
Plovdiv 		1 Sofia Sofia-Capital 1,204,685 11 Pernik Pernik 80,191  
Varna
 
Burgas
2 Plovdiv Plovdiv 338,153 12 Haskovo Haskovo 76,397
3 Varna Varna 334,870 13 Yambol Yambol 74,132
4 Burgas Burgas 200,271 14 Pazardzhik Pazardzhik 71,979
5 Ruse Ruse 149,642 15 Blagoevgrad Blagoevgrad 70,881
6 Stara Zagora Stara Zagora 138,272 16 Veliko Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo 68,783
7 Pleven Pleven 106,954 17 Vratsa Vratsa 60,692
8 Sliven Sliven 91,620 18 Gabrovo Gabrovo 58,950
9 Dobrich Dobrich 91,030 19 Asenovgrad Plovdiv 50,846
10 Shumen Shumen 80,855 20 Vidin Vidin 48,071

Health

Main article: Health in Bulgaria

High death rates result from a combination of an ageing population, high numbers of people at risk of poverty, and a weak healthcare system.[322] Over 80% of deaths are due to cancer and cardiovascular conditions; nearly a fifth of those are avoidable.[323] Although healthcare in Bulgaria is nominally universal,[324] out-of-pocket expenses account for nearly half of all healthcare spending, significantly limiting access to medical care.[325] Other problems disrupting care provision are the emigration of doctors due to low wages, understaffed and under-equipped regional hospitals, supply shortages and frequent changes to the basic service package for those insured.[326][327] The 2018 Bloomberg Health Care Efficiency Index ranked Bulgaria last out of 56 countries.[328] Average life expectancy is 74.8 years, compared with an EU average of 80.99 and a world average of 72.38.[329][330]

Education

Main article: Education in Bulgaria
 
The Rectorate of Sofia University

Public expenditures for education are far below the European Union average as well.[331] Educational standards were once high,[332] but have declined significantly since the early 2000s.[331] Bulgarian students were among the highest-scoring in the world in terms of reading in 2001, performing better than their Canadian and German counterparts; by 2006, scores in reading, math and science had dropped. By 2018, Programme for International Student Assessment studies found 47% of pupils in the 9th grade to be functionally illiterate in reading and natural sciences.[333] Average basic literacy stands high at 98.4% with no significant difference between sexes.[334] The Ministry of Education and Science partially funds public schools, colleges and universities, sets criteria for textbooks and oversees the publishing process. Education in primary and secondary public schools is free and compulsory.[332] The process spans 12 grades, in which grades one through eight are primary and nine through twelve are secondary level. Higher education consists of a 4-year bachelor degree and a 1-year master's degree.[335] Bulgaria's highest-ranked higher education institution is Sofia University.[336][337]

Language

Main article: Languages of Bulgaria

Bulgarian is the only language with official status and native for 85% of the population.[338] It belongs to the Slavic group of languages but has a number of grammatical peculiarities, shared with its closest relative Macedonian, that set it apart from other Slavic languages: these include a complex verbal morphology (which also codes for distinctions in evidentiality), the absence of noun cases and infinitives, and the use of a suffixed definite article.[339] Other significant languages spoken in Bulgaria are Turkish and Romani, which according to the 2011 census were spoken natively by 9.1% and 4.2% of the population, respectively.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Bulgaria

Bulgaria is a secular state with guaranteed religious freedom by constitution, but Orthodoxy is designated as a traditional religion.[340] More than three-quarters of Bulgarians subscribe to Eastern Orthodoxy.[341] The Bulgarian Orthodox Church gained autocephalous status in AD 927,[342][343] and has 12 dioceses and over 2,000 priests.[344]

Sunni Muslims are the second-largest religious community and constitute 10% of Bulgaria's overall religious makeup. A 2011 survey of 850 Muslims in Bulgaria found 30% self-professing as deeply religious and 50% as just religious. According to the study, some religious teachings, like Islamic funeral have been traditionally incorporated and are widely practiced while other major ones are less observed, like the Muslim prayer or abstaining from drinking alcohol, eating pork, and cohabitation.[345]

Less than 3% of the population are affiliated with other religions and 11.8% are irreligious or do not self-identify with a religion.[341]

Culture

Main article: Culture of Bulgaria
 
Kuker in Lesichovo

Contemporary Bulgarian culture blends the formal culture that helped forge a national consciousness towards the end of Ottoman rule with millennia-old folk traditions.[346] An essential element of Bulgarian folklore is fire, used to banish evil spirits and illnesses. Many of these are personified as witches, whereas other creatures like zmey and samodiva (veela) are either benevolent guardians or ambivalent tricksters.[347] Some rituals against evil spirits have survived and are still practised, most notably kukeri and survakari.[348] Martenitsa is also widely celebrated.[349] Nestinarstvo, a ritual fire-dance of Thracian origin, is included in the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.[350][351]

Nine historical and natural objects are UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Pirin National Park, Sreburna Nature Reserve, the Madara Rider, the Thracian tombs in Sveshtari and Kazanlak, the Rila Monastery, the Boyana Church, the Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo and the ancient city of Nesebar.[352] The Rila Monastery was established by Saint John of Rila, Bulgaria's patron saint, whose life has been the subject of numerous literary accounts since Medieval times.[353]

The establishment of the Preslav and Ohrid literary schools in the 10th century is associated with a golden period in Bulgarian literature during the Middle Ages.[353] The schools' emphasis on Christian scriptures made the Bulgarian Empire a centre of Slavic culture, bringing Slavs under the influence of Christianity and providing them with a written language.[354][355][356] Its alphabet, Cyrillic script, was developed by the Preslav Literary School.[357] The Tarnovo Literary School, on the other hand, is associated with a Silver age of literature defined by high-quality manuscripts on historical or mystical themes under the Asen and Shishman dynasties.[353] Many literary and artistic masterpieces were destroyed by the Ottoman conquerors, and artistic activities did not re-emerge until the National Revival in the 19th century.[346] The enormous body of work of Ivan Vazov (1850–1921) covered every genre and touched upon every facet of Bulgarian society, bridging pre-Liberation works with literature of the newly established state.[353] Notable later works are Bay Ganyo by Aleko Konstantinov, the Nietzschean poetry of Pencho Slaveykov, the Symbolist poetry of Peyo Yavorov and Dimcho Debelyanov, the Marxist-inspired works of Geo Milev and Nikola Vaptsarov, and the Socialist realism novels of Dimitar Dimov and Dimitar Talev.[353] Tzvetan Todorov is a notable contemporary author,[358] while Bulgarian-born Elias Canetti was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1981.[359]

 
Christo's Mastaba in Hyde Park, London

А religious visual arts heritage includes frescoes, murals and icons, many produced by the medieval Tarnovo Artistic School.[360] Like literature, it was not until the National Revival when Bulgarian visual arts began to reemerge. Zahari Zograf was a pioneer of the visual arts in the pre-Liberation era.[346] After the Liberation, Ivan Mrkvička, Anton Mitov, Vladimir Dimitrov, Tsanko Lavrenov and Zlatyu Boyadzhiev introduced newer styles and substance, depicting scenery from Bulgarian villages, old towns and historical subjects. Christo is the most famous Bulgarian artist of the 21st century, known for his outdoor installations.[346]

Folk music is by far the most extensive traditional art and has slowly developed throughout the ages as a fusion of Far Eastern, Oriental, medieval Eastern Orthodox and standard Western European tonalities and modes.[361] Bulgarian folk music has a distinctive sound and uses a wide range of traditional instruments, such as gadulka, gaida, kaval and tupan. A distinguishing feature is extended rhythmical time, which has no equivalent in the rest of European music.[24] The State Television Female Vocal Choir won a Grammy Award in 1990 for its performances of Bulgarian folk music.[362] Written musical composition can be traced back to the works of Yoan Kukuzel (c. 1280–1360),[363] but modern classical music began with Emanuil Manolov, who composed the first Bulgarian opera in 1890.[346] Pancho Vladigerov and Petko Staynov further enriched symphony, ballet and opera, which singers Ghena Dimitrova, Boris Christoff, Ljuba Welitsch and Nicolai Ghiaurov elevated to a world-class level.[346][364][365][366][367][368][369][excessive citations]

Bulgarian performers have gained acclaim in other genres like electropop (Mira Aroyo), jazz (Milcho Leviev) and blends of jazz and folk (Ivo Papazov).[346]

The Bulgarian National Radio, bTV and daily newspapers Trud, Dnevnik and 24 Chasa are some of the largest national media outlets.[370] Bulgarian media were described as generally unbiased in their reporting in the early 2000s and print media had no legal restrictions.[371] Since then, freedom of the press has deteriorated to the point where Bulgaria scores 111th globally in the World Press Freedom Index, lower than all European Union members and membership candidate states. The government has diverted EU funds to sympathetic media outlets and bribed others to be less critical on problematic topics, while attacks against individual journalists have increased.[372][373] Collusion between politicians, oligarchs and the media is widespread.[372]

Bulgarian cuisine is similar to that of other Balkan countries and demonstrates strong Turkish and Greek influences.[374] Yogurt, lukanka, banitsa, shopska salad, lyutenitsa and kozunak are among the best-known local foods. Meat consumption is lower than the European average, given a cultural preference for a large variety of salads.[374] Bulgaria was the world's second-largest wine exporter until 1989, but has since lost that position.[375][376] The 2016 harvest yielded 128 million litres of wine, of which 62 million was exported mainly to Romania, Poland and Russia.[377] Mavrud, Rubin, Shiroka melnishka, Dimiat and Cherven Misket are the typical grapes used in Bulgarian wine.[378] Rakia is a traditional fruit brandy that was consumed in Bulgaria as early as the 14th century.[379]

Sports

Main article: Sport in Bulgaria

Bulgaria appeared at the first modern Olympic games in 1896, when it was represented by gymnast Charles Champaud.[380] Since then, Bulgarian athletes have won 55 gold, 90 silver, and 85 bronze medals,[381] ranking 25th in the all-time medal table. Weight-lifting is a signature sport of Bulgaria. Coach Ivan Abadzhiev developed innovative training practices that have produced many Bulgarian world and Olympic champions in weight-lifting since the 1980s.[382] Bulgarian athletes have also excelled in wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, volleyball and tennis.[382] Stefka Kostadinova is the reigning world record holder in the women's high jump at 2.09 metres (6 feet 10 inches), achieved during the 1987 World Championships.[383] Grigor Dimitrov is the first Bulgarian tennis player in the Top 3 ATP rankings.[384]

Football is the most popular sport in the country by a substantial margin. The national football team's best performance was a semi-final at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, when the squad was spearheaded by forward Hristo Stoichkov.[382] Stoichkov is the most successful Bulgarian player of all time; he was awarded the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball and was considered one of the best in the world while playing for FC Barcelona in the 1990s.[385][386] CSKA and Levski, both based in Sofia,[382] are the most successful clubs domestically and long-standing rivals.[387] Ludogorets is remarkable for having advanced from the local fourth division to the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage in a mere nine years.[388] Placed 39th in 2018, it is Bulgaria's highest-ranked club in UEFA.[389]

See also

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ Bulgarian: Република България, romanized: Republika Balgariya, IPA: [rɛˈpublikɐ bɐɫˈɡarijɐ])
  1. ^ The official number of Romani citizens may be lower than the actual number. See Demographics.

