One of the earliest societies in the lands of modern-day Bulgaria was theKaranovo culture (6,500 BC). In the 6th to 3rd century BC, the region was a battleground for ancientThracians,Persians,Celts, andMacedonians; stability came when theRoman 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 theearly Slavs. TheBulgars, led byAsparuh, attacked from the lands ofOld Great Bulgaria and permanently invaded the Balkans in the late 7th century. They established theFirst Bulgarian Empire, victoriously recognised by treaty in 681 AD by theByzantine Empire. It dominated most of the Balkans and significantly influencedSlavic cultures by developing theCyrillic script. Under the rule of theKrum's dynasty, the country rose to the status of a mighty empire and great power. The First Bulgarian Empire lasted until the early 11th century, when Byzantine emperorBasil II conquered and dismantled it. Asuccessful Bulgarian revolt in 1185 established aSecond Bulgarian Empire, which reached its apex underIvan Asen II (1218–1241). After numerous exhausting wars and feudal strife, the empire disintegrated and in 1396 fell underOttoman rule for nearly five centuries.
TheRusso-Turkish War of 1877–78 resulted in the formation of the third and current Bulgarian state, which declared independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Many ethnic Bulgarians were left outside the new nation's borders, which stokedirredentist sentiments that led to several conflicts with its neighbours and alliances withGermany in both world wars. In 1946, Bulgaria came under the Soviet-ledEastern Bloc and becamea socialist state. The rulingCommunist Party gave up its monopoly on power after therevolutions of 1989 and allowedmultiparty elections. Bulgaria then transitioned into ademocracy.
The nameBulgaria is derived from theBulgars, a tribe ofTurkic origin that founded the First Bulgarian Empire. Their name is not completely understood and is difficult to trace it back earlier than the 4th century AD;[11] however, it is possibly derived from theProto-Turkic wordbulģha ("to mix", "shake", "stir") and its derivativebulgak ("revolt", "disorder").[12] The meaning may be further extended to "rebel", "incite" or "produce a state of disorder", and so, in the derivative, the "disturbers".[13][14][15] Tribal groups inInner Asia with phonologically close names were frequently described in similar terms, as theBuluoji, a component of the "Five Barbarian" groups, which during the 4th century were portrayed as both: a "mixed race" and "troublemakers".[16]
By the end of the 1st century AD, Roman governance was established over the entire Balkan Peninsula andChristianity began spreading in the region around the 4th century.[31] TheGothic Bible—the firstGermanic language book—was created byGothic bishopUlfilas in what is today northern Bulgaria around 381.[38] The region came underByzantine control after thefall of Rome in 476. The Byzantines were engaged in prolonged warfare against Persia and could not defend their Balkan territories from barbarian incursions.[39] This enabled theSlavs to enter the Balkan Peninsula as marauders, primarily through an area between the Danube River and the Balkan Mountains known asMoesia.[40] Gradually, the interior of the peninsula became a country of theSouth Slavs, who lived under ademocracy.[41][42] The Slavs assimilated the partiallyHellenised,Romanised, andGothicised Thracians in the rural areas.[43][44][45][46]
Not long after the Slavic incursion,Moesia was once again invaded, this time by theBulgars underKhanAsparukh.[47] Their horde was a remnant ofOld 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.[29] A peace treaty with theByzantine Empire was signed in 681, marking the foundation of theFirst Bulgarian Empire. The minority Bulgars formed a close-knit ruling caste.[48]
Succeeding rulers strengthened the Bulgarian state throughout the 8th and 9th centuries.Krum introduced a written code of law[49] and checked a major Byzantine incursion at theBattle of Pliska, in which Byzantine emperorNicephorus I was killed.[50]Boris I abolished paganism in favour ofEastern Orthodox Christianity in 864. Theconversion was followed by a Byzantine recognition of theBulgarian church[51] and the adoption of theCyrillic alphabet, developed in the capital,Preslav.[52] The common language, religion and script strengthened central authority and gradually fused the Slavs and Bulgars into a unified people speaking a singleSlavic language.[53][52] Agolden age began during the 34-year rule ofSimeon the Great, who oversaw the largest territorial expansion of the state.[54] The literature produced in Old Bulgarian soon spread north from Bulgaria and became thelingua franca of the Balkans and Eastern Europe.[55][56][57][58][59] The political, cultural, and spiritual power of the Bulgarian Empire during theKrum's dynasty turned Bulgaria into one of thethree superpowers in Europe at that time, alongside the Byzantine Empire and theCarolingian Empire of theFranks, which would later become theHoly Roman Empire.[60]
After Simeon's death, Bulgaria was weakened by wars withMagyars andPechenegs and the spread ofBogomilism.[53][61] Simeon's successorPeter I negotiated a favourablepeace treaty. The Byzantines agreed to recognise him as Emperor of Bulgaria and theBulgarian Orthodox Church as an independent Patriarchate, as well as to pay an annual tribute.[62][63][64] The peace was reinforced with a marriage between Peter and Romanos's granddaughterIrene Lekapene.[63][65] This agreement ushered in a period of 40 years of peaceful relations between the two powers. During the first years of his reign, Peter I faced revolts by two of his three brothers, John in 928 andMichael in 930, but both were quelled.[66] During most of the reign of Emperor Peter I, the empire enjoyed a period of political consolidation, economic expansion, and cultural activity.[67][68]
A map showing the greatest territorial extension of the Second Bulgarian Empire during the reign of Ivan Asen II (1218–1241)
Byzantine domestic policies changed after Basil's death and a series of unsuccessful rebellions broke out,the largest being led byPeter Delyan. The empire's authority declined after a catastrophic militarydefeat at Manzikert againstSeljuk invaders, and was further disturbed by theCrusades. This prevented Byzantine attempts atHellenisation and created fertile ground for further revolt. In 1185,Asen dynasty noblesIvan Asen I andPeter IV organised amajor uprising and succeeded in re-establishing the Bulgarian state.[74] Ivan Asen and Peter laid the foundations of the Second Bulgarian Empire with its capital atTarnovo.[75][76]
