Facts about Bulgaria: the long and short of it.

Some other interesing facts about Bulgaria are to be discovered.

If you are considering visiting Eastern Europe, then here are some interesting facts about Bulgaria that might help to persuade you to visit this exciting and historical country.

The Land

Bulgaria is a large country, about the size of Tennessee, in southeastern Europe, with borders to Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey. The largest river passing through Bulgaria is the Danube, and the Iskar is the longest river entirely in Bulgaria. The Black Sea coastline covers 235 miles of the eastern edge of the country, and the largest bay on this coast is the Bourgas Bay at 41km across.

From the Beginning

Some of the earliest people in the region were the Thracians, who united under King Teres around 500 B.C. They eventually fell to Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire. Spartacus, who led the slaves in the Third Servile War against the Roman Empire, was a Thracian.

History

Bulgaria is one of the oldest countries in Europe, with a single state forming for the first time around A.D. 681. The First Bulgarian Empire lasted for over 300 years, from 681 to 1018, and controlled most of the Balkan region. This was followed by the Second Bulgarian Empire, from 1185 to 1396, which collapsed and left Bulgaria under Ottoman rule for nearly 500 years. The modern country of Bulgaria formed in 1878 after the Russo-Turkish War.

This rich history has left Bulgaria behind only Greece and Italy in the number of archeological treasures left behind. One of the most famous ever found was graves that were over 6,000 years old that contained the oldest gold treasure in the world.

Religion

The oldest Orthodox Slavic church in the world is also in Bulgaria.

Literacy

One of the other interesting facts about Bulgaria is that it was the first place to adopt the Cyrillic alphabet. This was in the 10th Century, after the development of the script at the Preslav Literary School during the First Bulgarian Empire.

Military

Since the formation of the country, the Bulgarian army has been in several wars, but is the only armed force in the world that has never lost a flag. During the Holocaust in World War II, the only two Axis countries in Europe to save their Jewish population were Denmark and Bulgaria.

Sports

A interesting sport facts about Bulgaria and its national sporting heroes is Dan Kolov, who immigrated to the USA in 1909. He found fame as a wrestler who won 1,500 matches, losing only twice in his career. Kolov was the first wrestler to win the “Diamond Belt” twice and returned to Bulgaria as Heavyweight World Champion.

Many of the population of Bulgaria enjoy sports, with soccer being the most popular in the country and Dimitar Berbatov the most famous current player. The soccer team came fourth in the 1994 World Cup. The national volleyball team is one of the top teams in the world, and the weightlifting team has been very successful in Olympic competition.

Contributions

One of the most famous inventions by a Bulgarian is the digital watch. Peter Petroff is the Bulgarian-American inventor of the digital watch and was an important member of the NASA space program. He was a prolific inventor, and Petroff Point in Antarctica was named after him.

Bulgarian Bagpipes

Bulgaria might not be internationally famous for its culture, but one of the strangest facts about Bulgaria is that it is one of the few countries in the world to use the bagpipes. The other countries are Scotland, Ireland and Pakistan.

In the early part of the 21st century, Bulgaria has become a popular tourist destination, with over five million visitors in 2005. These visitors love the spas, mountains and coastal resorts and the archeological sites and cultural monuments. With any luck these great facts about Bulgaria will tempt you to visit in the near future.

Total Area of Bulgaria

Currency of Bulgaria

The curency used in Bulgaria is the Lev (BGL) and recently added was the Euro (EUR) after EU intergration.

In total: 110,910 sq km

Land: 110,550 sq km

water: 360 sq km

Population of Bulgaria

7,450,349 (July 2005 est.) Now in 2009 we believe the population to be cerca 9 million.

Languages in Bulgaria

84.5% of people speak Bulgarian, 9.6% speak Turkish, 4.1% speak Roma (mainly gypsys), other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)

Literacy in Bulgaria

definition: age 15 and over can read and write. I suspect this figure is now more likely closer to the age of 11.

total population: 98.6%

male: 99.1%

female: 98.2% (2003 est.)

Religions in Bulgaria

Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4% (2001 census)

Actually, Bulgaria isn't a particularly religious country. In general Bulgarian's have their beliefs, but nothing is pushed upon you and you are free to make up your own mind.

Life Expectancy in Bulgaria

total population: 72.03 years

male: 68.41 years

female: 75.87 years (2005 est.)

Government Type in Bulgaria

The current government is a parliamentary democracy

GDP (per capita) in Bulgaria

purchasing power parity - $8,200 (2004 est.)


Labour Force in Bulgaria

3.398 million (2004 est.)

Exports from Bulgaria

$9.134 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports to Bulgaria

$12.23 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Natural Resources of Bulgaria

bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land

Telephones (main lines in use) in Bulgaria

2,868,200 (2002)

Telephones (mobile cellular) in Bulgaria

2,597,500 (2002)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Bulgaria

Basically most young people in Bulgaria have (and are addicted to) the internet, and are quite savvy with modern technology.

You will often find internet cafes filled with young boys playing RPG's or shooting games against each other on the computer.

Internet hosts: 53,421 (2004) Internet users: 630,000 (2002)