References

  1. ^ "Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria". National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Преброяване 2021: Етнокултурна характеристика на населението" [2021 Census: Ethnocultural characteristics of the population] (PDF). National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria. (PDF) from the original on 24 November 2022.
  3. ^ Penin, Rumen (2007). Природна география на България [Natural Geography of Bulgaria] (in Bulgarian). Bulvest 2000. p. 18. ISBN 978-954-18-0546-6.
  4. ^ . The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 31 January 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database,February 2022". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income – EU-SILC survey". ec.europa.eu. Eurostat. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Human Development Report 2021/2022" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 8 September 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  8. ^ "Corruption Perceptions Index 2018 Executive Summary" (PDF). Transparency International. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  9. ^ Golden 1992, pp. 103–104.
  10. ^ Bowersock, Glen W. (1999). Late Antiquity: a Guide to the Postclassical World. Harvard University Press. p. 354. ISBN 978-0674511736.
  11. ^ Chen 2012, p. 97.
  12. ^ Petersen, Leif Inge Ree (2013). Siege Warfare and Military Organization in the Successor States (400–800 AD): Byzantium, the West and Islam. Brill. p. 369. ISBN 978-9004254466.
  13. ^ Golden 1992, p. 104.
  14. ^ Chen 2012, pp. 92–95, 97.
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January 10, 2023
bulgaria, this, article, about, country, other, uses, disambiguation, ɛər, listen, България, romanized, bǎlgariya, officially, republic, Реnубʌиkа, Бъʌƨаpия, country, southeast, europe, situated, eastern, flank, balkans, bordered, romania, north, serbia, north. This article is about the country For other uses see Bulgaria disambiguation Bulgaria b ʌ l ˈ ɡ ɛer i e b ʊ l listen Bulgarian Blgariya romanized Bǎlgariya officially the Republic of Bulgaria Bulgarian Renubʌika Bʌƨapiya a is a country in Southeast Europe It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans and is bordered by Romania to the north Serbia and North Macedonia to the west Greece and Turkey to the south and the Black Sea to the east Bulgaria covers a territory of 110 994 square kilometres 42 855 sq mi and is the sixteenth largest country in Europe Sofia is the nation s capital and largest city other major cities are Plovdiv Varna and Burgas Republic of BulgariaRepublika Blgariya Republika BǎlgariyaFlag Coat of armsMotto wbr Sedinenieto pravi silata Sǎedinenieto pravi silata Unity makes strength Anthem Mila Rodino Mila Rodino Dear Motherland source source track track track track Location of Bulgaria dark green in Europe green amp dark grey in the European Union green Legend Capitaland largest citySofia42 41 N 23 19 E 42 683 N 23 317 E 42 683 23 317 Coordinates 42 41 N 23 19 E 42 683 N 23 317 E 42 683 23 317Official languagesBulgarian 1 Official scriptCyrillicEthnic groups 2021 2 84 6 Bulgarians8 4 Turks4 4 Roma2 6 Others note 1 Religion 2021 2 64 7 Christianity 62 7 Bulgarian Orthodoxy 2 Other Christians15 9 Unaffiliated9 8 Islam0 1 Others9 5 UnansweredDemonym s BulgarianGovernmentUnitary parliamentary republic PresidentRumen Radev Vice PresidentIliana Iotova Prime MinisterGalab Donev Chairperson of the National AssemblyVezhdi RashidovLegislatureNational AssemblyEstablishment history 1st Bulgarian Empire681 1018 2nd Bulgarian Empire1185 1396 Principality of Bulgaria3 March 1878 Independence from the Ottoman Empire5 October 1908 Monarchy abolished15 September 1946 Current state form15 November 1990 Joined the European Union1 January 2007Area Total110 993 6 3 km2 42 854 9 sq mi 103rd Water 2 16 4 Population 2021 estimate6 520 314 106th Density63 km2 163 2 sq mi 120th GDP PPP 2022 estimate TotalUS 203 billion 5 73rd Per capita 27 890 5 55th GDP nominal 2022 estimate Total 86 billion 5 68th Per capita 12 340 5 61st Gini 2021 39 7 6 mediumHDI 2021 0 796 7 high 68thCurrencyLev BGN Time zoneUTC 2 EET Summer DST UTC 3 EEST Date formatdd mm yyyyDriving siderightCalling code 359ISO 3166 codeBGInternet TLD bg bgOne of the earliest societies in the lands of modern day Bulgaria was the Neolithic Karanovo culture which dates back to 6 500 BC In the 6th to 3rd century BC the region was a battleground for ancient Thracians Persians Celts and Macedonians stability came when the Roman Empire conquered the region in AD 45 After the Roman state splintered tribal invasions in the region resumed Around the 6th century these territories were settled by the early Slavs The Bulgars led by Asparuh attacked from the lands of Old Great Bulgaria and permanently invaded the Balkans in the late 7th century They established First Bulgarian Empire victoriously recognised by treaty in 681 AD by the Eastern Roman Empire It dominated most of the Balkans and significantly influenced Slavic cultures by developing the Cyrillic script The First Bulgarian Empire lasted until the early 11th century when Byzantine emperor Basil II conquered and dismantled it A successful Bulgarian revolt in 1185 established a Second Bulgarian Empire which reached its apex under Ivan Asen II 1218 1241 After numerous exhausting wars and feudal strife the empire disintegrated and in 1396 fell under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries The Russo Turkish War of 1877 78 resulted in the formation of the third and current Bulgarian state Many ethnic Bulgarians were left outside the new nation s borders which stoked irredentist sentiments that led to several conflicts with its neighbours and alliances with Germany in both world wars In 1946 Bulgaria came under the Soviet led Eastern Bloc and became a socialist state The ruling Communist Party gave up its monopoly on power after the revolutions of 1989 and allowed multiparty elections Bulgaria then transitioned into a democracy and a market based economy Since adopting a democratic constitution in 1991 Bulgaria has been a unitary parliamentary republic composed of 28 provinces with a high degree of political administrative and economic centralisation Bulgaria is a developing country with an upper middle income economy ranking 68th in the Human Development Index Its market economy is part of the European Single Market and is largely based on services followed by industry especially machine building and mining and agriculture Widespread corruption is a major socioeconomic issue Bulgaria ranked as the most corrupt country in the European Union in 2018 8 The country also faces a demographic crisis with its population slowly shrinking down from a peak of nearly nine million in 1988 to roughly 6 5 million today Bulgaria is a member of the European Union NATO and the Council of Europe it is also a founding member of the OSCE and has taken a seat on the United Nations Security Council three times Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2 1 Prehistory and Antiquity 2 2 First Bulgarian Empire 2 3 Second Bulgarian Empire 2 4 Ottoman rule 2 5 Third Bulgarian state 3 Geography and climate 3 1 Biodiversity and environment 4 Politics 4 1 Legal system 4 2 Administrative divisions 4 3 Foreign relations and security 5 Economy 5 1 Structure and sectors 5 2 Science and technology 5 3 Infrastructure 6 Demographics 6 1 Largest cities 6 2 Health 6 3 Education 6 4 Language 6 5 Religion 7 Culture 7 1 Sports 8 See also 9 Explanatory notes 10 References 11 Bibliography 12 External linksEtymologyThe name Bulgaria is derived from the Bulgars a tribe of Turkic origin that founded the First Bulgarian Empire Their name is not completely understood and is difficult to trace back earlier than the 4th century AD 9 but it is possibly derived from the Proto Turkic word bulgha to mix shake stir and its derivative bulgak revolt disorder 10 The meaning may be further extended to rebel incite or produce a state of disorder and so in the derivative the disturbers 11 12 13 Tribal groups in Inner Asia with phonologically close names were frequently described in similar terms as the Buluoji a component of the Five Barbarian groups which during the 4th century were portrayed as both a mixed race and troublemakers 14 HistoryMain article History of Bulgaria Prehistory and Antiquity Further information Prehistoric Europe Old Europe archaeology Neolithic Europe Chalcolithic Europe Bronze Age Europe Iron Age Europe Odrysian kingdom Thracians Greek colonisation and Slavs Odrysian golden wreath in the National History Museum Neanderthal remains dating to around 150 000 years ago or the Middle Paleolithic are some of the earliest traces of human activity in the lands of modern Bulgaria 15 Remains from Homo sapiens found there are dated c 47 000 years BP This result represents the earliest arrival of modern humans in Europe 16 17 The Karanovo culture arose circa 6 500 BC and was one of several Neolithic societies in the region that thrived on agriculture 18 The Copper Age Varna culture fifth millennium BC is credited with inventing gold metallurgy 19 20 The associated Varna Necropolis treasure contains the oldest golden jewellery in the world with an approximate age of over 6 000 years 21 22 The treasure has been valuable for understanding social hierarchy and stratification in the earliest European societies 23 24 25 The Thracians one of the three primary ancestral groups of modern Bulgarians appeared on the Balkan Peninsula some time before the 12th century BC 26 27 28 The Thracians excelled in metallurgy and gave the Greeks the Orphean and Dionysian cults but remained tribal and stateless 29 The Persian Achaemenid Empire conquered parts of present day Bulgaria in particular eastern Bulgaria in the 6th century BC and retained control over the region until 479 BC 30 31 The invasion became a catalyst for Thracian unity and the bulk of their tribes united under king Teres to form the Odrysian kingdom in the 470s BC 29 31 32 It was weakened and vassalised by Philip II of Macedon in 341 BC 33 attacked by Celts in the 3rd century 34 and finally became a province of the Roman Empire in AD 45 35 By the end of the 1st century AD Roman governance was established over the entire Balkan Peninsula and Christianity began spreading in the region around the 4th century 29 The Gothic Bible the first Germanic language book was created by Gothic bishop Ulfilas in what is today northern Bulgaria around 381 36 The region came under Byzantine control after the fall of Rome in 476 The Byzantines were engaged in prolonged warfare against Persia and could not defend their Balkan territories from barbarian incursions 37 This enabled the Slavs to enter the Balkan Peninsula as marauders primarily through an area between the Danube River and the Balkan Mountains known as Moesia 38 Gradually the interior of the peninsula became a country of the South Slavs who lived under a democracy 39 40 The Slavs assimilated the partially Hellenised Romanised and Gothicised Thracians in the rural areas 41 42 43 44 First Bulgarian Empire Main article First