Kaloyan, the third of the Asen monarchs, extended his dominion toBelgrade andOhrid. He acknowledged the spiritual supremacy ofthe pope and received a royal crown from apapal legate.[77][78] The empire reached its zenith underIvan Asen II (1218–1241), when its borders expanded as far as the coast ofAlbania, Serbia andEpirus, while commerce and culture flourished.[77][75] Ivan Asen's rule was also marked by a shift away from Rome in religious matters.[79]
The Asen dynasty became extinct in 1257. Internal conflicts and incessant Byzantine and Hungarian attacks followed, enabling theMongols toestablish suzerainty over the weakened Bulgarian state.[77][79] In 1277, swineherdIvaylo led agreat peasant revolt that expelled the Mongols from Bulgaria and briefly made him emperor.[80][75] He was overthrown in 1280 bythe feudal landlords,[80] whose factional conflicts caused the Second Bulgarian Empire to disintegrate into small feudal dominions by the 14th century.[75] These fragmentedrump states—two tsardoms atVidin andTarnovo and theDespotate of Dobrudzha—became easy prey for a new threat arriving from the Southeast: theOttoman Turks.[77] In the 14th century, Bulgaria entered a period of cultural revival, sometimes called the "Second Golden Age" of the empire.[81] Bulgarian architecture, arts, and literature spread beyond the borders of Bulgaria intoSerbia,Wallachia,Moldavia, and theRus' Principalities and affected Slavic culture.[82][83]
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.[84] SultanMurad I tookAdrianople from the Byzantines in 1362;Sofia fell in 1382, followed byShumen in 1388.[84] The Ottomans completed their conquest of Bulgarian lands in 1393 when Tarnovo was sacked after a three-month siege and theBattle of Nicopolis which brought about the fall of theVidin Tsardom in 1396.Sozopol was the last Bulgarian settlement to fall, in 1453.[85] The Bulgarian nobility was subsequently eliminated and the peasantry wasenserfed to Ottoman masters,[84] while much of the educated clergy fled to other countries.[86]
Bulgarians were subjected to heavy taxes (includingDevshirme, orblood tax), their culture was suppressed,[86] and they experienced partialIslamisation.[87] Ottoman authorities established a religious administrative community called theRum Millet, which governed all Orthodox Christians regardless of their ethnicity.[88] Most of the local population then gradually lost its distinct national consciousness, identifying only by its faith.[89][90] The clergy remaining in some isolated monasteries kept their ethnic identity alive, enabling its survival in remote rural areas,[91] and in the militantCatholic community in the northwest of the country.[92]
The Russo-Bulgarian defence of Shipka Pass in 1877
The Western EuropeanEnlightenment in the 18th century influenced the initiation of anational awakening of Bulgaria.[84] It restored national consciousness and provided an ideological basis for the liberation struggle, resulting in theApril Uprising of 1876. Up to 30,000 Bulgarians were killed as Ottoman authorities put down the rebellion. The massacres prompted theGreat Powers to take action.[94] They convened theConstantinople 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 theCrimean War.[94] In 1877,Russia declared war on the Ottomans and defeated them with the help ofBulgarian rebels, particularly during the crucialBattle of Shipka Pass which secured Russian control over the main road toConstantinople.[95][96]
The Bulgarian principality wona war against Serbia and incorporated the semi-autonomous Ottoman territory ofEastern Rumelia in 1885, proclaiming itself an independent state on 5 October 1908.[102] In the years following independence, Bulgaria increasingly militarised and was often referred to as "the BalkanPrussia".[103] It became involved in three consecutive conflicts between 1912 and 1918—twoBalkan Wars andWorld War I. After a disastrous defeat in theSecond Balkan War, Bulgaria again found itself fighting on the losing side as a result of its alliance with theCentral Powers in World War I. Despite fielding more than a quarter of its population in a 1,200,000-strong army[104][105] and achieving several decisive victories atDoiran andMonastir, the country capitulated in 1918. The war resulted in significant territorial losses and a total of 87,500 soldiers killed.[106] More than 253,000 refugees from the lost territoriesimmigrated to Bulgaria from 1912 to 1929,[107] placing additional strain on the already ruined national economy.[108]
Tsar Boris III
The resulting political unrest led to the establishment of a royalauthoritarian dictatorship by TsarBoris III (1918–1943). Bulgaria entered World War II in 1941 as a member ofthe Axis but declined to participate inOperation Barbarossa andsaved its Jewish population from deportation toconcentration camps.[109] 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 ofBogdan 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.[110] The communist-dominatedFatherland Front took power, ended participation in the Axis and joined the Allied side until the war ended.[111] Bulgaria suffered little war damage and the Soviet Union demanded no reparations. But all wartime territorial gains, with the notable exception ofSouthern Dobrudzha, were lost.[112]
Theleft-wing coup d'état of 9 September 1944 led to the abolition of the monarchy andthe executions of some 1,000–3,000 dissidents, war criminals, and members of the former royal elite.[113][114][115] But it was not until 1946 that aone-partypeople's republic was instituted following a referendum.[116] It fell into the Soviet sphere of influence under the leadership ofGeorgi Dimitrov (1946–1949), who established a repressive, rapidly industrialisingStalinist state.[112] By the mid-1950s, standards of living rose significantly and political repression eased.[117][118] The Soviet-styleplanned economy saw some experimental market-oriented policies emerging underTodor Zhivkov (1954–1989).[119] Compared to wartime levels, nationalGDP increased five-fold and per capita GDP quadrupled by the 1980s,[120] although severe debt spikes took place in 1960, 1977 and 1980.[121] Zhivkov's daughterLyudmila bolstered national pride by promoting Bulgarian heritage, culture and arts worldwide.[122] Facing declining birth rates among the ethnic Bulgarian majority, Zhivkov's government in 1984 forced the minority ethnicTurks to adopt Slavic names in an attempt to erase their identity and assimilate them.[123] These policies resulted in the emigration of some 300,000 ethnic Turks to Turkey.[124][125]
