bulgaria

Bulgaria is a country in Southeast Europe on the Balkan Peninsula. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. It covers about 110,000 square kilometers. The capital and largest city is Sofia.

Historically, the region has been inhabited since ancient times by Thracian tribes. It was part of the Roman and Byzantine Empires before five centuries of Ottoman rule. Bulgaria gained independence in 1878 after the Russo-Turkish War and later transitioned through monarchy and communism before adopting democracy in 1989. It joined the European Union in 2007 and NATO in 2004.

Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic. The president is the largely ceremonial head of state, while the prime minister is the head of government. The unicameral National Assembly has 240 deputies elected for four-year terms. Administrative divisions consist of 28 provinces. The official language is Bulgarian, and the population is predominantly Bulgarian Orthodox, with Muslim and other minority communities. The Cyrillic alphabet originated in the First Bulgarian Empire.

The economy is a developing market economy with services as the largest sector, followed by industry and agriculture. Key industries include information technology, manufacturing, and tourism. The currency is the Bulgarian lev (BGN). Bulgaria is an EU member state and participates in the single market, and it joined NATO in 2004. Principal exports include machinery, electronics, and agricultural products, with major trading partners such as Germany, Romania, Italy, Turkey, and Greece. The country features diverse geography, including the Balkan Mountains, the Danube River in the north, and the Black Sea coast, with notable national parks and cultural heritage sites.