Bulgarian Empire Knyaz Boris I meeting the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius Not long after the Slavic incursion Moesia was once again invaded this time by the Bulgars under Khan Asparukh 45 Their horde was a remnant of Old Great Bulgaria an extinct tribal confederacy situated north of the Black Sea in what is now Ukraine and southern Russia Asparukh attacked Byzantine territories in Moesia and conquered the Slavic tribes there in 680 27 A peace treaty with the Byzantine Empire was signed in 681 marking the foundation of the First Bulgarian Empire The minority Bulgars formed a close knit ruling caste 46 Succeeding rulers strengthened the Bulgarian state throughout the 8th and 9th centuries Krum introduced a written code of law 47 and checked a major Byzantine incursion at the Battle of Pliska in which Byzantine emperor Nicephorus I was killed 48 Boris I abolished paganism in favour of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in 864 The conversion was followed by a Byzantine recognition of the Bulgarian church 49 and the adoption of the Cyrillic alphabet developed in the capital Preslav 50 The common language religion and script strengthened central authority and gradually fused the Slavs and Bulgars into a unified people speaking a single Slavic language 51 50 A golden age began during the 34 year rule of Simeon the Great who oversaw the largest territorial expansion of the state 52 After Simeon s death Bulgaria was weakened by wars with Magyars and Pechenegs and the spread of the Bogomil heresy 51 53 Preslav was seized by the Byzantine army in 971 after consecutive Rus and Byzantine invasions 51 The empire briefly recovered from the attacks under Samuil 54 but this ended when Byzantine emperor Basil II defeated the Bulgarian army at Klyuch in 1014 Samuil died shortly after the battle 55 and by 1018 the Byzantines had conquered the First Bulgarian Empire 56 After the conquest Basil II prevented revolts by retaining the rule of local nobility integrating them in Byzantine bureaucracy and aristocracy and relieving their lands of the obligation to pay taxes in gold allowing tax in kind instead 57 58 The Bulgarian Patriarchate was reduced to an archbishopric but retained its autocephalous status and its dioceses 58 57 Second Bulgarian Empire Main article Second Bulgarian Empire The walls of Tsarevets fortress in Veliko Tarnovo the capital of the second empire Byzantine domestic policies changed after Basil s death and a series of unsuccessful rebellions broke out the largest being led by Peter Delyan The empire s authority declined after a catastrophic military defeat at Manzikert against Seljuk invaders and was further disturbed by the Crusades This prevented Byzantine attempts at Hellenisation and created fertile ground for further revolt In 1185 Asen dynasty nobles Ivan Asen I and Peter IV organised a major uprising and succeeded in re establishing the Bulgarian state Ivan Asen and Peter laid the foundations of the Second Bulgarian Empire with its capital at Tarnovo 59 Kaloyan the third of the Asen monarchs extended his dominion to Belgrade and Ohrid He acknowledged the spiritual supremacy of the pope and received a royal crown from a papal legate 60 The empire reached its zenith under Ivan Asen II 1218 1241 when its borders expanded as far as the coast of Albania Serbia and Epirus while commerce and culture flourished 60 59 Ivan Asen s rule was also marked by a shift away from Rome in religious matters 61 The Asen dynasty became extinct in 1257 Internal conflicts and incessant Byzantine and Hungarian attacks followed enabling the Mongols to establish suzerainty over the weakened Bulgarian state 60 61 In 1277 swineherd Ivaylo led a great peasant revolt that expelled the Mongols from Bulgaria and briefly made him emperor 62 59 He was overthrown in 1280 by the feudal landlords 62 whose factional conflicts caused the Second Bulgarian Empire to disintegrate into small feudal dominions by the 14th century 59 These fragmented rump states two tsardoms at Vidin and Tarnovo and the Despotate of Dobrudzha became easy prey for a new threat arriving from the Southeast the Ottoman Turks 60 Ottoman rule Main article Ottoman Bulgaria The Battle of Nicopolis in 1396 marked the end of medieval Bulgarian statehood The Ottomans were employed as mercenaries by the Byzantines in the 1340s but later became invaders in their own right 63 Sultan Murad I took Adrianople from the Byzantines in 1362 Sofia fell in 1382 followed by Shumen in 1388 63 The Ottomans completed their conquest of Bulgarian lands in 1393 when Tarnovo was sacked after a three month siege and the Battle of Nicopolis which brought about the fall of the Vidin Tsardom in 1396 Sozopol was the last Bulgarian settlement to fall in 1453 64 The Bulgarian nobility was subsequently eliminated and the peasantry was enserfed to Ottoman masters 63 while much of the educated clergy fled to other countries 65 Bulgarians were subjected to heavy taxes including Devshirme or blood tax their culture was suppressed 65 and they experienced partial Islamisation 66 Ottoman authorities established a religious administrative community called the Rum Millet which governed all Orthodox Christians regardless of their ethnicity 67 Most of the local population then gradually lost its distinct national consciousness identifying only by its faith 68 69 The clergy remaining in some isolated monasteries kept their ethnic identity alive enabling its survival in remote rural areas 70 and in the militant Catholic community in the northwest of the country 71 As Ottoman power began to wane Habsburg Austria and Russia saw Bulgarian Christians as potential allies The Austrians first backed an uprising in Tarnovo in 1598 then a second one in 1686 the Chiprovtsi Uprising in 1688 and finally Karposh s Rebellion in 1689 72 The Russian Empire also asserted itself as a protector of Christians in Ottoman lands with the Treaty of Kucuk Kaynarca in 1774 72 The Russo Bulgarian defence of Shipka Pass in 1877 The Western European Enlightenment in the 18th century influenced the initiation of a national awakening of Bulgaria 63 It restored national consciousness and provided an ideological basis for the liberation struggle resulting in the 1876 April Uprising Up to 30 000 Bulgarians were killed as Ottoman authorities put down the rebellion The massacres prompted the Great Powers to take action 73 They convened the Constantinople Conference in 1876 but their decisions were rejected by the Ottomans This allowed the Russian Empire to seek a military solution without risking confrontation with other Great Powers as had happened in the Crimean War 73 In 1877 Russia declared war on the Ottomans and defeated them with the help of Bulgarian rebels particularly during the crucial Battle of Shipka Pass which secured Russian control over the main road to Constantinople 74 75 Third Bulgarian state Main articles History of Bulgaria 1878 1946 People s Republic of Bulgaria and History of Bulgaria since 1989 The Treaty of San Stefano was signed on 3 March 1878 by Russia and the Ottoman Empire It was to set up an autonomous Bulgarian principality spanning Moesia Macedonia and Thrace roughly on the territories of the Second Bulgarian Empire 76 77 and this day is now a public holiday called National Liberation Day 78 The other Great Powers immediately rejected the treaty out of fear that such a large country in the Balkans might threaten their interests It was superseded by the Treaty of Berlin signed on 13 July It provided for a much smaller state the Principality of Bulgaria only comprising Moesia and the region of Sofia and leaving large populations of ethnic Bulgarians outside the new country 76 79 This significantly contributed to Bulgaria s militaristic foreign affairs approach during the first half of the 20th century 80 Borders of Bulgaria according to the preliminary Treaty of San Stefano The Bulgarian principality won a war against Serbia and incorporated the semi autonomous Ottoman territory of Eastern Rumelia in 1885 proclaiming itself an independent state on 5 October 1908 81 In the years following independence Bulgaria increasingly militarised and was often referred to as the Balkan Prussia 82 It became involved in three consecutive conflicts between 1912 and 1918 two Balkan Wars and World War I After a disastrous defeat in the Second Balkan War Bulgaria again found itself fighting on the losing side as a result of its alliance with the Central Powers in World War I Despite fielding more than a quarter of its population in a 1 200 000 strong army 83 84 and achieving several decisive victories at Doiran and Monastir the country capitulated in 1918 The war resulted in significant territorial losses and a total of 87 500 soldiers killed 85 More than 253 000 refugees from the lost territories immigrated to Bulgaria from 1912 to 1929 86 placing additional strain on the already ruined national economy 87 Tsar Boris III The resulting political unrest led to the establishment of a royal authoritarian dictatorship by Tsar Boris III 1918 1943 Bulgaria entered World War II in 1941 as a member of the Axis but declined to participate in Operation Barbarossa and saved its Jewish population from deportation to concentration camps 88 The sudden death of Boris III in mid 1943 pushed the country into political turmoil as the war turned against Germany and the communist guerrilla movement gained momentum The government of Bogdan Filov subsequently failed to achieve peace with the Allies Bulgaria did not comply with Soviet demands to expel German forces from its territory resulting in a declaration of war and an invasion by the USSR in September 1944 89 The communist dominated Fatherland Front took power ended participation in the Axis and joined the Allied side until the war ended 90 Bulgaria suffered little war damage and the Soviet Union demanded no reparations But all wartime territorial gains with the notable exception of Southern Dobrudzha were lost 91 Georgi Dimitrov leader of the Bulgarian Communist Party from 1946 to 1949 The left wing coup d etat of 9 September 1944 led to the abolition of the monarchy and the executions of some 1 000 3 000 dissidents war criminals and members of the former royal elite 92 93 94 But it was not until 1946 that a one party people s republic was instituted following a referendum 95 It fell into the Soviet sphere of influence under the leadership of Georgi Dimitrov 1946 1949 who established a repressive rapidly industrialising Stalinist state 91 By the mid 1950s standards of living rose significantly and political repression eased 96 97 The Soviet style planned economy saw some experimental market oriented policies emerging under Todor Zhivkov 1954 1989 98 Compared to wartime levels national GDP increased five fold and per capita GDP quadrupled by the 1980s 99 although severe debt spikes took place in 1960 1977 and 1980 100 Zhivkov s daughter Lyudmila bolstered national pride by promoting Bulgarian heritage culture and arts worldwide 101 Facing declining birth rates among the ethnic Bulgarian majority Zhivkov s government in 1984 forced