Global InformationBulgaria information
Republic of Bulgaria Република България Republika Bŭlgariya | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
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| Motto: Sŭedinenieto 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]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/EU-Bulgaria.svg/250px-EU-Bulgaria.svg.png) Location of Bulgaria (dark green) – in Europe (green & dark grey) | |
| Capital and largest city | Sofia 42°41′51″N 23°19′21″E / 42.69750°N 23.32250°E |
| Official languages | Bulgarian[1] |
| Official script | Cyrillic |
| Ethnic groups (2021)[2] |
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| Religion (2021 census)[2] |
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| Demonym(s) |
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| Government | Unitary parliamentary republic |
• President | Rumen Radev |
• Vice President | Iliana Iotova |
• Prime Minister | Dimitar Glavchev |
• Chairperson of the National Assembly | Vacant |
| Legislature | National Assembly |
| Establishment history | |
• 1st Bulgarian Empire | 681–1018 |
• 2nd Bulgarian Empire | 1185–1396 |
• Principality of Bulgaria | 3 March 1878 |
• Independence from the Ottoman Empire | 5 October 1908 |
• Monarchy abolished | 15 September 1946 |
• Current state form | 15 November 1990 |
• Joined NATO | 29 March 2004 |
• Joined the European Union | 1 January 2007 |
| Area | |
• Total | 110,993.6[3] km2 (42,854.9 sq mi) (103rd) |
• Water (%) | 2.16[4] |
| Population | |
• 2023 estimate |  6,385,500 (109th) |
• Density | 63/km2 (163.2/sq mi) (154th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total |  $216.499 billion[5] (73rd) |
• Per capita | $33,780[5] (55th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $103.099 billion[5] (69th) |
• Per capita | $16,086[5] (60th) |
| Gini (2022) |  38.4[6]medium |
| HDI (2022) | 0.799[7] high (70th) |
| Currency | Lev (BGN) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Date format | dd.mm.yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +359 |
| ISO 3166 code | BG |
| Internet TLD |
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Bulgaria,[a] officially the Republic of Bulgaria,[b] is a country in Southeast Europe. Located west of the Black Sea and south of the Danube river, Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, and Romania to the north. It covers a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi) and is the 16th largest country in Europe. Sofia is the nation's capital and largest city; other major cities include Burgas, Plovdiv, and Varna.
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 the First Bulgarian Empire, victoriously recognised by treaty in 681 AD by the Byzantine 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 has an upper-middle-income economy, ranking 70th in the Human Development Index. Bulgaria ranks 38th in the innovation 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. The country faces a demographic crisis; its population peaked at 9 million in 1989, and has since decreased to under 6.4 million as of 2024. Bulgaria is a member of the European Union, the Schengen Area, 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.
- ^ "Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria". National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria. Archived from the original on 19 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Преброяване 2021: Етнокултурна характеристика на населението" [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). Природна география на България [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, October 2023 Edition. (Bulgaria)". International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ "Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income – EU-SILC survey". ec.europa.eu. Eurostat. Archived from the original on 20 March 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
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