Geographic situation
Climate
Relief
History
Bulgarian cultural, historical and nature heritage
Biodiversity
Protected areas
World Heritage Sites in Bulgaria
Useful Info



Geographic situation Bulgaria is situated in south-eastern Europe, in the north-eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. Bulgaria has a territory of 110 911 square kilometres which is 22% of the Balkan Peninsula. Its length is 520 km and its width is 330 km. Bulgaria borders to the north on Rumania, to the south - on Greece and Turkey, to the west - on Serbia and Macedonia (former Yugoslavia) and to the east - on the Black Sea. From many centuries across Bulgaria pass the roads Europe with Asia and Africa.

Climate The climate in Northern Bulgaria is moderate continental, while the climate in Southern Bulgaria is intermediate continental tending to Mediterranean. The climate in the regions with an altitude of 1900-2000 m above sea level is mountainous and along the Black Sea coast it is maritime. The climate of the seaside regions is milder in the winter and cooler in the summer than the climate of the interior of the country. The influence of the Black Sea is localized along a narrow strip (10 - 30 km) in Eastern Bulgaria. In the mountainous climatic zone above 1000 m the temperatures are relatively low, the rainfall is considerably higher and the snow-cover lasts for an average of 4-6 months. The average annual temperature is 10,50C, in winter about 00C. The lowest temperature - 38,3C - was measured in 1947 and the highest in 1916 - 45,2C degrees. Marked by four distinct seasons, Bulgaria enjoys a generally favourable climate that is one of the country's best features. Summers are typically hot and dry, but rarely oppressive, with moderate relative humidity. Winters are cold but not bitterly so. In the south and Black Sea coastal regions, Mediterranean influences temper the harsher continental climate of the interior.

Relief The relief of Bulgaria is diverse, including vast lowlands planes, low hills, high and low mountains, valleys, river basins and deep gorges.
The average altitude of Bulgaria is 470 m. A typical feature of the relief is that its structural units alternate from North to South and extend (also diminishing in height) from West-North-West to East-South-east.
In the northernmost part of Bulgaria, to the south of the Danube River, lies the Danubian Hilly Plane, the largest plane in the country.
The mountain range of Stara Planina lies between the Belogradchik Pass and Cape Emine on the Black Sea; to the south it borders on Sofia Valley and the Southern Balkan Valleys. Its length is approximately 530 km.
The Rila-Rodopes Massif consists of the Rila Mountains (highest point - 2925 m), Pirin, the Rodopes and the mountain group of Osogovo-Belasitsa, which are the highest on the Balkan Peninsula.
In the eastern part of Bulgaria, by the Black Sea Coast, there are well-outlined wide beaches. They occupy approximately 130 km of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast (378 km). The beaches are wide and covered with white and yellow fine sand.

History
ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL BULGARIAN HISTORY
The ancient civilizations in the Bulgarian lands date back to 4600 BC. The Varna golden treasure from 2500 BC and other archaeological finds prove the existence of ancient civilization with highly developed culture. The Thracians left remarkable cultural heritage. Their tradition was founded on the Orphistic belief that man was immortal. The Kazanluk tomb, Starosel temple, Sveshtari vault and numerous Thracian golden treasures discovered in the Bulgarian lands reveal high level of architectural skill and cultural development. The settlement of the Slavs in Central Europe and the Balkans was one of the results of the Great Migration. The Slavs belonged to the Indo-European language family and their formation as a distinctive group within the Indo-European community took place around 1000 BC.
The homeland of the Bulgarians was in the highland regions of AItai in Siberia.
As early as the 2nd century AD some Bulgarian tribes moved to the European continent, settling in the plains between the Caspian and the Black seas. In 354 AD the so-called Anonymous Roman Chronograph marked their presence south of the Caucasian ridge.
632 AD - khan Kubrat declared himself an independent ruler and united all Bulgarian tribes inhabiting the region between the Black, the Azov and the Caspian Seas in one state. The Byzantine historians from that times referred to it as Bulgaria or Great Bulgaria.
680 AD - khan Asparuh transferred significant part of the Bulgarian forces and population to the south of the Danube delta and took up the lands of present-day Dobrudja. This move was equal to declaring war on the Byzantine Empire. Common interests drove the Bulgarians and the Slavs to conclude a treaty. The Slav tribes recognized the supremacy of the Bulgarian khan who took the obligation to defend them.