the minority ethnic Turks to adopt Slavic names in an attempt to erase their identity and assimilate them 102 These policies resulted in the emigration of some 300 000 ethnic Turks to Turkey 103 104 The Communist Party was forced to give up its political monopoly on 10 November 1989 under the influence of the Revolutions of 1989 Zhivkov resigned and Bulgaria embarked on a transition to a parliamentary democracy 105 The first free elections in June 1990 were won by the Communist Party now rebranded as the Bulgarian Socialist Party 106 A new constitution that provided for a relatively weak elected president and for a prime minister accountable to the legislature was adopted in July 1991 107 The new system initially failed to improve living standards or create economic growth the average quality of life and economic performance remained lower than under communism well into the early 2000s 108 After 2001 economic political and geopolitical conditions improved greatly 109 and Bulgaria achieved high Human Development status in 2003 110 It became a member of NATO in 2004 111 and participated in the War in Afghanistan After several years of reforms it joined the European Union and the single market in 2007 despite EU concerns over government corruption 112 Bulgaria hosted the 2018 Presidency of the Council of the European Union at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia 113 Geography and climateMain article Geography of Bulgaria Rila the highest mountain range in the Balkans and Southeast Europe Topography of Bulgaria Bulgaria is a middle sized country situated in Southeastern Europe in the east of the Balkans Its territory covers an area of 110 994 square kilometres 42 855 sq mi while land borders with its five neighbouring countries run a total length of 1 808 kilometres 1 123 mi and its coastline is 354 kilometres 220 mi long 114 Bulgaria s geographic coordinates are 43 N 25 E 115 The most notable topographical features of the country are the Danubian Plain the Balkan Mountains the Thracian Plain and the Rila Rhodope massif 114 The southern edge of the Danubian Plain slopes upward into the foothills of the Balkans while the Danube defines the border with Romania The Thracian Plain is roughly triangular beginning southeast of Sofia and broadening as it reaches the Black Sea coast 114 The Balkan mountains run laterally through the middle of the country from west to east The mountainous southwest has two distinct alpine type ranges Rila and Pirin which border the lower but more extensive Rhodope Mountains to the east and various medium altitude mountains to west northwest and south like Vitosha Osogovo and Belasitsa 114 Musala at 2 925 metres 9 596 ft is the highest point in both Bulgaria and the Balkans The Black Sea coast is the country s lowest point 115 Plains occupy about one third of the territory while plateaux and hills occupy 41 116 Most rivers are short and with low water levels The longest river located solely in Bulgarian territory the Iskar has a length of 368 kilometres 229 mi The Struma and the Maritsa are two major rivers in the south 117 114 Bulgaria has a varied and changeable climate which results from being positioned at the meeting point of the Mediterranean Oceanic and Continental air masses combined with the barrier effect of its mountains 114 Northern Bulgaria averages 1 C 1 8 F cooler and registers 200 millimetres 7 9 in more precipitation than the regions south of the Balkan mountains Temperature amplitudes vary significantly in different areas The lowest recorded temperature is 38 3 C 36 9 F while the highest is 45 2 C 113 4 F 118 Precipitation averages about 630 millimetres 24 8 in per year and varies from 500 millimetres 19 7 in in Dobrudja to more than 2 500 millimetres 98 4 in in the mountains Continental air masses bring significant amounts of snowfall during winter 119 Koppen climate types of Bulgaria Considering its relatively small area Bulgaria has variable and complex climate The country occupies the southernmost part of the continental climatic zone with small areas in the south falling within the Mediterranean climatic zone 120 The continental zone is predominant because continental air masses flow easily into the unobstructed Danubian Plain The continental influence stronger during the winter produces abundant snowfall the Mediterranean influence increases during the second half of summer and produces hot and dry weather Bulgaria is subdivided into five climatic zones continental zone Danubian Plain Pre Balkan and the higher valleys of the Transitional geomorphological region transitional zone Upper Thracian Plain most of the Struma and Mesta valleys the lower Sub Balkan valleys continental Mediterranean zone the southernmost areas of the Struma and Mesta valleys the eastern Rhodope Mountains Sakar and Strandzha Black Sea zone along the coastline with an average length of 30 40 km inland and alpine zone in the mountains above 1000 m altitude central Balkan Mountains Rila Pirin Vitosha western Rhodope Mountains etc 121 Climate data for Bulgaria records from all meteo stations Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearRecord high C F 24 8 76 6 26 7 80 1 35 7 96 3 37 1 98 8 38 8 101 8 42 0 107 6 45 2 113 4 44 5 112 1 41 9 107 4 39 2 102 6 32 4 90 3 28 6 83 5 45 2 113 4 Record low C F 38 3 36 9 35 31 30 2 22 4 20 6 5 1 15 6 3 9 12 10 8 18 9 8 14 4 14 7 17 8 0 0 27 4 17 3 33 5 28 3 38 3 36 9 Source Stringmeteo com February record high http eea government bg bg soer 2016 climate climate0 November record high https m dir bg weather novini s 32 4 c veliko tarnovo schupi 95 godishen natsionalen rekord Biodiversity and environment Lacerta viridis in Ropotamo one of Bulgaria s 16 biosphere reserves The interaction of climatic hydrological geological and topographical conditions has produced a relatively wide variety of plant and animal species 122 Bulgaria s biodiversity one of the richest in Europe 123 is conserved in three national parks 11 nature parks 10 biosphere reserves and 565 protected areas 124 125 126 Ninety three of the 233 mammal species of Europe are found in Bulgaria along with 49 of butterfly and 30 of vascular plant species 127 Overall 41 493 plant and animal species are present 127 Larger mammals with sizable populations include deer 106 323 individuals wild boar 88 948 golden jackal 47 293 and red fox 32 326 Partridges number some 328 000 individuals making them the most widespread gamebird 128 A third of all nesting birds in Bulgaria can be found in Rila National Park which also hosts Arctic and alpine species at high altitudes 129 Flora includes more than 3 800 vascular plant species of which 170 are endemic and 150 are considered endangered 122 A checklist of larger fungi in Bulgaria by the Institute of Botany identifies more than 1 500 species 130 More than 35 of the land area is covered by forests 131 In 1998 the Bulgarian government adopted the National Biological Diversity Conservation Strategy a comprehensive programme seeking the preservation of local ecosystems protection of endangered species and conservation of genetic resources 132 Bulgaria has some of the largest Natura 2000 areas in Europe covering 33 8 of its territory 133 It also achieved its Kyoto Protocol objective of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 30 from 1990 to 2009 134 Bulgaria ranks 30th in the 2018 Environmental Performance Index but scores low on air quality 135 Particulate levels are the highest in Europe 136 especially in urban areas affected by automobile traffic and coal based power stations 137 138 One of these the lignite fired Maritsa Iztok 2 station is causing the highest damage to health and the environment in the European Union 139 Pesticide use in agriculture and antiquated industrial sewage systems produce extensive soil and water pollution 140 Water quality began to improve in 1998 and has maintained a trend of moderate improvement Over 75 of surface rivers meet European standards for good quality 141 PoliticsMain article Politics of Bulgaria This section needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information November 2022 Independence Square in Sofia The headquarters of the Presidency right the National Assembly centre and the Council of Ministers left Bulgaria is a parliamentary democracy where the prime minister is the head of government and the most powerful executive position 109 The political system has three branches legislative executive and judicial with universal suffrage for citizens at least 18 years old The Constitution also provides possibilities of direct democracy namely petitions and national referendums 142 Elections are supervised by an independent Central Election Commission that includes members from all major political parties Parties must register with the commission prior to participating in a national election 143 Normally the prime minister elect is the leader of the party receiving the most votes in parliamentary elections although this is not always the case 109 Unlike the prime minister presidential domestic power is more limited The directly elected president serves as head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces and has the authority to return a bill for further debate although the parliament can override the presidential veto by a simple majority vote 109 Political parties gather in the National Assembly a body of 240 deputies elected to four year terms by direct popular vote The National Assembly has the power to enact laws approve the budget schedule presidential elections select and dismiss the prime minister and other ministers declare war deploy troops abroad and ratify international treaties and agreements 144 Rumen RadevPresident Galab DonevPrime Minister Overall Bulgaria displays a pattern of unstable governments 145 Boyko Borisov the leader of the centre right pro EU party GERB served three terms as prime minister between 2009 and 2021 It won the 2009 general election and formed a minority government 146 which resigned in February 2013 after nationwide protests over the low living standards corruption 147 and the perceived failure of the democratic system 148 The subsequent snap elections in May resulted in a narrow win for GERB 149 but the Bulgarian Socialist Party eventually formed a government led by Plamen Oresharski after Borisov failed to secure parliamentary support 150 151 The Oresharski government resigned in July 2014 amid continuing large scale protests 152 153 The October 2014 elections resulted in a third GERB victory 154 Borisov formed a coalition 155 with several right wing parties but resigned again after the candidate backed by his party failed to win the 2016 Presidential election The March 2017 snap election was again won by GERB but with 95 seats in Parliament They formed a coalition with the far right United Patriots who held 27 seats 156 Borisov s last cabinet saw a dramatic decrease in freedom of the press and a number of corruption revelations that triggered yet another wave of mass protests in 2020 157 158 GERB came out first in the regular April 2021 election but with its weakest result so far 159 All