The Communist Party was forced to give up its political monopoly on 10 November 1989 under the influence of theRevolutions of 1989. Zhivkov resigned and Bulgaria embarked on a transition to aparliamentary democracy.[126] The first free elections in June 1990 were won by the Communist Party, now rebranded as theBulgarian Socialist Party.[127] Anew constitution that provided for a relatively weak elected president and for a prime minister accountable to the legislature was adopted in July 1991.[128] 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.[129] After 2001, economic, political and geopolitical conditions improved greatly,[130] and Bulgaria achieved high Human Development status in 2003.[131] It became a member ofNATO in 2004[132] and participated in theWar in Afghanistan. After several years of reforms, it joined theEuropean Union and thesingle market in 2007, despite EU concerns over government corruption.[133] Bulgaria hosted the 2018Presidency of the Council of the European Union at theNational Palace of Culture inSofia.[134]
Bulgaria is a middle-sized country situated in Southeast 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.[135] Bulgaria's geographic coordinates are43° N25° E.[136] The most notabletopographical features of the country are theDanubian Plain, theBalkan Mountains, theUpper Thracian Plain, and theRila-Rhodopemassif.[135] The southern edge of the Danubian Plain slopes upward into the foothills of the Balkans, while theDanube defines the border with Romania. TheThracian Plain is roughly triangular, beginning southeast ofSofia and broadening as it reaches theBlack Sea coast.[135]
The Balkan mountains run laterally through the middle of the country from west to east. The mountainous southwest has two distinctalpine type ranges—Rila andPirin, which border the lower but more extensiveRhodope Mountains to the east, and various medium altitude mountains to west, northwest and south, likeVitosha,Osogovo andBelasitsa.[135]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.[136] Plains occupy about one third of the territory, while plateaux and hills occupy 41%.[137] Most rivers are short and with low water levels. The longest river located solely in Bulgarian territory, theIskar, has a length of 368 kilometres (229 mi). TheStruma and theMaritsa are two major rivers in the south.[138][135]
Climate
Köppen climate types of Bulgaria
Bulgaria has a varied and changeable climate, which results from being positioned at the meeting point of theMediterranean,Oceanic andContinental air masses combined with the barrier effect of its mountains.[135] 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).[139]Precipitation averages about 630 millimetres (24.8 in) per year, and varies from 500 millimetres (19.7 in) inDobrudja to more than 2,500 millimetres (98.4 in) in the mountains. Continental air masses bring significant amounts of snowfall during winter.[140]
Considering its relatively small area, Bulgaria has variable and complex climate. The country occupies the southernmost part of thecontinental climatic zone, with small areas in the south falling within theMediterranean climatic zone.[141] The continental zone is predominant, because continental air masses flow easily into the unobstructedDanubian 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.).[142]
Biodiversity and conservation
AnEuropean green lizard in Ropotamo nature reserve, one of Bulgaria's ten biosphere reserves.
The interaction of climatic, hydrological, geological and topographical conditions has produced a relatively wide variety of plant and animal species.[143]Bulgaria'sbiodiversity, one of the richest in Europe,[144]is conserved in three national parks, 11 nature parks, 10biosphere reserves and 565 protected areas.[145][146][147] Ninety-three of the 233mammal species of Europe are found in Bulgaria, along with 49% ofbutterfly and 30% ofvascular plant species.[148] Overall, 41,493 plant and animal species are present.[148] Larger mammals with sizeable populations includedeer (106,323 individuals),wild boar (88,948),golden jackal (47,293) andred fox (32,326).Partridges number some 328,000 individuals, making them the most widespreadgamebird.[149] A third of all nesting birds in Bulgaria can be found inRila National Park, which also hosts Arctic and alpine species at high altitudes.[150] Flora includes more than 3,800 vascular plant species of which 170 areendemic and 150 are considered endangered.[143] A checklist of largerfungi in Bulgaria by the Institute of Botany identifies more than 1,500 species.[151] In Bulgariaforest cover is around 36% of the total land area, equivalent to 3,893,000 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, up from 3,327,000 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 3,116,000 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 777,000 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest 18% was reported to beprimary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 18% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For the year 2015, 88% of the forest area was reported to be underpublic ownership and 12%private ownership.[152][153][154]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.[155] Bulgaria has some of the largestNatura 2000 areas in Europe covering 33.8% of its territory.[156] It also achieved itsKyoto Protocol objective of reducingcarbon dioxide emissions by 30% from 1990 to 2009.[157]
Bulgaria ranks 37th in the 2024Environmental Performance Index, but scores low on air quality.[158]Particulate levels are the highest in Europe,[159] especially in urban areas affected by automobile traffic and coal-based power stations.[160][161] One of these, thelignite-firedMaritsa Iztok-2 station, is causing the highest damage to health and the environment in the European Union.[162] Pesticide use in agriculture and antiquated industrial sewage systems produce extensive soil and water pollution.[163] 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.[164]
Independence Square inSofia: The headquarters of the Presidency (right), the National Assembly (centre) and the Council of Ministers (left).