FIRST BULGARIAN KINGDOM
681 AD - The foundation of the First Bulgarian state in present day Bulgarian territories is officially considered as the birth date of Bulgaria.
At the beginning of the 8th century the Arabs moved to Europe via Gibraltar and the Bosphorus. In 716 AD they besieged the Byzantine capital. In that year the Bulgarian army under khan Tervel headed to Constantinople.
718 AD - In a crucial battle the Bulgarian cavalry defeated the Arabs. This victory put an end to the Arab attempts to penetrate in Europe through the Balkan Peninsula.
The long lasting battles indicated that the new state needed its own political concept. Its basic principles were formulated during the rule of khan Krum (803- 814) and were observed by khan Omurtag (814-831), khan Malamir (831-837) and khan Presian (837-852). These principles emphasized the need for Bulgaria to become a state equal in territory, population, and military strength to the European political giant, which had taken shape in those times, e.g. the Empire of the Franks.
Under Khan Krum (803-814) and Khan Omurtag (814-831) the enormous territory of the country was divided into 11 administrative areas, governed by centrally appointed officials. Bulgaria became an early feudal centralized monarchy.
At the very end of the 8th century and the beginning of the 9th century Bulgaria joined forces with the Frankish Empire of Charles the Great in destroying the Avar khanate in Central Europe.
In 852 AD khan Boris ascended to the Bulgarian throne. In 863 Khan Boris adopted Christianity from Byzantium as official state religion. Part of the aristocracy rose in a rebellion against this move but was suppressed by the central power.
The invention and the dissemination of literacy and books in the spoken Bulgarian language is one of the most significant events in the medieval political and cultural history of Bulgaria and Eastern Europe. This event is associated with the names of Constantine-Cyril the Philosopher and his brother Methodius who invented the earliest Bulgarian alphabet and translated the principal Christian books in it. This is, as a matter of fact, the alphabet used to this day in Bulgaria, Russia, Macedonia, Ukraine, Byelorussia and Serbia.
In 893 AD Simeon (893-927) the youngest son of Boris ascended to the Bulgarian throne. Bulgaria and Byzantium were involved in a conflict once again in 917. On the 19th of August 917 AD a battle near the river of Acheloi, one of the largest in the medieval European history, took place. The Byzantine army was surrounded and defeated. After the battle at Acheloi, tsar Simeon proclaimed the Bulgarian church a patriarchate and himself an Emperor and autocrat of the Romans. He effectively possessed the power over the European Southeast with the exception of Constantinople. The reign of tsar Simeon the Great was a pinnacle in the Bulgarian political might in the European East.
All medieval historians from those times mentioned the value of his deeds. Perhaps, the most precise of all assessments was the one made by the famous French historian Alfred Rambaud who wrote: 'King Simeon was the Bulgarian Charlemagne, but he was better educated than our Charles the Great and much greater than him for, he laid down the foundations of literature that belonged to the people'.
Tsar Simeon the Great was succeeded by his second son, tsar Peter (927-968), whose 42-year long rule is the longest one-man reign ever in Bulgarian history. Forty of those years had passed in undisturbed peace with all neighbours. An experienced diplomat, tsar Peter avoided confrontations with the Russians, the Magyars and the Byzantines. The lasting peace helped finalize the process of consolidating the medieval Bulgarian nation by strengthening the position of Christianity and disseminating the Old Bulgarian script.
In 971 AD Byzantium took the offensive and seized the Bulgarian capital. The district governors in Western Bulgaria, however, refused to submit to Constantinople. In 976 AD Samuel, the governor of Sredets (modern Sofia) freed the Western Bulgarian territories. He became the tsar of the new Bulgarian state (978-1014) with its capital in the town of Ohrid. Tsar Samuel's death marked the end of the I Bulgarian Kingdom. Bulgaria fell under Byzantine rules. Mass rebellions aimed at restoring the Bulgarian state broke out in 1040, 1072 and in 1084-1086.

SECOND BULGARIAN KINGDOM
Two remote descendants of the Simeon dynasty, the brothers Assen and Peter built a church in the town of Turnovo and, during its official inauguration in November 1186 proclaimed the independence of the country. Turnovo soon assumed the functions of a capital city. The two brothers liberated the territory of Bulgaria and established the Second Bulgarian Kingdom.

