Bulgaria
Travels in Bulgaria:
Pirin and Rodopi Mountains Trekking (8 days)
Explore Bulgaria's most remote regions
Rodopi Mountains Road Cycling Tour (8 days)
Experience Bulgaria's culture and nature by bike
Quick Facts:
Official Name: |
Republic of Bulgaria |
Capital: |
Sofia |
Area: |
110,910 km²; 42,823 sq mi |
Languages: |
96.3% Bulgarian, a member of the Slavic language group; also Turkish and Romany |
Currency: |
Lev (BGN) |
Population figure: |
2008 estimate: 7,640,000 |
Ethnology: |
Ethnic Bulgarian (83.9%), Turks (9.4%) and Roma (4.7%) |
Religions: |
82.6% Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Islam (12.2%), various Protestant denominations (0.8%) and Roman Catholicism (0.5%) |
National holiday: |
November 1 (National Revival Day) |
Government type: |
Parliamentary republic |
Geography
The mountainous southwest of the country has two alpine ranges - Rila and Pirin - and further east stand the lower but more extensive Rhodope Mountains. The Rila range includes the highest peak of the Balkan Peninsula, Musala, at 2,925 meters (9,596 ft); the long range of the Balkan mountains runs west-east through the middle of the country, north of the famous Rose Valley. Hilly country and plains lie in the southeast, along the Black Sea coast in the east, and along Bulgaria's main river, the Danube in the north. Other major rivers include the Struma and the Maritsa river in the south.
Climate
Bulgaria has a temperate climate, with cool and damp winters, very hot and dry summers, and Mediterranean influence along the Black Sea coast. The barrier effect of the Balkan Mountains influences climate throughout the country: northern Bulgaria gets slightly cooler and receives more rain than the southern regions. Precipitation in Bulgaria averages about 630 millimetres per year. Drier areas include Dobrudzha and the northern coastal strip, while the higher parts of the mountains Rila and Stara Planina receive the highest levels of precipitation. In summer, temperatures in the south of Bulgaria often exceed 40 degrees Celsius, but remain cooler by the coast. A site near Plovdiv has recorded the highest known temperature: 46.7 degrees Celsius.
This article is partly based on a free article of the encyclopaedia Wikipedia and is subject to GNU-licence for free documentation. A list of authors is available on Wikipedia