Bulgaria is aparliamentary democracy where theprime minister is thehead of government and the most powerful executive position.[130] The political system has three branches—legislative, executive and judicial, withuniversal suffrage forcitizens at least 18 years old. TheConstitution also provides possibilities of direct democracy, namely petitions and nationalreferendums.[165] 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.[166] 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.[130]
Unlike the prime minister, presidential domestic power is more limited. The directly electedpresident serves ashead of state andcommander-in-chief of the armed forces, and has the authority to return a bill for further debate, although the parliament can override thepresidential veto by a simple majority vote.[130] Political parties gather in theNational 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.[167]
Borisov's last cabinet saw a dramatic decrease in freedom of the press, and a number of corruption revelations that triggeredyet another wave of mass protests in 2020.[180][181] GERB came out first in the regularApril 2021 election, but with its weakest result so far.[182] All other parties refused to form a government,[183] and after a brief deadlock, another election was calledfor July 2021. It too failed to break the stalemate, as no political party was able to form a coalition government.[184]
In April 2023, because of the political deadlock, Bulgaria held its fifth parliamentaryelection since April 2021. GERB was the biggest, winning 69 seats. The bloc led byWe Continue the Change won 64 seats in the 240-seat parliament. In June 2023, Prime MinisterNikolai Denkov formed a new coalition between We Continue The Change and GERB. According to the coalition agreement, Denkov will lead the government for the first nine months. He will be succeeded by former European Commissioner,Mariya Gabriel, of the GERB party. She was supposed to take over as prime minister in nine months.[185]
Denkov resigned in accordance with the rotation agreement on 5 March 2024, to allow Gabriel to become the new Prime Minister.[186] On 20 March 2024, the planned government rotation and signing of a renewed government failed due to disagreements between the two alliances on the cabinet and breaking down of relations.[187][188][189] Negotiations ensued across to form a new government,[190] but failed to produce any governments that could reach a majority support.[191][192][193][194] GERB rejected the chance to form a government. PP–DB made a limited attempt to respect the original rotation agreement. The final chance to form a government, chosen by presidentRumen Radev, went to ITN, which was immediately rejected.[195][196][197][198]
On 29 March, as per Article 98 of the constitution,[199] the President appointed the Chairman of theNational Audit Office,Dimitar Glavchev, as the candidate for caretaker prime minister.[200] He was granted a one-week deadline of until 6 April 2024 to propose the composition of the caretaker government.[201]
Glavchev presented his proposal for the caretaker government on 5 April 2024,[202] accepted by the President following negotiations and scheduling the election for 9 June 2024.[203][204] Glavchev and his cabinet were inaugurated on 9 April 2024 by the National Assembly.[205]
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.[211] Bulgaria is stilllisted as "Free", with a political system designated as a semi-consolidated democracy, albeit with deteriorating scores.[211] TheDemocracy Index defines it as a "Flawed democracy".[212] A 2018 survey by theInstitute for Economics and Peace reported that less than 15% of respondents considered elections to be fair.[213]
Legal system
Bulgaria has acivil law legal system.[214] 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.[166] 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 a pervasive lack of transparency and corruption.[215][216][217][218] Law enforcement is carried out by organisations mainly subordinate to theMinistry of the Interior.[219] TheGeneral Directorate of National Police (GDNP) combats general crime and maintains public order.[220] GDNP fields 26,578 police officers in its local and national sections.[221] The bulk of criminal cases are transport-related, followed by theft and drug-related crime;homicide rates are low.[222] The Ministry of the Interior also heads the Border Police Service and theNational 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.[223]
Bulgaria is aunitary state.[224] Since the 1880s, the number of territorial management units has varied from seven to 26.[225] Between 1987 and 1999, the administrative structure consisted of nine provinces (oblasti, singularoblast). A new administrative structure was adopted in parallel with the decentralisation of the economic system.[226] It includes 27 provinces and a metropolitan capital province (Sofia City). All areas take their names from their respective capital cities. The provinces are subdivided into 265municipalities. Municipalities are run by mayors, who are elected to four-year terms, and by directly elected municipal councils. Bulgaria is a highlycentralised state where theCouncil of Ministers directly appoints regional governors and all provinces and municipalities are heavily dependent on it for funding.[166]
Bulgaria became a member of theUnited Nations in 1955. Since 1966, it has been a non-permanent member of theSecurity Council three times, most recently from 2002 to 2003.[227] It was also among the founding nations of theOrganisation 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 theWarsaw Pact and joining theEuropean Communities by 1987.[228][229] Bulgaria signed the European UnionTreaty of Accession on 25 April 2005,[230] and became a full member of the European Union on 1 January 2007.[133] In addition, it has a tripartite economic and diplomatic collaboration with Romania and Greece,[231] good ties with China[232] andVietnam[233] and a historical relationship with Russia.[234]
Diplomatic missions of Bulgaria
Bulgaria deployed significant numbers of both civilian and military advisors in Soviet-allied countries likeNicaragua[235] andLibya during theCold War.[236] The first deployment of foreign troops on Bulgarian soil since World War II occurred in 2001, when the country hosted sixKC-135 Stratotanker aircraft and 200 support personnel for the war effort in Afghanistan.[26] International military relations were further expanded with accession toNATO in March 2004[132] and the US-Bulgarian Defence Cooperation Agreement signed in April 2006.Bezmer andGraf Ignatievo air bases, theNovo Selo training range, and a logistics centre inAytos subsequently becamejoint military training facilities cooperatively used by the United States and Bulgarian militaries.[237][238] 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 theGlobal Peace Index.[239]
Following the 2022Russian invasion of Ukraine, Bulgaria decided to assist Ukraine;[240] in 2023, after Gazprom illegally stopped exporting gas to Bulgaria, the country in turn stopped importing Russian oil and gas.[241]