Tsar Kaloyan (1197-1207), the third brother, who ascended the Bulgarian throne after Assen and Peter, consolidated the Bulgarian State. Tsar Kaloyan was aware of his country's serious international isolation. He negotiated with Pope Innocent III and in 1204 received a crown from Rome, a sceptre and a blessing for his title as a king while the Bulgarian archbishop Basil was consecrated as primate of the Bulgarian church. In 1204 the Byzantine Empire collapsed. The foundations of the Latin empire were laid in conquered Constantinople. Confident of their invincibility, the knights attacked the Bulgarian army on 14 April 1205 near Adrianople. In the battle of Adrianople they were defeated, sustained tremendous losses and Emperor Baldwin was taken prisoner. Tsar Boril (1207-1218) - possessed none of the diplomatic or military skills of the three royal brothers. Several boyars - regional governors in Macedonia, Thrace and the Rhodopes refused to obey the central power and set up autonomous feudal possessions.
In 1217 the legitimate heir to the Bulgarian throne, the son of tsar Assen - Ivan Assen II, returned from exile. From the very beginning of his reign he had to cope with rather complex international situation. By choosing to negotiate rather than to fight, tsar Ivan Assen II succeeded in attaining goals almost as high as those achieved by Simeon the Great. In 1230 Bulgaria was raided by the troops of the Epir's despot, Theodore Comnenus, who was defeated in the battle of Klokotnitsa. Bulgaria took all his realms and became again an unrivalled power on the Balkans. Similar to the situation back in the 10th century, its territory comprised almost the whole of the Balkan Peninsula.
During the next ten years of his rule, the Bulgarian tsar became famous for his expert manoeuvres among the rest of the political powers on the peninsula, not allowing even one of them to dispute Bulgaria's hegemony. The status quo was preserved until his death in 1241.
Fully restored in 1235, the Bulgarian patriarchate became the only institution of the Eastern Orthodox religion to be backed up by a well-established political power.
In 1352 a small force of Seljuk Turks sailed through the Dardanelles - the strait separating Europe from Asia, and took the Byzantine fort of Tsimpe.
In 1364 the Turks invaded Bulgaria and took Central Thrace with the important towns of Borouy and Plovdiv. In 1393, Turnovo - the capital of Bulgaria fell and in 1395 the last medieval Bulgarian ruler - tsar Ivan Shishman was killed defending the fortress of Nicopol on the Danube. In 1396 the country was completely occupied which put an end to the medieval Bulgarian state.

