Key Facts and Figures about Bulgaria

Key Facts and Figures about Bulgaria

date: 09.05.2005


The Bulgarian state was created in 681. During its more than 1300 years of history it has gone through moments of upsurge and ordeals. Located on a crossroad in the center of the Balkan peninsular, in the course of the centuries the country has been influenced by numerous cultures – the Thracian, the Hellenic, the Roman, the Byzantine, the Slavic and the Ottoman. Plenty of cultural monuments of unique historical value have been preserved, many of which are under the protection of UNESCO.

During the long centuries Bulgaria has developed its own specific culture, part of the European cultural space. The Slavic alphabet created by the brothers Constantine-Cyril and Methodius for distribution of the Christian literature among the newly christened populations forms the basis of the Bulgarian official letters, the Cyrillic letters, until today. In 1980 Pope John Paul II announced Cyril and Methodius ‘patron saints of Europe’. Their disciples created two literary schools, which popularized Christianity and the letters, and gave an impetus to the development of the literary and philosophical work. These centers turned Bulgaria into the third most important cultural center in the world at that time after Constantinople and Rome. The peak in the Bulgarian cultural and political development in the Middle Ages was the 10th century, named the Golden Age of Bulgaria.

The fight for preservation of the Bulgaria language, letters, culture, folklore, and gaining independence for the Bulgarian church were accompanied the efforts of the Bulgarians to preserve their national and religious identity during the years when the country was subject to foreign power. In 2004 Bulgaria signed the European Constitution in the Cyrillic, which is yet another piece of evidence of the cultural variety among the European nations. The names of many Bulgarian artists are popular far beyond the country’s boundaries, to mention but a few: the opera singers Nikolay Gyaurov, Boris Hristov, Nikola Gyuzelev and Raina Kabaivanska, the clarinet player Ivo Papazov (Ibriam), the Mystery of Bulgarian Voices ensemble, the artist Christo Yavashev, the philosophers Tsvetan Todorov and Julia Krasteva, the sportspersons Stefka Kostadinova, Ekaterina Dafovska, Yordan Yovchev, Veselin Topalov, Hristo Stoichkov.

On an everyday level Bulgaria is most often associated in the minds of the foreigners with its famous yogurt, rose oil, folk dances and songs. However, today’s Bulgarians prefer to emphasize the virtues build up in the course of the centuries and preserved until the present time, i.e. the pursuit of education, wherefrom the success of Bulgarian students at Olympiads in mathematics, the ambition and achievements of the sportspersons, the tolerance and good relations between the various ethnic groups, the saving of the Bulgarian Jews during World War II.

It is precisely because they have cohabited with different culture, the Bulgarians have had plenty of opportunities to see their reflection in the eyes of the others around them and develop a soberly ironic approach to the surrounding world. Most often you will see them skeptical, incredulous, critical, family-loving, fan of the good food and good drink, hospitable and open to communication with the others.

The purpose of this booklet is not to draw the “ideal portrait” of Bulgaria and its citizens but to present a good volume of data, facts, and comparisons in order to make the image of the ordinary Bulgarian person more discernible among the variety of the European nations.


Source : ALPHA RESEARCH, Agency for Market and Social Research http://www.aresearch.org/about_bulgaria/30.html

Territory of Bulgaria
Total area - 110 993.6 sq.km.
Land area - 110 630.9 sq.km.

Frontiers of Bulgaria
Total - 2 245 кm
Land - 1181 кm.
River - 686 кm.
Coastal - 378 кm.

Northern
- with Romania (river Danube)
Eastern
- with the Black Sea
Southern
- with Turkey
- with Greece
Western
- with Serbia
- with FYR of Macedonia

Biggest cities:
Sofia (capital) - 1 378 460 persons
Plovdiv - 338 224
Varna - 312 889
Bourgas - 194 512
Rousse - 161 453


POPULATION OF BULGARIA

According to the data from the last Census conducted in March 2001, the total number of the population in Bulgaria is 7 928 901 people.


Source : ALPHA RESEARCH

Economics

date: 14.01.2002



Source : ALPHA RESEARCH