Economic growth (green) and unemployment (blue) statistics since 2001
Bulgaria has an open,high-income rangemarket economy where the private sector accounts for more than 70% ofGDP.[248][249] 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.[250] The loss ofCOMECON markets in 1990 and the subsequent "shock therapy" of theplanned system caused a steep decline in industrial and agricultural production, ultimately followed by an economic collapse in 1997.[251][252] The economy largely recovered during a period of rapid growth several years later,[251] but the average salary of 2,072 leva ($1,142) per month remains the lowest in the EU.[253]
Abalanced budget was achieved in 2003 and the country began running asurplus the following year.[254] Expenditures amounted to $21.15 billion and revenues were $21.67 billion in 2017.[255] 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.[256] Taxes form the bulk of government revenue[256] at 30% of GDP.[257] Bulgaria has some of the lowest corporate incometax rates in the EU at a flat 10% rate.[258] 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.[259] Strong economic performance in the early 2000s reducedgovernment debt from 79.6% in 1998 to 14.1% in 2008.[254] It has since increased to 22.6% of GDP by 2022, but remains the second lowest in the EU.[260]
TheYugozapadenplanning area is the most developed region with aper capita gross domestic product (PPP) of $29,816 in 2018.[261] It includes the capital city and the surroundingSofia Province, which alone generate 42% of national gross domestic product despite hosting only 22% of the population.[262][263] GDP per capita (inPPS) and the cost of living in 2019 stood at 53 and 52.8% of the EU average (100%), respectively.[264][265] National PPP GDP was estimated at $143.1 billion in 2016, with a per capita value of $20,116.[266] Economic growth statistics take into account illegal transactions from theinformal economy, which is the largest in the EU as a percentage of economic output.[267][268] TheBulgarian National Bank issues the national currency,lev, which is pegged to the euro at a rate of 1.95583 levа per euro.[269]
After several consecutive years of high growth, repercussions of the2008 financial crisis resulted in a 3.6% contraction of GDP in 2009 and increased unemployment.[270][271] Positive growth was restored in 2010 but intercompany debt exceeded $59 billion, meaning that 60% of all Bulgarian companies were mutually indebted.[272] By 2012, it had increased to $97 billion, or 227% of GDP.[273] 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 increasedincome inequality and accelerated outward migration, have been "catastrophic" according to theInternational Trade Union Confederation.[274]
Siphoning of public funds to the families and relatives of politicians from incumbent parties has resulted in fiscal and welfare losses to society.[275][276] Bulgaria ranks 71st in theCorruption Perceptions Index[277] and experiences the worst levels ofcorruption in the European Union, a phenomenon that remains a source of profound public discontent.[278][279] Along with organised crime, corruption has resulted in a rejection of the country'sSchengen Area application and withdrawal of foreign investment,[280][281][282] though the country officially became a full member of the zone in January 2025.[283] Government officials reportedly engage in embezzlement, influence trading, government procurement violations and bribery with impunity.[284] Government procurement in particular is a critical area in corruption risk. An estimated 10 billion leva ($5.99 billion) of state budget andEuropean cohesion funds are spent on public tenders each year;[285] nearly 14 billion ($8.38 billion) were spent on public contracts in 2017 alone.[286] A large share of these contracts are awarded to a few politically connected[287] companies amid widespread irregularities, procedure violations and tailor-made award criteria.[288] Despite repeated criticism from theEuropean Commission,[282] EU institutions refrain from taking measures against Bulgaria because it supports Brussels on a number of issues, unlikePoland orHungary.[278]
Structure and sectors
The labour force is 3.36 million people,[289] of whom 6.8% are employed in agriculture, 26.6% in industry and 66.6% in the services sector.[290] Extraction of metals and minerals, production ofchemicals,machine building, steel, biotechnology, tobacco, food processing andpetroleum refining are among the major industrial activities.[291][292][293] 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.[294][295] Bulgaria is Europe's fifth-largest coal producer.[295][296] Local deposits of coal, iron, copper and lead are vital for the manufacturing and energy sectors.[297] The main destinations of Bulgarian exports outside the EU are Turkey, China and Serbia, while Russia, Turkey and China are by far the largest import partners. Most of the exports are manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel products and food.[298] Two-thirds of food and agricultural exports go toOECD countries.[299]
Spending onresearch and development amounts to 0.78% of GDP,[311] and the bulk of public R&D funding goes to theBulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS).[312] Private businesses accounted for more than 73% of R&D expenditures and employed 42% of Bulgaria's 22,000 researchers in 2015.[313] The same year, Bulgaria ranked 39th out of 50 countries in theBloomberg Innovation Index, the highest score being in education (24th) and the lowest in value-added manufacturing (48th).[314] Bulgaria was ranked 38th in theGlobal Innovation Index in 2024.[315] Chronic government underinvestment in research since 1990 has forced many professionals in science and engineering to leave Bulgaria.[316]
Telephone services are widely available, and a central digital trunk line connects most regions.[336]Vivacom (BTC) serves more than 90% of fixed lines and is one of the three operators providing mobile services, along withA1 andYettel.[337][338]Internet penetration stood at 69.2% of the population aged 16–74 and 78.9% of households in 2020.[339][340]
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.[341] Thermal power plants generate 48.9% of electricity, followed bynuclear power from theKozloduy reactors (34.8%) andrenewable sources (16.3%).[342] Equipment for a second nuclear power station atBelene has been acquired, but the fate of the project remains uncertain.[343] Installed capacity amounts to 12,668 MW, allowing Bulgaria to exceed domestic demand and export energy.[344]
The national road network has a total length of 19,512 kilometres (12,124 mi),[345] 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,[336] with rail links available to Romania, Turkey, Greece, and Serbia, and express trains serving direct routes toKyiv,Minsk,Moscow andSaint Petersburg.[346] Sofia is the country's air travel hub, while Varna and Burgas are the principal maritime trade ports.[336]