BULGARIA IN 15th-l9th CC
The fall of the medieval Bulgarian state under Ottoman rule interrupted Bulgaria's natural development within the framework of the European civilization. In the course of almost 5 centuries the Bulgarians lived in a state and political system, which separated them from the progressive trends of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. Unsuccessful uprisings broke out in 1408, 1598, 1686, 1688 and 1689. The Bulgarian nation was passing through one of the most difficult periods in its history. Its survival as an ethnic community had been put at stake.
The Bulgarian Enlightenment was initiated by the famous work of Paissiy Hilendarski "SLAV-BULGARIAN HISTORY", written in 1762. The "SLAV-BULGARIAN HISTORY" appealed to the national feelings of the Bulgarians urging them to awaken as a NATION with centuries old historical tradition. The book was hand-rewritten in hundreds of copies by the followers of Paisiy and became the banner of the Bulgarian Revival. Its importance for the future Bulgarian generations was and is enormous.
In 1824 Dr Peter Beron, one of the few Bulgarians of that time who received college education in Heidelberg published his remarkable primer known as 'ABC of the Fish'. The schoolbook contained Bulgarian grammar, natural science, arithmetic, anatomy and literature. It took only a few decades for 1500 Bulgarian primary and secondary schools to be established.
On 3 April 1860, during Easter Sunday service in Constantinople, the Bulgarian bishop Ilarion of Makariopol proclaimed the separation of the Bulgarian church from the patriarchate in Constantinople. In 1870 a firman of the Sultan recognized the establishment the Bulgarian exarchate as an autonomous Bulgarian church institution. All lands inhabited by Bulgarians in Moesia, Thrace, Dobrudja and a large part of Macedonia came under its jurisdiction.
Struggle for autonomous church and for national enlightenment and culture went parallel with the first serious attempts aimed at political liberation of the country.
The most radical part of the Bulgarian society considered the independence of Bulgaria possible to achieve only through a nation-wide armed action. The first leader of that trend was Georgi Rakovski. Rakovski's revolutionary activity awakened the Bulgarian immigrants in Romania, Serbia and Russia. Their increased activity was additionally inspired by the liberation of Italy and the unification of Germany.
After the failure of Rakovski's tactics and the defeat of the armed cheta (Bulgarian guerrilla formations) who entered the Bulgarian lands from neighbouring countries in 1867-1868, the liberation movement reassessed its strategy. Vassil Levski launched new resolute initiative aiming at full political liberation of Bulgaria.
Levski viewed the national liberation possible only through well prepared and organised, centrally coordinated armed uprising of the whole Bulgarian population in the Ottoman empire.
In 1869 Levski committed himself to the task of setting up Internal Revolutionary Organization. By the middle of 1872 with the dedication of an apostle, he succeeded to establish a strong network of committees in hundreds of Bulgarian towns and villages. Unfortunately Levski fell in the hands of the Ottoman authorities, which sentenced him to death. In 1875 a group of young revolutionaries - Hristo Botev, Stefan Stambolov, Nikola Obretenov and others restored the internal revolutionary committee's network.
They speeded up the preparation for an armed uprising. The April Uprising broke out in the spring of 1876. After weeks of heroic fight, it was crushed by the Turkish regular army and bashibazouk (irregular bands). Some 29 000 Bulgarians perished in the unequal struggle. The crash of the April Uprising 1876 forced the World public opinion to raise its voice in defence of the Bulgarian people. William Gladstone - leader of the Liberal party of Britain, Charles Darwin, Oscar Wilde, Victor Hugo, Giuseppe Garibaldi and others waged a campaign for the right of the Bulgarians' to freedom.
In December 1876 The Great Powers convened the International Conference of Constantinople. Russia, Britain, France, Austria-Hungary, Germany and Italy drafted jointly reform-prescribing plan for the Ottoman Empire. After the Ottoman authorities rejected to accept it Russia declared war on Turkey on 12 April 1877.
A 12500-strong Bulgarian military force called 'Bulgarian volunteers' joined the Russian army. Thousands of Bulgarians directly joined the Russian army to help as reconnaissance officers, engineers of fortification facilities, medical staff etc.
In the middle of July 1877 the Russian forces reached the town of Stara Zagora half-way to Constantinople, but were driven back to the mountain pass of Shipka.
Aware of its miscalculations in the campaign, the Russian command immediately resorted to the relocation of major military formations from Russia to Bulgaria. Everyone was aware that the war could be decided by the battle outcome at Shipka. In August 1877 epic battle took place in the mountain pass. Supported by several Russian battalions the Bulgarian volunteers withstood their positions. After taking Pleven and winning the battles at Sofia, Plovdiv and Sheinovo, the Russian armies won the war.
A Preliminary peace treaty was signed in the town of San Stefano on 3 March 1878. It made provision for an autonomous Bulgarian state extending to almost all Bulgarian lands in the geographical areas of Macedonia, Thrace and Moesia. The Treaty of San Stefano restored Bulgaria's state independence and unified the Bulgarians within the borders of one state.