other parties refused to form a government 160 and after a brief deadlock another election was called for July 2021 It too failed to break the stalemate as no political party was able to form a coalition government 161 Freedom House has reported a continuing deterioration of democratic governance after 2009 citing reduced media independence stalled reforms abuse of authority at the highest level and increased dependence of local administrations on the central government 162 Bulgaria is still listed as Free with a political system designated as a semi consolidated democracy albeit with deteriorating scores 162 The Democracy Index defines it as a Flawed democracy 163 A 2018 survey by the Institute for Economics and Peace reported that less than 15 of respondents considered elections to be fair 164 Legal system Bulgaria has a civil law legal system 165 The judiciary is overseen by the Ministry of Justice The Supreme Administrative Court and the Supreme Court of Cassation are the highest courts of appeal and oversee the application of laws in subordinate courts 143 The Supreme Judicial Council manages the system and appoints judges The legal system is regarded by both domestic and international observers as one of Europe s most inefficient due to pervasive lack of transparency and corruption 166 167 168 169 170 excessive citations Law enforcement is carried out by organisations mainly subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior 171 The General Directorate of National Police GDNP combats general crime and maintains public order 172 GDNP fields 26 578 police officers in its local and national sections 173 The bulk of criminal cases are transport related followed by theft and drug related crime homicide rates are low 174 The Ministry of the Interior also heads the Border Police Service and the National Gendarmerie a specialised branch for anti terrorist activity crisis management and riot control Counterintelligence and national security are the responsibility of the State Agency for National Security 175 Administrative divisions Main articles Provinces of Bulgaria and Municipalities of Bulgaria Bulgaria is a unitary state 176 Since the 1880s the number of territorial management units has varied from seven to 26 177 Between 1987 and 1999 the administrative structure consisted of nine provinces oblasti singular oblast A new administrative structure was adopted in parallel with the decentralisation of the economic system 178 It includes 27 provinces and a metropolitan capital province Sofia Grad All areas take their names from their respective capital cities The provinces are subdivided into 265 municipalities Municipalities are run by mayors who are elected to four year terms and by directly elected municipal councils Bulgaria is a highly centralised state where the Council of Ministers directly appoints regional governors and all provinces and municipalities are heavily dependent on it for funding 143 BlagoevgradBurgasDobrichGabrovoHaskovoKardzhaliKyustendilLovechMontana PazardzhikPernikPlevenPlovdivRazgradRuseShumenSilistraSliven SmolyanSofia ProvinceStara ZagoraTargovishteVarnaVeliko TarnovoVidinVratsaYambolForeign relations and security Main articles Foreign relations of Bulgaria and Military of Bulgaria Bulgaria became a member of the United Nations in 1955 and since 1966 has been a non permanent member of the Security Council three times most recently from 2002 to 2003 179 It was also among the founding nations of the Organization for Security and Co operation in Europe OSCE in 1975 Euro Atlantic integration has been a priority since the fall of communism although the communist leadership also had aspirations of leaving the Warsaw Pact and joining the European Communities by 1987 180 181 Bulgaria signed the European Union Treaty of Accession on 25 April 2005 182 and became a full member of the European Union on 1 January 2007 112 In addition it has a tripartite economic and diplomatic collaboration with Romania and Greece 183 good ties with China 184 and Vietnam 185 and a historical relationship with Russia 186 Mikoyan MiG 29 jet fighters of the Bulgarian Air Force Bulgaria deployed significant numbers of both civilian and military advisors in Soviet allied countries like Nicaragua 187 and Libya during the Cold War 188 The first deployment of foreign troops on Bulgarian soil since World War II occurred in 2001 when the country hosted six KC 135 Stratotanker aircraft and 200 support personnel for the war effort in Afghanistan 24 International military relations were further expanded with accession to NATO in March 2004 111 and the US Bulgarian Defence Cooperation Agreement signed in April 2006 Bezmer and Graf Ignatievo air bases the Novo Selo training range and a logistics centre in Aytos subsequently became joint military training facilities cooperatively used by the United States and Bulgarian militaries 189 190 Despite its active international defence collaborations Bulgaria ranks as among the most peaceful countries globally tying 6th alongside Iceland regarding domestic and international conflicts and 26th on average in the Global Peace Index 164 Domestic defence is the responsibility of the all volunteer Bulgarian armed forces composed of land forces navy and an air force The land forces consist of two mechanised brigades and eight independent regiments and battalions the air force operates 106 aircraft and air defence systems across six air bases and the navy operates various ships helicopters and coastal defence weapons 191 Active troops dwindled from 152 000 in 1988 192 to 31 300 in 2017 supplemented by 3 000 reservists and 16 000 paramilitary troops 193 Military inventory mainly consists of Soviet equipment like Mikoyan MiG 29 and Sukhoi Su 25 jets 194 S 300PT air defence systems 195 and SS 21 Scarab short range ballistic missiles 196 EconomyMain article Economy of Bulgaria Historical development of GDP per capita Economic growth green and unemployment blue statistics since 2001 Bulgaria has an open upper middle income range market economy where the private sector accounts for more than 70 of GDP 197 198 From a largely agricultural country with a predominantly rural population in 1948 by the 1980s Bulgaria had transformed into an industrial economy with scientific and technological research at the top of its budgetary expenditure priorities 199 The loss of COMECON markets in 1990 and the subsequent shock therapy of the planned system caused a steep decline in industrial and agricultural production ultimately followed by an economic collapse in 1997 200 201 The economy largely recovered during a period of rapid growth several years later 200 but the average salary of 1 036 leva 615 per month remains the lowest in the EU 202 More than a fifth of the labour force work for a minimum wage of 1 16 per hour 203 A balanced budget was achieved in 2003 and the country began running a surplus the following year 204 Expenditures amounted to 21 15 billion and revenues were 21 67 billion in 2017 205 Most government spending on institutions is earmarked for security The ministries of defence the interior and justice are allocated the largest share of the annual government budget whereas those responsible for the environment tourism and energy receive the least funding 206 Taxes form the bulk of government revenue 206 at 30 of GDP 207 Bulgaria has some of the lowest corporate income tax rates in the EU at a flat 10 rate 208 The tax system is two tier Value added tax excise duties corporate and personal income tax are national whereas real estate inheritance and vehicle taxes are levied by local authorities 209 Strong economic performance in the early 2000s reduced government debt from 79 6 in 1998 to 14 1 in 2008 204 It has since increased to 28 7 of GDP by 2016 but remains the third lowest in the EU 210 The Yugozapaden planning area is the most developed region with a per capita gross domestic product PPP of 29 816 in 2018 211 It includes the capital city and the surrounding Sofia Province which alone generate 42 of national gross domestic product despite hosting only 22 of the population 212 213 GDP per capita in PPS and the cost of living in 2019 stood at 53 and 52 8 of the EU average 100 respectively 214 215 National PPP GDP was estimated at 143 1 billion in 2016 with a per capita value of 20 116 216 Economic growth statistics take into account illegal transactions from the informal economy which is the largest in the EU as a percentage of economic output 217 218 The Bulgarian National Bank issues the national currency lev which is pegged to the euro at a rate of 1 95583 leva per euro 219 After several consecutive years of high growth repercussions of the financial crisis of 2007 2008 resulted in a 3 6 contraction of GDP in 2009 and increased unemployment 220 221 Positive growth was restored in 2010 but intercompany debt exceeded 59 billion meaning that 60 of all Bulgarian companies were mutually indebted 222 By 2012 it had increased to 97 billion or 227 of GDP 223 The government implemented strict austerity measures with IMF and EU encouragement to some positive fiscal results but the social consequences of these measures such as increased income inequality and accelerated outward migration have been catastrophic according to the International Trade Union Confederation 224 Siphoning of public funds to the families and relatives of politicians from incumbent parties has resulted in fiscal and welfare losses to society 225 226 Bulgaria ranks 71st in the Corruption Perceptions Index 227 and experiences the worst levels of corruption in the European Union a phenomenon that remains a source of profound public discontent 228 229 Along with organised crime corruption has resulted in a rejection of the country s Schengen Area application and withdrawal of foreign investment 230 231 232 Government officials reportedly engage in embezzlement influence trading government procurement violations and bribery with impunity 166 Government procurement in particular is a critical area in corruption risk An estimated 10 billion leva 5 99 billion of state budget and European cohesion funds are spent on public tenders each year 233 nearly 14 billion 8 38 billion were spent on public contracts in 2017 alone 234 A large share of these contracts are awarded to a few politically connected 235 companies amid widespread irregularities procedure violations and tailor made award criteria 236 Despite repeated criticism from the European Commission 232 EU institutions refrain from taking measures against Bulgaria because it supports Brussels on a number of issues unlike Poland or Hungary 228 Structure and sectors Tree map of Bulgarian exports in 2016 The labour force is 3 36 million people 237 of whom 6 8 are employed in agriculture 26 6 in industry and 66 6 in the services sector 238 Extraction of metals and minerals production of chemicals machine building steel biotechnology tobacco food processing and petroleum refining are among the major industrial activities 239 240 241 Mining alone employs 24 000 people and generates about 5 of the country s GDP the number of employed in all mining related