According to the government's official 2022 estimate, the population of Bulgaria consists of 6,447,710 people, down from 6,519,789 according to the last official census in 2021.[349][348] The majority of the population, 72.5%, reside in urban areas.[350] As of 2019[update], Sofia is the most populated urban centre with 1,241,675 people, followed byPlovdiv (346,893),Varna (336,505),Burgas (202,434) andRuse (142,902).[263]Bulgarians are the main ethnic group and constitute 84.6% of the population.Turkish andRoma minorities account for 8.4 and 4.4%, respectively; some 40 smaller minorities account for 1.3%, and 1.3% do not self-identify with an ethnic group.[347][348] The Roma minority is usually underestimated in census data and may represent up to 11% of the population.[351][352] Population density is 55–60 per square kilometre (ultimo 2023), almost half the European Union average.[353]
Bulgaria is in a state of demographic crisis.[354][355] It has had negative population growth since 1989, when the post-Cold War economic collapse caused a long-lastingemigration wave.[356] Some 937,000 to 1,200,000 people—mostly young adults—had left the country by 2005.[356][357] The majority of children are born to unmarried women.[358] In 2024, the averagetotal fertility rate (TFR) in Bulgaria was 1.59 children per woman,[359] a slight increase from 1.56 in 2018,[360] and well above the all-time low of 1.1 in 1997, but still below the replacement rate of 2.1 and considerably below the historical high of 5.83 children per woman in 1905.[361] Bulgaria thus has one of the oldest populations in the world, with an average age of 43 years.[362] 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.[355] The resulting birth rates are among the lowest in the world[363][364] whiledeath rates are among the highest.[365]
Bulgaria scores high ingender equality, ranking 18th in the 2018Global Gender Gap Report.[366] Althoughwomen's suffrage was enabled relatively late, in 1937, women today have equal political rights, high workforce participation and legally mandatedequal pay.[366] In 2021, market research agencyReboot Online ranked Bulgaria as the best European country for women to work.[367] Bulgaria has the highest ratio of femaleICT researchers in the EU,[368] 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 alegacy of the Socialist era.[369]
High death rates result from a combination of an ageing population, high numbers of people at risk of poverty, and a weakhealthcare system.[371] Over 80% of deaths are due tocancer andcardiovascular conditions; nearly a fifth of those are avoidable.[372] Althoughhealthcare in Bulgaria is nominally universal,[373]out-of-pocket expenses account for nearly half of all healthcare spending, significantly limiting access to medical care.[374] 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.[375][376] The 2018 Bloomberg Health Care Efficiency Index ranked Bulgaria last out of 56 countries.[377] Averagelife expectancy is 74.8 years, compared with an EU average of 80.99 and a world average of 72.38.[378][379]
Public expenditures for education are far below the European Union average as well.[380] Educational standardswere once high,[381] but have declined significantly since the early 2000s.[380] 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 befunctionally illiterate in reading and natural sciences.[382] Average basicliteracy stands high at 98.4% with no significant difference between sexes.[383] TheMinistry 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.[381] 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-yearbachelor degree and a 1-yearmaster's degree.[384] Bulgaria's highest-ranked higher education institution isSofia University.[385][386]
Bulgarian is the only language with official status.[387] It belongs to theSlavic group of languages but has a number of grammatical peculiarities that set it apart from other Slavic languages: these include a complex verbal morphology (which also codes for distinctions inevidentiality), the absence ofnoun cases andinfinitives, and the use of a suffixeddefinite article.[388]
Muslims are the second-largest religious community and constitute approximately 10% of Bulgaria's population. A 2011 survey of 850 Muslims in Bulgaria found 30% professing to be “deeply religious” and 50% as just “religious”. According to the study, some religious teachings, likeIslamic funeral, have been traditionally incorporated and are widely practiced while other major ones are less observed, such as theMuslim prayer or abstaining fromdrinking alcohol,eating pork, andcohabitation.[393]
Other important religions includeRoman Catholicism andJudaism, whose history in Bulgaria dates back to the earlyMiddle Ages, theArmenian Apostolic Church, as well as various Protestant denominations, all of which stand for around 2% of Bulgaria's population. An ever increasing number of Bulgarians are eitherirreligious or unaffiliated with any religion, a percentage that has been growing rapidly over the past 20 years, from 3.9% in 2001, through 9.3% in 2011 and all the way to 15.9% in 2021.[348][394][395][396]
According to the most recent census of 2021 the religious denominations of the population are as follows:Christian (71.5%),Muslim (10.8%), other religions (0.1%). A further 12.4% were unaffiliated or did not respond.[397][398][348]
А religious visual arts heritage includesfrescoes,murals andicons, many produced by the medievalTarnovo Artistic School.[413] 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.[399] After the Liberation,Ivan Mrkvička,Anton Mitov,Vladimir Dimitrov,Tsanko Lavrenov andZlatyu 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.[399]
TheBulgarian National Radio,bTV and daily newspapersTrud,Dnevnik and24 Chasa are some of the largest national media outlets.[423]Bulgarian media were described as generally unbiased in their reporting in the early 2000s and print media had no legal restrictions.[424] 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.[425][426] Collusion between politicians, oligarchs and the media is widespread.[425]
Bulgarian cuisine is similar to that of other Balkan countries and demonstrates strong Turkish and Greek influences.[427]Yogurt,lukanka,banitsa,shopska salad,lyutenitsa andkozunak 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.[427] Bulgaria was the world's second-largest wine exporter until 1989, but has since lost that position.[428][429] The 2016 harvest yielded 128 million litres of wine, of which 62 million was exported mainly to Romania, Poland and Russia.[430]Mavrud, Rubin,Shiroka melnishka,Dimiat andCherven Misket are the typical grapes used inBulgarian wine.[431]Rakia is a traditional fruitbrandy that was consumed in Bulgaria as early as the 14th century.[432]
^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.Bibcode:2017JHumE.111...54T.doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.06.002.ISSN0047-2484.PMID28874274.