THIRD BULGARIAN KINGDOM
At the beginning of 1879, an Assembly of notables known as the Constituent Assembly of the Principality of Bulgaria was called to elaborate and adopt the Constitution of the country. The Constitution of 1879 incorporated principles of broad democratic freedoms.
In April 1879, the First Grand National Assembly (the Bulgarian Parliament) elected Alexander of Battenberg as prince of Bulgaria.
On 2 November 1885 Serbia attacked Bulgaria by surprise. In several decisive battles at Slivnitsa, Dragoman, Pirot, Nis and Vidin the Serbian army suffered complete defeat. Bulgaria's victory in this captains-versus-generals war astonished Europe. The unification was no longer questioned.
In July 1887, without the approval of Russia or Turkey, the National Assembly elected prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, a German aristocrat as prince of Bulgaria.
Stefan Stambolov's government (1887-1894) laid solid foundations for economic development. A package of laws sanctioned the construction of roads and railways, Bulgaria's independent commercial contacts with foreign countries, the establishment of national institutions in education, culture and health services, etc. Doors were opened to foreign capital investment. Most of the governments after him took similar measures.
In 1893 a group of Bulgarian intellectuals established a secret Internal Macedonian-Edirne Revolutionary Organization, known as IMRO in the town of Solun (Tessaloniki). Relying on nation-wide support IMRO leaders Gotse Delchev and Dame Gruev organized a network of committees in Macedonia and Thrace. In August 1903 mass armed uprising known as the Ilinden-Preobrajenie uprising was raised in Macedonia and Thrace. Its goals were to incorporate those regions into Bulgaria, or gain wide authonomy for the population through legal and economic reform. After three months of fierce battles the Turkish army crushed the uprising.
Convinced that the issue of its population which remained under the Berlin Treaty in the Ottoman empire could not be settled by diplomatic means, at the beginning of the 20-th century Bulgaria began to prepare for armed solution.
During the internal crisis in Turkey in 1908, Bulgaria declared its formal independence and became a Kingdom.
In October 1912 an Alliance formed by Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro began the First Balkan war against Turkey. The Bulgarian army succeeded in few weeks to defeat the Turkish forces in the battles of Lozengrad, Luleburgaz, Petra and Seliolu. The fortress of Odrin (Edirne) was besieged. By mid December 1912 the warring parties opted for armistice. Peace negotiations were held under the auspices of the Great Powers in London but truce was short-lived. The hostilities were resumed and the Bulgarian army seized the fortress of Odrin (Edirne), despite its defence of a 60 000 strong garrison. The Turkish government agreed to peace and handover of the territories west of the Midye-Enez line, which marked the end of the First Balkan War.
The Second Balkan War broke out on 16 June 1913. The Bulgarian troops stopped the Serbs at Bregalnitsa and encircled the Greek forces in the Kresna gorge. At that moment Romania and Turkey entered the war. The peace treaty was signed in August 1913. Bulgaria lost vast territories. 2 000 000 Bulgarians - one third of the total Bulgarian nation remained under foreign rule.
The results of the Second Balkan War predetermined Bulgaria's participation in World War I, which broke out in 1914. During the first year of the war Bulgaria kept neutral.
The Entente (Britain, France and Russia) offered Bulgaria eventual gains in Turkish Thrace and assistance for the settlement of its territorial problems with the other Balkan states only after the end of the war. The Central Powers (Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary) promised Bulgaria all territories it aspired for.
In October 1915 Bulgaria entered the war on the side of the Central Powers. In 1917 and in 1918 food production dropped. The nation was exhausted from the continuous military activity, which engaged the national potential in three consecutive wars.
The armistice with the Entente was signed in September 1918. Its terms dictated withdrawal of the Bulgarian army to its pre-war positions. This forced the Bulgarian monarch to abdicate and leave the country in October 1918. His son, Boris III, ascended the Bulgarian throne.
The disastrous outcome of the war became evident when the Peace treaty was signed in the Paris suburb of Neuilly in November 1919. The country suffered further territorial losses and was liable to pay enormous reparations.
The crippling wars resulted in territorial loss and economic ruin. The efforts for unification of all Bulgarian inhabited lands, which was the main task since 1878 ended in defeat.
By the end of the war about 300 000 Bulgarians from Macedonia, Thrace, Dobrudja and the Western outlands immigrated to Bulgaria.
Upon the outbreak of World War II the Bulgarian government declared neutrality. In the autumn of 1940, with the approval of all Great Powers, Bulgaria returned back through negotiations, the territory of Southern Dobrudja, which had been lost to Romania in 1913. This fostered an illusion that the territorial problems could be settled without Bulgaria's direct involvement in the new world conflict.
This illusion soon faded when the German Reich expansion reached Bulgarian borders. Having to choose between military confrontation with Germany and accession to the Axis powers, the monarch and his government joined the German led bloc on 1 March 1941.
Even when the German aggression against the Soviet Union became a fact, the Bulgarian monarch and his government continued to observe their previously declared passive policies in the world conflict. Bulgaria was the only country in the Axis bloc, which did no send a single soldier to either the Eastern or any of the other fronts in the West. At the end of 1941, however, Bulgaria was pressed and declared war on the USA and Britain.
During World War II, the democratically minded people of Bulgaria succeeded to protect its Jewish population of some 50,000 from the Holocaust.