industries is 120 000 242 243 Bulgaria is Europe s fifth largest coal producer 243 244 Local deposits of coal iron copper and lead are vital for the manufacturing and energy sectors 245 The main destinations of Bulgarian exports outside the EU are Turkey China and the United States while Russia and Turkey are by far the largest import partners Most of the exports are manufactured goods machinery chemicals fuel products and food 246 Two thirds of food and agricultural exports go to OECD countries 247 Although cereal and vegetable output dropped by 40 between 1990 and 2008 248 output in grains has since increased and the 2016 2017 season registered the biggest grain output in a decade 249 250 Maize barley oats and rice are also grown Quality Oriental tobacco is a significant industrial crop 251 Bulgaria is also the largest producer globally of lavender and rose oil both widely used in fragrances 24 252 253 254 Within the services sector tourism is a significant contributor to economic growth Sofia Plovdiv Veliko Tarnovo coastal resorts Albena Golden Sands and Sunny Beach and winter resorts Bansko Pamporovo and Borovets are some of the locations most visited by tourists 255 256 Most visitors are Romanian Turkish Greek and German 257 Tourism is additionally encouraged through the 100 Tourist Sites system 258 Science and technology Main article Science and technology in Bulgaria Spending on research and development amounts to 0 78 of GDP 259 and the bulk of public R amp D funding goes to the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences BAS 260 Private businesses accounted for more than 73 of R amp D expenditures and employed 42 of Bulgaria s 22 000 researchers in 2015 261 The same year Bulgaria ranked 39th out of 50 countries in the Bloomberg Innovation Index the highest score being in education 24th and the lowest in value added manufacturing 48th 262 Bulgaria was ranked 35th in the Global Innovation Index in 2021 up from 40th in 2019 263 264 265 266 Chronic government underinvestment in research since 1990 has forced many professionals in science and engineering to leave Bulgaria 267 The launch of BulgariaSat 1 by SpaceX Despite the lack of funding research in chemistry materials science and physics remains strong 260 Antarctic research is actively carried out through the St Kliment Ohridski Base on Livingston Island in Western Antarctica 268 269 The information and communication technologies ICT sector generates three per cent of economic output and employs 40 000 270 to 51 000 software engineers 271 Bulgaria was known as a Communist Silicon Valley during the Soviet era due to its key role in COMECON computing technology production 272 A concerted effort by the communist government to teach computing and IT skills in schools also indirectly made Bulgaria a major source of computer viruses in the 1980s and 90s 273 The country is a regional leader in high performance computing it operates Avitohol the most powerful supercomputer in Southeast Europe and will host one of the eight petascale EuroHPC supercomputers 274 275 Bulgaria has made numerous contributions to space exploration 276 These include two scientific satellites more than 200 payloads and 300 experiments in Earth orbit as well as two cosmonauts since 1971 276 Bulgaria was the first country to grow wheat and vegetables in space with its Svet greenhouses on the Mir space station 277 278 It was involved in the development of the Granat gamma ray observatory 279 and the Vega program particularly in modelling trajectories and guidance algorithms for both Vega probes 280 281 Bulgarian instruments have been used in the exploration of Mars including a spectrometer that took the first high quality spectroscopic images of Martian moon Phobos with the Phobos 2 probe 276 279 Cosmic radiation en route to and around the planet has been mapped by Liulin ML dosimeters on the ExoMars TGO 282 Variants of these instruments have also been fitted on the International Space Station and the Chandrayaan 1 lunar probe 283 284 Another lunar mission SpaceIL s Beresheet was also equipped with a Bulgarian manufactured imaging payload 285 Bulgaria s first geostationary communications satellite BulgariaSat 1 was launched by SpaceX in 2017 286 Infrastructure Main articles Energy in Bulgaria and Transport in Bulgaria Trakia motorway Telephone services are widely available and a central digital trunk line connects most regions 287 Vivacom BTC serves more than 90 of fixed lines and is one of the three operators providing mobile services along with A1 and Telenor 288 289 Internet penetration stood at 69 2 of the population aged 16 74 and 78 9 of households in 2020 290 291 Bulgaria s strategic geographic location and well developed energy sector make it a key European energy centre despite its lack of significant fossil fuel deposits 292 Thermal power plants generate 48 9 of electricity followed by nuclear power from the Kozloduy reactors 34 8 and renewable sources 16 3 293 Equipment for a second nuclear power station at Belene has been acquired but the fate of the project remains uncertain 294 Installed capacity amounts to 12 668 MW allowing Bulgaria to exceed domestic demand and export energy 295 The national road network has a total length of 19 512 kilometres 12 124 mi 296 of which 19 235 kilometres 11 952 mi are paved Railroads are a major mode of freight transportation although highways carry a progressively larger share of freight Bulgaria has 6 238 kilometres 3 876 mi of railway track 287 with rail links available to Romania Turkey Greece and Serbia and express trains serving direct routes to Kyiv Minsk Moscow and Saint Petersburg 297 Sofia and Plovdiv are the country s air travel hubs while Varna and Burgas are the principal maritime trade ports 287 DemographicsMain article Demographics of Bulgaria Population trend since 1960 Population pyramid of Bulgaria in 2017 The population of Bulgaria is 6 519 789 people according to the 2021 national census The majority of the population 72 5 reside in urban areas 298 As of 2019 update Sofia is the most populated urban centre with 1 241 675 people followed by Plovdiv 346 893 Varna 336 505 Burgas 202 434 and Ruse 142 902 213 Bulgarians are the main ethnic group and constitute 84 8 of the population Turkish and Roma minorities account for 8 8 and 4 9 respectively some 40 smaller minorities account for 0 7 and 0 8 do not self identify with an ethnic group 299 300 Former Statistics head Reneta Indzhova has disputed the 2011 census figures suggesting the actual population is smaller than reported 301 302 The Roma minority is usually underestimated in census data and may represent up to 11 of the population 303 304 Population density is 65 per square kilometre almost half the European Union average 305 In 2018 the average total fertility rate TFR in Bulgaria was 1 56 children per woman 306 below the replacement rate of 2 1 and considerably below the historical high of 5 83 children per woman in 1905 307 Bulgaria thus has one of the oldest populations in the world with an average age of 43 years 308 Bulgaria is in a state of demographic crisis 309 310 It has had negative population growth since the early 1990s when the economic collapse caused a long lasting emigration wave 311 Some 937 000 to 1 200 000 people mostly young adults had left the country by 2005 311 312 The majority of children are born to unmarried women 313 Furthermore a third of all households consist of only one person and 75 5 of families do not have children under the age of 16 310 The resulting birth rates are among the lowest in the world 314 315 while death rates are among the highest 316 Bulgaria scores high in gender equality ranking 18th in the 2018 Global Gender Gap Report 317 Although women s suffrage was enabled relatively late in 1937 women today have equal political rights high workforce participation and legally mandated equal pay 317 In 2021 market research agency Reboot Online ranked Bulgaria as the best European country for women to work 318 Bulgaria has the highest ratio of female ICT researchers in the EU 319 as well as the second highest ratio of females in the technology sector at 44 6 of the workforce High levels of female participation are a legacy of the Socialist era 320 Largest cities vte Largest cities or towns in Bulgaria 2011 Census 321 Rank Name Province Pop Rank Name Province Pop Sofia Plovdiv 1 Sofia Sofia Capital 1 204 685 11 Pernik Pernik 80 191 Varna Burgas2 Plovdiv Plovdiv 338 153 12 Haskovo Haskovo 76 3973 Varna Varna 334 870 13 Yambol Yambol 74 1324 Burgas Burgas 200 271 14 Pazardzhik Pazardzhik 71 9795 Ruse Ruse 149 642 15 Blagoevgrad Blagoevgrad 70 8816 Stara Zagora Stara Zagora 138 272 16 Veliko Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo 68 7837 Pleven Pleven 106 954 17 Vratsa Vratsa 60 6928 Sliven Sliven 91 620 18 Gabrovo Gabrovo 58 9509 Dobrich Dobrich 91 030 19 Asenovgrad Plovdiv 50 84610 Shumen Shumen 80 855 20 Vidin Vidin 48 071 Health Main article Health in Bulgaria High death rates result from a combination of an ageing population high numbers of people at risk of poverty and a weak healthcare system 322 Over 80 of deaths are due to cancer and cardiovascular conditions nearly a fifth of those are avoidable 323 Although healthcare in Bulgaria is nominally universal 324 out of pocket expenses account for nearly half of all healthcare spending significantly limiting access to medical care 325 Other problems disrupting care provision are the emigration of doctors due to low wages understaffed and under equipped regional hospitals supply shortages and frequent changes to the basic service package for those insured 326 327 The 2018 Bloomberg Health Care Efficiency Index ranked Bulgaria last out of 56 countries 328 Average life expectancy is 74 8 years compared with an EU average of 80 99 and a world average of 72 38 329 330 Education Main article Education in Bulgaria The Rectorate of Sofia University Public expenditures for education are far below the European Union average as well 331 Educational standards were once high 332 but have declined significantly since the early 2000s 331 Bulgarian students were among the highest scoring in the world in terms of reading in 2001 performing better than their Canadian and German counterparts by 2006 scores in reading math and science had dropped By 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment studies found 47 of pupils in the 9th grade to be functionally illiterate in reading and natural sciences 333 Average basic literacy stands high at 98 4 with no significant difference between sexes 334 The Ministry of Education and Science partially funds public schools colleges and universities sets criteria for textbooks and oversees the publishing process Education in primary and secondary public schools is free and compulsory 332 The process spans 12 grades in which grades one through eight are primary and nine through twelve are secondary level Higher education consists of a 4 year bachelor degree and a 1 year master s degree 335 Bulgaria s highest ranked higher education institution is Sofia University 336 337 Language Main article