^Roberts, Benjamin W.; Thornton, Christopher P. (2009)."Development of metallurgy in Eurasia".Antiquity.83 (322). Department of Prehistory and Europe,British Museum: 1015.doi:10.1017/S0003598X00099312.S2CID163062746.Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved28 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.
^Grande, Lance (2009).Gems and Gemstones: Timeless Natural Beauty of the Mineral World. University of Chicago Press. p. 292.ISBN978-0-226-30511-0.Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved3 March 2024.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).
^"The Gumelnita Culture". Government of France. Archived fromthe original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved4 December 2011.The Necropolis at Varna is an important site in understanding this culture.
^abcd"Bulgaria Factbook". United States Central Command. December 2011. Archived fromthe original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved4 October 2018.
^Schoenberger, Erica (2015).Nature, Choice and Social Power. Routledge. p. 81.ISBN978-0-415-83386-8.Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved3 March 2024.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.
^Nagle, D. Brendan (2006).Readings in Greek History: Sources and Interpretations. Oxford University Press. p. 230.ISBN978-0-19-997845-8.However, one of the Thracian tribes, the Odrysians, succeeded in unifying the Thracians and creating a powerful state
^Detrez, Raymond (2014).Historical Dictionary of Bulgaria. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 5.ISBN978-1-4422-4179-4.
^Parry, Ken, ed. (2010).The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 48.ISBN978-1-4443-3361-9.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.
^abcBell, John D."Reign of Simeon I".Encyclopædia Britannica.Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved28 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.
^Lunt, Horace G. (January 1987). "On the relationship of old Church Slavonic to the written language of early Rus".Russian Linguistics.11 (2):133–162.doi:10.1007/BF00242073.S2CID166319427.
^Schenker, Alexander (1995).The Dawn of Slavic. Yale University Press. pp. 185–186,189–190.
^Dimitrov, Philip, Bell, John D., Carter, Francis William, Danforth, Loring. "Bulgaria".Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Apr. 2025,https://www.britannica.com/place/Bulgaria. Accessed 5 April 2025
^abcdBell, John D."Bulgaria – Ottoman rule".Encyclopædia Britannica.Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved21 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.
^Fishman, Joshua A. (2010).Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity: Disciplinary and Regional Perspectives. Oxford University Press. p. 276.ISBN978-0-19-537492-6. Retrieved30 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.
^Domestic Policy and Its ResultsQuote: "real wages increased 75 percent, consumption of meat, fruit, and vegetables increased markedly, medical facilities and doctors became available to more of the population"
^Bohlen, Celestine (17 October 1991)."Vote Gives Key Role to Ethnic Turks".The New York Times.Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved20 December 2011.in 1980s ... the Communist leader, Todor Zhivkov, began a campaign of cultural assimilation that forced ethnic Turks to adopt Slavic names, closed their mosques and prayer houses and suppressed any attempts at protest. One result was the mass exodus of more than 300,000 ethnic Turks to neighboringTurkey in 1989
^Видово разнообразие на България [Species biodiversity in Bulgaria](PDF) (in Bulgarian). UNESCO report. 2013.Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved30 July 2018.
^Бай Тошовият блян – България в ЕС през '87 [Todor Zhivkov's dream – Bulgaria in the EC in '87] (in Bulgarian). Dnes.bg. 15 August 2008.Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved20 December 2011.
^"Bulgaria Factbook". Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State.Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved4 December 2011.
^Bell, John D."Bulgaria – Late Communist rule".Encyclopædia Britannica.Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved28 July 2018.Bulgaria gave the highest priority to scientific and technological advancement and the development of trade skills appropriate to an industrial state. In 1948 approximately 80 percent of the population drew their living from the soil, but by 1988 less than one-fifth of the labour force was engaged in agriculture, with the rest concentrated in industry and the service sector.
^OECD Economic Surveys: Bulgaria.OECD. 1999. p. 24.ISBN9789264167735.Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved4 October 2018.The previous 1997 Economic Survey of Bulgaria documented how a combination of difficult initial conditions, delays in structural reforms, ... culminated in the economic crisis of 1996–97.
^abHawkesworth, Ian (2009)."Budgeting in Bulgaria"(PDF).OECD Journal on Budgeting (3/2009): 137.Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved6 August 2018.
^abDenizova, Vera (23 October 2017).Бюджет 2018: Повече за заплати, здраве и пенсии [2018 Budget: More for salaries, health and pensions] (in Bulgarian). Kapital Daily.Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved16 July 2018.
^БВП – регионално ниво [GDP – regional level] (in Bulgarian). National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria.Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved22 July 2018.
^Bell, John D."Bulgaria – Tourism".Encyclopædia Britannica.Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved28 July 2018.
^Посещения на чужденци в България по месеци и по страни [Arrivals of foreigners in 2017 by month and country of origin] (in Bulgarian). National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria. 15 February 2019.Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved15 December 2019.
^Markov, Alexander (3 October 2011)."100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria". Bulgarian National Radio.Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved15 December 2019.
^McMullin, David (2 October 2003)."The Great Bulgarian BrainDrain". Delft Technical University.Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved15 July 2018.
^Zapryanov, Yoan (22 June 2018).Малката изчислителна армия на България [Bulgaria's small computing army] (in Bulgarian). Kapital Daily.Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved15 July 2018.