CONTEMPORARY BULGARIAN HISTORY
In August 1943 tsar Boris III died and was succeeded by his six-year-old son Simeon II and a pro-German government under Dobri Bozilov. In the summer of 1944 the Soviet army approached the Balkan Peninsula. On September 5, the USSR declared war on Bulgaria and on September 8 its army units entered the territory of the country. On September 9, a new Government of the Fatherland front with Kimon Georgiev as Prime minister came into power.
On September 10, the Fatherland front Government declared war on Germany and its allies. The armistice with the USSR, the USA and Britain was signed in October 1944.
Under its provisions Bulgaria was placed under the control of an Allied Control Commission chaired by Soviet representative who was also the Commander of the Soviet occupation forces.
The strong Soviet influence in Bulgaria after the war was predetermined by the decisions of the Jalta Summit (1943) of the Allies. In Jalta and consequently in Potsdam (1945) the Great Powers agreed to place Bulgaria under Soviet control. The participation of the Bulgarian armies in the final stage of World War II against Nazi Germany improved the international image of the country. The Paris Peace Treaty signed in 1947, made provision for the territorial integrity of Bulgaria within its borders of January 1941.
After the war the internal Bulgarian policies followed their logical coarse. In November 1945 General elections were held and the Communist-led Fatherland front won them with a single list after the opposition decided to boycott the ballot box.
In September 1946 Bulgaria ended the monarchy in a Referendum and in December 1947 the National Assembly (Parliament) adopted a new Constitution under the Soviet model. During the Communist period under Todor Jivkov, who headed the Communist party in 1956. Bulgaria was one of the most restrictive societies among the former Soviet satellites. Following the profound changes in Eastern Europe in November 1989 Jivkov was ousted from power and replaced by his foreign minister Petar Mladenov as Head of State and Communist party leader.
In 1989-1990 multiparty democracy was restored. Bulgaria embarked on the road of democracy and market reform. The Government of Dimiter Popov (1990-1991) was the first headed by a non-communist in the post-communist time.
It's worth mentioning that the Bulgarian democratic reforms went peacefully in contrast with the rest of South Eastern Europe. In 1997 Bulgaria applied for NATO membership and in 1999 was invited to begin accession negotiations with the European Union.
In 2004 Bulgaria became a member of NATO and will join the European Union in 2007.

Bulgarian cultural, historical and nature heritage
Bulgaria has a long millenaries history. In the country you have the unique possibility to discover and enjoy more than 40 000 historical sites. 7 from these sites are inscribed in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. In Bulgaria you are the chance to visit many sites from different time: prehistorically, Thracian monuments, Greek and Roman sites, Bulgarian monuments, more than 120 picturesque monasteries and many architectural reserves.
The nature of Bulgaria is very rich and diversified. There are 3 national parks, 11 natural parks, 89 natural reserves and 2234 natural sites. These conditions allow Bulgaria to support a biota that includes 94 species of mammals, more than 400 birds, 36 reptiles, 16 amphibians, 207 Black Sea and freshwater fish, an estimated 27,000 insects and other invertebrate species, between 3,550 and 3,750 species of vascular plants, and more than 6,500 nonvascular plants and fungi. Bulgaria thus ranks among the most biologically diverse countries in Europe.
With more than 400 birds species Bulgaria is one of the best places for birdwatching in Europe.
Endemic plant species constitute about 5 percent of the total flora, a high proportion compared with other, larger European countries. The available information on invertebrate taxa indicates that 8.8 percent of all non-insect species and 4.3 percent of insect species are endemic.
Bulgaria is maybe the richest country in the thermal and mineral waters. In all the country are discovered and exploited 550 sites with 1600 mineral sources. More of these sources are the base for the development of the SPA centers. Some of these centers are exploited in the past centuries from the Romans.

Biodiversity
Although Bulgaria has relatively small territory (110 912 sq. km), it has rich biological diversity due to its highly varied climatic, geological, topographical and hydrological conditions.
These conditions allow the existence of a fauna, which includes 94 spices of mammals, 400 birds, 36 reptiles, 16 amphibians, 207 Black Sea and freshwater fish, about 27 000 insects and other invertebrates. Approximately 13% of the fauna is represented by endemic species, where about 4% are insects. Two of the biggest bird migration routes are passing though Bulgaria - Via Pontica and Via Aristotelis. The Bulgarian brown bear population is the biggest in Europe - about 800 specimens.
The flora is represented by between 3 500 and 3 750 species of vascular and more than 6 500 nonvascular plants and fungi. Woods take more than 27% of Bulgaria territory. Approximately 5% of the flora is represented by endemic species, 285 plants are Balkan endemits and 270 plants are Bulgarian endemits. There is a great number of relict plant species. The oldest tree in Bulgaria is 1650 years aged, its trunk thickness is 7, 45 m and it is 23, 40 m high. The highest tree in Bulgaria is the Baikusheva Mura with 62 m height and 360 years of age. Thus Bulgaria ranks among the most biologically diverse countries in Europe.

