Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially known as the Republic of Bulgaria, is a captivating country located in Southeast Europe. Nestled in the eastern part of the Balkans, it lies directly south of the Danube River and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria shares its borders with Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, and Romania to the north. Spanning an area of 42,855 square miles, it ranks as the sixteenth-largest country in Europe. The capital and largest city is Sofia, while other significant urban centers include Burgas, Plovdiv, and Varna.
One of the earliest known societies in present-day Bulgaria was the Karanovo culture, dating back to 6,500 BC. Between the 6th and 3rd centuries BC, this region saw intense conflicts involving ancient Thracians, Persians, Celts, and Macedonians. Stability arrived with the Roman Empire’s conquest in AD 45. However, after the fall of Rome, the area faced tribal invasions until the 6th century, when early Slavic settlers arrived. Under the leadership of Asparuh, the Bulgars invaded the Balkans in the late 7th century, establishing the First Bulgarian Empire, which gained recognition in 681 AD through a treaty with the Byzantine Empire. The empire greatly influenced Slavic cultures, particularly by developing the Cyrillic script.
The First Bulgarian Empire thrived until the early 11th century when it was conquered by Byzantine Emperor Basil II. A successful revolt in 1185 led to the establishment of the Second Bulgarian Empire, which reached its zenith under Ivan Asen II from 1218 to 1241. However, after enduring a series of exhausting wars and internal strife, the empire disintegrated and fell under Ottoman rule in 1396 for nearly five centuries.
The Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 set the stage for the formation of the modern Bulgarian state, which declared independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. The borders of the new nation left many ethnic Bulgarians outside, leading to irredentist sentiments and conflicts with neighboring states, as well as alliances with Germany during both world wars. Following World War II, Bulgaria fell under the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc and became a socialist state. The Communist Party maintained control until the revolutions of 1989, which ushered in multiparty elections and the transition toward democracy.
Since adopting a democratic constitution in 1991, Bulgaria has operated as a unitary parliamentary republic, comprised of 28 provinces with centralized political, administrative, and economic structures. Its economy is classified as high-income, characterized by a market-based system that integrates into the European Single Market, with services dominating, followed by manufacturing, mining, and agriculture. Bulgaria's strategic location on the Black Sea has also positioned it as a vital transit country for natural gas and oil pipelines. Its foreign relations are significantly influenced by this geographical positioning, alongside its membership in the European Union and NATO.
Source: Wikipedia