^Hope, Kerin (11 January 2018)."Bulgaria battles to stop its brain drain".The Financial Times.Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved7 September 2018.But a sharp decline in the quality of state healthcare and high poverty rates—42% of the population are at risk of poverty in old age, according to Eurostat—gives Bulgaria the second-lowest life expectancy in the EU after Lithuania.
^NSI Census data 2011, p. 5 In the 2011 census, the language question was optional and it was answered by 90.2% of those surveyed.
^"The introduction of the definite article, which appears in the form of a suffix, and the almost total disappearance of the ancient declensions, for which the use of prepositions has been substituted, distinguish the Bulgarian from all the other members of the Slavonic family" (Bourchier, James (1911)."Bulgaria/Language" .Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). pp. 784–785.).
^abcdefgBell, John D."Bulgaria – The arts".Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved28 July 2018.The early impetus of Bulgarian traditions in the arts was cut short by the Ottoman occupation in the 14th century, and many early masterpieces were destroyed. ... the foundations were laid for later artists such as Vladimir Dimitrov, an extremely gifted painter specializing in the rural scenes of his native country ... At the beginning of the 21st century, the best-known contemporary Bulgarian artist was Christo, an environmental sculptor known for wrapping famous structures
^Riha, Thomas (1964).Readings in Russian Civilization. University of Chicago Press. p. 214.ISBN978-0-7190-6094-6.And it was mainly from Bulgaria that a rich supply of literary monuments was transferred to Kiev and other centres.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
^McNeill, William Hardy (1963).The Rise of the West. University of Chicago Press. p. 49.ISBN978-1-112-69531-5.Accordingly, when Bulgaria was converted to Christianity (after 865), bringing massive Slavic-speaking populations within the pale of Christendom, a new literary language, Old Church Slavonic, directly based upon Bulgarian speech, developed for their use.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
^Grabar, André (1928).La Peinture Religieuse en Bulgarie [Religious Visual Arts in Bulgaria]. P. Geuthner. p. 95.ASINB005ZI4OV8
^Kremenliev, Boris A. (1952).Bulgarian-Macedonian Folk Music. University of California Press. p. 52.Bulgaria's scales are numerous, and it may be demonstrated that they are a fusion of Eastern and Western influences. ... first, Oriental scales; second, church modes: the osmoglasie ... third, the conventional scales of Western Europe. ... Among the scales which have come to the Balkans from Asia, the pentatonic is one of the most widely used in Bulgaria. Whether it came from China or Japan, as Dobri Hristov suggests[permanent dead link]
^"Athens 1896". Bulgarian Olympic Committee. Archived fromthe original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved4 December 2011.
^"Bulgaria". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved5 October 2018.
^abcdBell, John D."Bulgaria – Sport and recreation".Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved22 July 2018.In international sports competition, Bulgarians have excelled in tennis, wrestling, boxing, and gymnastics, but the country's greatest repute may be in weight-lifting. ... Fans of football (soccer), the most popular sport in Bulgaria, were buoyed by the success of the national team in the 1994 World Cup, when it advanced to the semi-final match under the leadership of forward Hristo Stoichkov. The premier league in Bulgaria has 16 teams, of which four play in Sofia: CSKA, Levski, Slavia, and Lokomotiv.
Население по области, общини, местоживеене и пол [Population by Province, Municipality, Address and Sex as of 31 December 2017] (in Bulgarian). National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria. 2017. Retrieved22 July 2018.
Преброяване 2011 (окончателни данни) [Final Results of the 2011 census](PDF) (in Bulgarian). National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria. 2011. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 22 December 2018. Retrieved22 July 2018.
"Bulgaria 2018"(PDF) (in Bulgarian and English). National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria. 2018. Retrieved23 July 2018.
Ангелов (Angelov), Димитър (Dimitar); Божилов (Bozhilov), Иван (Ivan); Ваклинов (Vaklinov), Станчо (Stancho); Гюзелев (Gyuzelev), Васил (Vasil); Куев (Kuev), Кую (kuyu); Петров (Petrov), Петър (Petar); Примов (Primov), Борислав (Borislav); Тъпкова (Tapkova), Василка (Vasilka); Цанокова (Tsankova), Геновева (Genoveva) (1981).История на България. Том II. Първа българска държава [History of Bulgaria. Volume II. First Bulgarian State] (in Bulgarian). и колектив. София (Sofia): Издателство на БАН (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Press).
Bell, John (1998).Bulgaria in Transition: Politics, Economics, Society, and Culture after Communism. Westview Press.ISBN978-0-8133-9010-9.
Божилов (Bozhilov), Иван (Ivan);Гюзелев (Gyuzelev), Васил (Vasil) (1999).История на средновековна България VII–XIV век (History of Medieval Bulgaria VII–XIV centuries) (in Bulgarian). София (Sofia): Анубис (Anubis).ISBN954-426-204-0.
Ghodsee, Kristen R. (2009).Muslim Lives in Eastern Europe: Gender, Ethnicity and the Transformation of Islam in Postsocialist Bulgaria. Princeton University Press.ASINB015X41JMA.
Grogan, Elinor F. B. (1922)."Bulgaria" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica (12th ed.). London & New York: The Encyclopædia Britannica Company.
Stephenson, Paul (2004).Byzantium's Balkan Frontier. A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900–1204. Cambridge University Press.ISBN0-511-03402-4.
Дончев (Donchev), Дончо (Doncho); Каракашев (Karakashev), Христо (Hristo) (2004).Теми по физическа и социално-икономическа география на България (Topics on Physical and Social-Economic Geography of Bulgaria) (in Bulgarian). София (Sofia): Ciela.ISBN954-649-717-7.
![Location of Bulgaria (dark green) – in Europe (green & dark grey) – in the European Union (green) – [Legend]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aEU-Bulgaria.svg)
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