Protected areas
Bulgaria has a tradition of nature conservation and a history of protected areas creation and management. The first national protected area, Silkosia reserve was established in 1931. Bulgaria's Vitosha Nature Park was the first "park" established in the Balkan Peninsula in 1934. Today, the United Nations recognizes 86 percent of Bulgaria's protected areas and has listed two, Srebarna reserve and Pirin National Park, as UNESCO world heritage sites.

The national protected areas system has six management categories:
· National Parks (3), including Pirin, Rila, and Central Balkan
· Natural Parks (10)
· Reserves (55)
· Maintained Reserves (35)
· Natural Landmarks (457)
· Protected Localities (175).

Strandja Nature Park
Strandja is the largest protected area in Bulgaria. The park is the only location in Europe preserving since the Tertiary and until this day vegetation typical of the Caucasus, Colchis and the Asia Minor Black Sea coast. The oldest protected area in Bulgaria Silkosia reserve falls into Strandja Nature Park boundary. The park has four other reserves.

· Established in 1995
· Area: 115,837.8 hectares
· 5 reserves totalling 5,479.5 hectares
· Woodlands cover 83,780.9 hectares
· IUCN Category 5

Rila National Park
Established in 1992, Rila is the largest of Bulgaria's National Parks. Approximately 60 % of its total area lies at altitudes above 2,000 meters and its highest peak, Mussala (2 925 meters) is the highest on the Balkan Peninsula. Four reserves - Parangalitza, Skakavitza, Ibar and Central Rilski - comprise about one-fifth of the Park's territory. There are 140 lakes in the park and some of the largest rivers in the Balkans have their sources here.

· Established in 1992
· Area: 81,046 hectares
· Highest peak: Mussala (2,925 m);
· 90% of ecosystems are natural
· Woodlands cover 52.5% of territory
· 4 reserves totalling 16,222 hectares
· IUCN Category 2

Pirin National Park
Established in 1969, the Pirin National Park is a World Cultural and Natural Heritage Convention site. The largest part of its territory lies above 2,000 meters and it has scores of peaks above 2,000 meters and 113 caves.

· Established: in 1969
· Area: 40,333 hectares
· Highest peak: Vihren (2,915 m); 75 peaks above 2,000 meters
· Two-thirds of ecosystems are natural
· Woodlands cover 43% of the territory
· 2 reserves totalling 6,015 hectares
· 113 caves
· IUCN Category 2

Central Balkan National Park
Established in 1991, Central Balkan National Park has nine reserves that comprise one-third of its territory: Boatin, Tzarichina, Kozya Stena, Steneto, Stara Reka, Djendema, Northern Djendem, Peeshti Skali and Sokolna. The Park is famous for its many waterfalls, one of which, the Raisko Praskalo is the highest in Bulgaria at 125 meters. The deepest cave in Bulgaria, Raichova Dupka, is also located in Central Balkan National Park.
Central Balkan National Park became a member into the PAN Parks European Network.

· Established in 1991
· Area: 71,670 hectares
· Highest peak: Botev (2,376 m); 5 peaks above 2,000 meters
· 70% of ecosystems are natural
· Woodlands cover 52.5% of territory
· 9 reserves totaling 20,020 hectares
· Dozens of natural caves and waterfalls
· IUCN Category 2

The Annotated Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance in Bulgaria
The Convention on Wetlands came into force for Bulgaria on 24 January 1976. Bulgaria presently has 10 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a surface area of 20,306 hectares.
Atanasovsko Lake. 1,404 ha. Partially Maintained Reserve. Situated on the southern Bulgarian coast, Atanasovsko Lake is one of the four lakes of the Burgas wetland complex surrounding the city. The wetland has a highly recognized significance for biodiversity and as a resource pool for various products utilized by people. It is a shallow hyper-saline lagoon associated with salt marshes, reedbeds, a complex of salt pans and settling pools surrounded by a dike and a freshwater canal. This is one of the two salinas in the Black Sea region and demonstrates rare and representative examples of wetland habitats. A hot spot for biodiversity with many red-listed species of plants and animals, it is a well-known bottleneck site for migratory birds with around 60,000 raptors and 240,000 storks, pelicans and cranes passing over the site and often landing in large numbers for staging - the highest numbers in Europe of migrating White Pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus), Dalmatian Pelicans (Pelecanus crispus), Marsh Harriers (Circus aeruginosus), and Red-footed Falcons (Falco vespertinus) have been recorded here, and the site is a very popular destination for birdwatchers, photographers, scientists and bird ringers from nearby and abroad.