Languages of Bulgaria Bulgarian is the only language with official status and native for 85 of the population 338 It belongs to the Slavic group of languages but has a number of grammatical peculiarities shared with its closest relative Macedonian that set it apart from other Slavic languages these include a complex verbal morphology which also codes for distinctions in evidentiality the absence of noun cases and infinitives and the use of a suffixed definite article 339 Other significant languages spoken in Bulgaria are Turkish and Romani which according to the 2011 census were spoken natively by 9 1 and 4 2 of the population respectively Religion Main article Religion in Bulgaria Alexander Nevsky Cathedral Sofia Bulgaria is a secular state with guaranteed religious freedom by constitution but Orthodoxy is designated as a traditional religion 340 More than three quarters of Bulgarians subscribe to Eastern Orthodoxy 341 The Bulgarian Orthodox Church gained autocephalous status in AD 927 342 343 and has 12 dioceses and over 2 000 priests 344 Sunni Muslims are the second largest religious community and constitute 10 of Bulgaria s overall religious makeup A 2011 survey of 850 Muslims in Bulgaria found 30 self professing as deeply religious and 50 as just religious According to the study some religious teachings like Islamic funeral have been traditionally incorporated and are widely practiced while other major ones are less observed like the Muslim prayer or abstaining from drinking alcohol eating pork and cohabitation 345 Less than 3 of the population are affiliated with other religions and 11 8 are irreligious or do not self identify with a religion 341 CultureMain article Culture of Bulgaria Kuker in Lesichovo Contemporary Bulgarian culture blends the formal culture that helped forge a national consciousness towards the end of Ottoman rule with millennia old folk traditions 346 An essential element of Bulgarian folklore is fire used to banish evil spirits and illnesses Many of these are personified as witches whereas other creatures like zmey and samodiva veela are either benevolent guardians or ambivalent tricksters 347 Some rituals against evil spirits have survived and are still practised most notably kukeri and survakari 348 Martenitsa is also widely celebrated 349 Nestinarstvo a ritual fire dance of Thracian origin is included in the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage 350 351 Nine historical and natural objects are UNESCO World Heritage Sites Pirin National Park Sreburna Nature Reserve the Madara Rider the Thracian tombs in Sveshtari and Kazanlak the Rila Monastery the Boyana Church the Rock hewn Churches of Ivanovo and the ancient city of Nesebar 352 The Rila Monastery was established by Saint John of Rila Bulgaria s patron saint whose life has been the subject of numerous literary accounts since Medieval times 353 The establishment of the Preslav and Ohrid literary schools in the 10th century is associated with a golden period in Bulgarian literature during the Middle Ages 353 The schools emphasis on Christian scriptures made the Bulgarian Empire a centre of Slavic culture bringing Slavs under the influence of Christianity and providing them with a written language 354 355 356 Its alphabet Cyrillic script was developed by the Preslav Literary School 357 The Tarnovo Literary School on the other hand is associated with a Silver age of literature defined by high quality manuscripts on historical or mystical themes under the Asen and Shishman dynasties 353 Many literary and artistic masterpieces were destroyed by the Ottoman conquerors and artistic activities did not re emerge until the National Revival in the 19th century 346 The enormous body of work of Ivan Vazov 1850 1921 covered every genre and touched upon every facet of Bulgarian society bridging pre Liberation works with literature of the newly established state 353 Notable later works are Bay Ganyo by Aleko Konstantinov the Nietzschean poetry of Pencho Slaveykov the Symbolist poetry of Peyo Yavorov and Dimcho Debelyanov the Marxist inspired works of Geo Milev and Nikola Vaptsarov and the Socialist realism novels of Dimitar Dimov and Dimitar Talev 353 Tzvetan Todorov is a notable contemporary author 358 while Bulgarian born Elias Canetti was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1981 359 Christo s Mastaba in Hyde Park London A religious visual arts heritage includes frescoes murals and icons many produced by the medieval Tarnovo Artistic School 360 Like literature it was not until the National Revival when Bulgarian visual arts began to reemerge Zahari Zograf was a pioneer of the visual arts in the pre Liberation era 346 After the Liberation Ivan Mrkvicka Anton Mitov Vladimir Dimitrov Tsanko Lavrenov and Zlatyu Boyadzhiev introduced newer styles and substance depicting scenery from Bulgarian villages old towns and historical subjects Christo is the most famous Bulgarian artist of the 21st century known for his outdoor installations 346 Folk music is by far the most extensive traditional art and has slowly developed throughout the ages as a fusion of Far Eastern Oriental medieval Eastern Orthodox and standard Western European tonalities and modes 361 Bulgarian folk music has a distinctive sound and uses a wide range of traditional instruments such as gadulka gaida kaval and tupan A distinguishing feature is extended rhythmical time which has no equivalent in the rest of European music 24 The State Television Female Vocal Choir won a Grammy Award in 1990 for its performances of Bulgarian folk music 362 Written musical composition can be traced back to the works of Yoan Kukuzel c 1280 1360 363 but modern classical music began with Emanuil Manolov who composed the first Bulgarian opera in 1890 346 Pancho Vladigerov and Petko Staynov further enriched symphony ballet and opera which singers Ghena Dimitrova Boris Christoff Ljuba Welitsch and Nicolai Ghiaurov elevated to a world class level 346 364 365 366 367 368 369 excessive citations Bulgarian performers have gained acclaim in other genres like electropop Mira Aroyo jazz Milcho Leviev and blends of jazz and folk Ivo Papazov 346 The Bulgarian National Radio bTV and daily newspapers Trud Dnevnik and 24 Chasa are some of the largest national media outlets 370 Bulgarian media were described as generally unbiased in their reporting in the early 2000s and print media had no legal restrictions 371 Since then freedom of the press has deteriorated to the point where Bulgaria scores 111th globally in the World Press Freedom Index lower than all European Union members and membership candidate states The government has diverted EU funds to sympathetic media outlets and bribed others to be less critical on problematic topics while attacks against individual journalists have increased 372 373 Collusion between politicians oligarchs and the media is widespread 372 Bulgarian cuisine is similar to that of other Balkan countries and demonstrates strong Turkish and Greek influences 374 Yogurt lukanka banitsa shopska salad lyutenitsa and kozunak are among the best known local foods Meat consumption is lower than the European average given a cultural preference for a large variety of salads 374 Bulgaria was the world s second largest wine exporter until 1989 but has since lost that position 375 376 The 2016 harvest yielded 128 million litres of wine of which 62 million was exported mainly to Romania Poland and Russia 377 Mavrud Rubin Shiroka melnishka Dimiat and Cherven Misket are the typical grapes used in Bulgarian wine 378 Rakia is a traditional fruit brandy that was consumed in Bulgaria as early as the 14th century 379 Sports Main article Sport in Bulgaria Grigor Dimitrov at the 2015 Italian Open Bulgaria appeared at the first modern Olympic games in 1896 when it was represented by gymnast Charles Champaud 380 Since then Bulgarian athletes have won 55 gold 90 silver and 85 bronze medals 381 ranking 25th in the all time medal table Weight lifting is a signature sport of Bulgaria Coach Ivan Abadzhiev developed innovative training practices that have produced many Bulgarian world and Olympic champions in weight lifting since the 1980s 382 Bulgarian athletes have also excelled in wrestling boxing gymnastics volleyball and tennis 382 Stefka Kostadinova is the reigning world record holder in the women s high jump at 2 09 metres 6 feet 10 inches achieved during the 1987 World Championships 383 Grigor Dimitrov is the first Bulgarian tennis player in the Top 3 ATP rankings 384 Football is the most popular sport in the country by a substantial margin The national football team s best performance was a semi final at the 1994 FIFA World Cup when the squad was spearheaded by forward Hristo Stoichkov 382 Stoichkov is the most successful Bulgarian player of all time he was awarded the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball and was considered one of the best in the world while playing for FC Barcelona in the 1990s 385 386 CSKA and Levski both based in Sofia 382 are the most successful clubs domestically and long standing rivals 387 Ludogorets is remarkable for having advanced from the local fourth division to the 2014 15 UEFA Champions League group stage in a mere nine years 388 Placed 39th in 2018 it is Bulgaria s highest ranked club in UEFA 389 See also Bulgaria portalOutline of BulgariaExplanatory notes Bulgarian Republika Blgariya romanized Republika Balgariya IPA rɛˈpublikɐ bɐɫˈɡarijɐ The official number of Romani citizens may be lower than the actual number See Demographics References Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria Retrieved 30 August 2020 a b Prebroyavane 2021 Etnokulturna harakteristika na naselenieto 2021 Census Ethnocultural characteristics of the population PDF National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria Archived PDF from the original on 24 November 2022 Penin Rumen 2007 Prirodna geografiya na Blgariya Natural Geography of Bulgaria in Bulgarian Bulvest 2000 p 18 ISBN 978 954 18 0546 6 Field listing Area The World Factbook Central Intelligence Agency Archived from the original on 31 January 2014 Retrieved 9 October 2018 a b c d World Economic Outlook Database February 2022 IMF org International Monetary Fund Retrieved 6 February 2022 Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income EU SILC survey ec europa eu Eurostat Retrieved 21 June 2022 Human Development Report 2021 2022 PDF United Nations Development Programme 8 September 2022 Archived PDF from the original on 9 October 2022 Retrieved 8 September 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index 2018 Executive Summary PDF Transparency International p 12 Archived PDF from the original on 9 October 2022 Retrieved 10 February 2019 Golden 1992 pp 103 104 Bowersock Glen W 1999 Late Antiquity a Guide to the Postclassical World Harvard University Press p 354 ISBN 978 0674511736 Chen 2012 p 97 Petersen Leif Inge Ree 2013 Siege Warfare and Military Organization in the Successor States 400 800 AD Byzantium the West and Islam Brill p 369 ISBN 978 9004254466 Golden 1992 p 104 Chen 2012 pp 92 95 97 Tillier Anne Marie Sirakov Nikolay Guadelli Aleta Fernandez Philippe Sirakova Svoboda October 2017 Evidence of Neanderthals in the Balkans The infant radius from Kozarnika Cave Bulgaria Journal of Human Evolution 111 111 54 62 doi 10 1016 j jhevol 2017 06 002 PMID 28874274 Fewlass H Talamo S Wacker S et al 2020 A 14C chronology for the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition at Bacho Kiro Cave Bulgaria Nature Ecology amp Evolution 4 6 794 801 doi 10 1038 s41559 020 1136 3 hdl 11585 770560 PMID 32393865 S2CID 218593433 Hublin J Sirakov N Aldeias V et al 2020 Initial Upper Palaeolithic Homo sapiens from Bacho Kiro Cave Bulgaria PDF Nature 581 7808 299 302 Bibcode 2020Natur 581 299H doi 10 1038 s41586 020 2259 z hdl 11585 770553 PMID 32433609 S2CID 218592678 Archived PDF from the original on 9 October 2022 Gimbutas Marija A 1974 The Gods and Goddesses of Old Europe 7000 to 3500 BC Myths Legends and Cult Images University of California Press pp 29 32 ISBN 978 0520019959 Roberts Benjamin W Thornton Christopher P 2009 Development of metallurgy in Eurasia Antiquity Department of Prehistory and Europe British Museum 83 322 1015 doi 10 1017 S0003598X00099312 S2CID 163062746 Retrieved 28 July 2018 In contrast the earliest exploitation and working of gold occurs in the Balkans during the mid fifth millennium BC several centuries after the earliest known copper smelting This is demonstrated most spectacularly in the various objects adorning the burials at Varna Bulgaria Renfrew 1986 Highamet al 2007 In contrast the earliest gold objects found in Southwest Asia date only to the beginning of the fourth millennium BC as at Nahal Qanah in Israel Golden 2009 suggesting that gold exploitation may have been a Southeast European invention albeit a short lived one de Laet Sigfried J 1996 History of Humanity From the Third Millennium to the Seventh Century BC UNESCO Routledge p 99 ISBN 978 92 3 102811 3 The first major gold working centre was situated at the mouth of the Danube on the shores of the Black Sea in Bulgaria Grande Lance 2009 Gems and Gemstones Timeless Natural Beauty of the Mineral World University of Chicago Press p 292 ISBN 978 0 226 30511 0 The oldest known gold jewelry in the world is from an archaeological site in Varna Necropolis Bulgaria and is over 6 000 years old radiocarbon dated between 4 600 BC and 4 200 BC Anthony David W Chi Jennifer eds 2010 The Lost World of Old Europe The Danube Valley 5000 3500 BC Institute for the Study of the Ancient World pp 39 201 ISBN 978 0 691 14388 0 grave 43 at the Varna cemetery the richest single grave from Old Europe dated about 4600 4500 BC The Gumelnita Culture Government of France Archived from the original on 13 October 2012 Retrieved 4 December 2011 The Necropolis at Varna is an important site in understanding this culture a b c d Bulgaria Factbook United States Central Command December 2011 Archived from the original on 18 October 2011 Retrieved 4 October 2018 Schoenberger Erica 2015 Nature Choice and Social Power Routledge p 81 ISBN 978 0 415 83386 8 The graves at Varna range from poor to richly endowed suggesting a rather high degree of social differentiation Their discovery has led to a re evaluation of the form of social organization characteristic of the Varna culture and of the onset of social stratification in Neolithic cultures Crampton 1987 p 1 a b Bulgar Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 28 July 2018 Boardman John Edwards I E S Sollberger E 1982 The Cambridge Ancient History part 1 The Prehistory of the Balkans the Middle East and the Aegean World Tenth to Eighth Centuries BC Vol 3 Cambridge University Press p 53 ISBN 978 0521224963 Yet we cannot identify the Thracians at that remote period because we do not know for certain whether the Thracian and Illyrian tribes had separated by then It is safer to speak of Proto Thracians from whom there developed in the Iron Age a b c Allcock John B Balkans Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 16 August 2018 Kidner Frank 2013 Making Europe The Story of the West Cengage Learning p 57 ISBN 978 1111841317 a b Roisman 2011 pp 135 138 343 345 Nagle D Brendan 2006 Readings in Greek History Sources and Interpretations Oxford University Press p 230 ISBN 978 0199978458 However one of the Thracian tribes the Odrysians succeeded in unifying the Thracians and creating a powerful state Ashley James R 1998 The Macedonian Empire The Era of Warfare Under Philip II and Alexander the Great 359 323 B C McFarland amp Company Inc pp 139 140 ISBN 978 0786419180 O Hogain Daithi 2002 The Celts A History The Boydell Press pp 69 71 ISBN 978 0851159232 Gagarin Michael ed 2010 The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome Vol 1 Oxford University Press p 55 ISBN 978 0 19 517072 6 Ulfilas Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 18 August 2018 Bell John D The Beginnings of Modern Bulgaria Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 9 October 2018 Singleton Fred Fred Singleton 1985 A Short History of the Yugoslav Peoples Cambridge University Press pp 13 14 ISBN 9780521274852 Fouracre Paul McKitterick Rosamond Reuter Timothy Abulafia David Luscombe David Edward Allmand C T Riley Smith Jonathan Jones Michael 1995 The New Cambridge Medieval History Volume 1 c 500 c 700 Cambridge University Press p 524 ISBN 9780521362917 Curta Florin 2001 The Making of the Slavs History and Archaeology of the Lower Danube Region c 500 700 PDF Cambridge University Press pp 311 334 ISBN 9781139428880 Archived from the original PDF on 26 March 2016 Retrieved 20 August 2018 MacDermott 1998 p 19 Detrez Raymond 2014 Historical Dictionary of Bulgaria Rowman amp Littlefield p 5 ISBN 978 1442241794 Parry Ken ed 2010 The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity Wiley Blackwell p 48 ISBN 978 1444333619 The conquest of the Balkans and the rise of the Bulgarian Empire was not a disaster for the indigenous population and its material and spiritual culture The settlers and the local Romanised or semi Romanised Thraco Illyrian Christians influenced each other s way of life and socio economic organization as well as each other s cultures language and religious outlook Wolfram Herwig 1990 History of the Goths University of California Press p 8 ISBN 978 0520069831 Zlatarski Vasil 1938 V Zlatarski Istorija 1A b1 1 Istoriya na Prvoto blgarsko Carstvo I Epoha na huno blgarskoto nadmoshie 679 852 History of the First Bulgarian Empire Period of Hunnic Bulgarian domination 679 852 in Bulgarian Marin Drinov Publishing House p 188 ISBN 978 9544302986 Retrieved 23 May 2012 Fine John V A Fine John Van Antwerp 1991 The Early Medieval Balkans A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century University of Michigan Press pp 68 70 ISBN 978 0472081493 Vlasto Alexis P 1970 The Entry of the Slavs Into Christendom An Introduction to the Medieval History of the Slavs Cambridge University Press p 157 ISBN 978 0521074599 Krum Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 28 July 2018 Bell John D The Spread of Christianity Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 28 July 2018 a b Crampton 2007 pp 12 13 a b c Bell John D Reign of Simeon I Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 28 July 2018 Bulgaria s conversion had a political dimension for it contributed both to the growth of central authority and to the merging of Bulgars and Slavs into a unified Bulgarian people The First Golden Age Browning Robert 1975 Byzantium and Bulgaria Temple Smith pp 194 195 ISBN 978 0520026704 Samuel Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 20 January 2012 Scylitzae Ioannis 1973 Synopsis Historiarum Corpus Fontium Byzantiae Historiae De Gruyter p 457 ISBN 978 3 11 002285 8 Crampton 1987 p 4 a b Cameron Averil 2006 The Byzantines Blackwell Publishing p 170 ISBN 978 1 4051 9833 2 a b Ostrogorsky Georgije 1969 History of the Byzantine State Rutgers University Press p 311 ISBN 978 0813511986 a b c d Bell John D Bulgaria Second Bulgarian Empire Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 27 July 2018 a b c d Bourchier James 1911 History of Bulgaria In Chisholm Hugh ed Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 4 11th ed Cambridge University Press pp 779 784 a b Crampton 1987 p 6 a b Martin Michael 2017 City of the Sun Development and Popular Resistance in the Pre Modern West Algora Publishing p 344 ISBN 978 1628942798 a b c d Bell John D Bulgaria Ottoman rule Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 21 December 2011 The Bulgarian nobility was destroyed its members either perished fled or accepted Islam and Turkicization and the peasantry was enserfed to Turkish masters Guineva Maria 10 October 2011 Old Town Sozopol Bulgaria s Rescued Miracle and Its Modern Day Saviors Novinite Retrieved 16 November 2018 a b Jirecek K J 1876 Geschichte der Bulgaren History of the Bulgarians in German Nachdr d Ausg Prag p 88 ISBN 978 3487064086 Minkov Anton 2004 Conversion to Islam in the Balkans Kisve Bahasi Petitions and Ottoman Social Life 1670 1730 Brill p 193 ISBN 978 9004135765 Detrez Raymond 2008 Europe and the Historical Legacies in the Balkans Peter Lang Publishers p 36 ISBN 978 9052013749 Fishman Joshua A 2010 Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity Disciplinary and Regional Perspectives Oxford University Press p 276 ISBN 978 0195374926 Retrieved 30 September 2018 There were almost no remnants of a Bulgarian ethnic identity the population defined itself as Christians according to the Ottoman system of millets that is communities of religious beliefs The first attempts to define a Bulgarian ethnicity started at the beginning of the 19th century Roudometof Victor Robertson Roland 2001 Nationalism Globalization and Orthodoxy The Social Origins of Ethnic Conflict in the Balkans Greenwood Publishing Group pp 68 71 ISBN 978 0313319495 Crampton 1987 p 8 Carvalho Joaquim 2007 Religion and Power in Europe Conflict and Convergence Edizioni Plus p 261 ISBN 978 8884924643 a b Bell John D Bulgaria Ottoman administration Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 20 October 2012 a b The Final Move to Independence Reminiscence from Days of Liberation Novinite 3 March 2011 Retrieved 20 December 2011 Shipka Pass Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 18 August 2018 a b San Stefano Berlin and Independence Blamires Cyprian 2006 World Fascism A Historical Encyclopedia ABC CLIO p 107 ISBN 978 1576079409 The Greater Bulgaria re established in March 1878 on the lines of the medieval Bulgarian empire after liberation from Turkish rule did not last long On March 3 Bulgaria celebrates National Liberation Day Radio Bulgaria 3 March 2017 Retrieved 24 February 2019 Timeline Bulgaria A chronology of key events BBC News 6 May 2010 Retrieved 20 December 2011 Historical Setting Crampton 2007 p 174 Pinon Rene 1913 L Europe et la Jeune Turquie Les Aspects Nouveaux de la Question d Orient Europe and Young Turkey The new aspects of the Eastern Question in French Perrin et cie p 411 ISBN 978 1 144 41381 9 On a dit souvent de la Bulgarie qu elle est la Prusse des Balkans Tucker Spencer C Wood Laura 1996 The 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