Belene Islands Complex. 6,898 ha. Reserve, Natural Monument, Natural Park. A group of one big (Belene) and nine smaller islands located along 16km of the River Danube, on the country's northern boundary with Romania. The main part of the islands is covered with seasonally flooded riverine forest of Alnus spp., Salix spp. and Populus spp., diversified by several marshes and streams, and the site is a particularly good representative example of a natural riverine wetland complex in the Danube River catchment. The site has exceptional biodiversity values and hosts several rare species of plants as five globally threatened species of birds - Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus), Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca), White-tailed Eagle (Haliaetus albicilla), Corncrake (Crex crex) and Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola). It is one of the most important breeding grounds along the Danube River for mixed colonies of herons, egrets, ibises and cormorants (6,000-9,000 pairs in the 1980s) and offers suitable stopover sites for about 20 migratory species of birds.

Durankulak Lake. 350 ha. Protected Landscape. A slightly saline, coastal lake in an advanced state of nutrient-enrichment, supplied with water by two springs. The area is important for several species of breeding birds and numerous species of wintering and staging birds. A diverse algal flora consisting of over 70 species is present. Various rare and endemic fish species occur at the site.

Ibisha Island. 372 ha. Partially Maintained Reserve. An island located in the River Danube along the country's northern boundary with Romania. It has significant importance for the conservation of water bird fauna and rare habitats. The whole island is covered with seasonally flooded riverine forest of Alnus spp., Salix spp. and Populus spp., and the Ramsar site also includes a part of the river and its bank. The wetland is recognized as a Ramsar site for its importance for preservation of a rare forested wetland habitat within the Danube catchment and conservation of a rich assemblage of breeding rare water birds - mixed colony of Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus), Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides), Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) and Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia).

Lake Shabla. 404 ha. Protected Area. Two brackish, coastal lakes connected by an artificial canal. The lakes overlie an horizon of sand 4-5m thick deposited on top of a rich peat layer; evidence of a long marsh period. An internationally important area for the endangered Red-breasted Goose (Branta ruficollis), providing wintering habitat for over 75% of the world population and up to 180,000 wintering White-fronted geese (Anser albifrons). The site supports various species of breeding birds and endemic birds and the endangered plants.

Poda. 307 ha. Partially Protected Area. A marshy wetland and adjacent sea bay located on the outskirts of the city of Burgas on the Black Sea coast. Although naturally formed as part of the Burgas-Mandra firth, the coastal wetland has deteriorated due to human interference in 1960s and later evolved into a mosaic of different habitats - freshwater, brackish, saline and hyper-saline pools, and flooded areas overgrown with aquatic vegetation. The site has outstanding significance for biodiversity conservation, and more than 260 rare, vulnerable and endangered species of plants and animals have been recorded, among them 8 globally threatened bird species. Poda is an important breeding ground for some waterbirds (a mixed colony of glossy ibises, spoonbills - the only place along the Bulgarian coast where the spoonbill breeds - and five species of herons and egrets) and a valuable stopover site for migratory birds, and it hosts numerous winter concentrations of waterbirds.

Pomorie Wetland Complex. 814 ha. Partially Protected Area. Located on the Black Sea Coast, a wetland of particular significance for biodiversity and as a resource pool for various products utilized by people. The major part of the site is a shallow coastal hyper-saline lagoon connected to the Black Sea by an artificial canal. Other associated wetland types are estuaries (River Aheloy), salt marshes, sand dunes, reedbeds, salt pans, etc. The wetland has been designated chiefly for its uniqueness, as one of the two coastal hyper-saline lagoons in the Black Sea region converted into salinas. It supports many nationally and internationally red-listed plant and animal species - some 240 bird species have been recorded, including four globally threatened ones, and some that are adapted to the hyper-saline conditions. It is an important stopover site for migratory birds and offers suitable conditions for wintering birds.

Ropotamo Complex. 5,500 ha. Partially Reserve, Natural Monument, Maintained Reserve and Protected Area. The site, on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast, represents a diverse mosaic of various habitats - river downstream and estuary, seasonally flooded riverine and broad-leaved deciduous forests, small freshwater and brackish lagoons, sand dunes, rocky shores and fjords, a sea bay, sea inlets. The site provides refuge to many nationally and internationally IUCN red-listed species of plants and animals, among which are seven globally threatened species of birds and two plant species, eight invertebrate species and seven mammal species. Rich endemic and relict flora and fauna are recorded in the site.

Srebarna. 1,357 ha. World Heritage Site, Biosphere Reserve, Maintained Reserve. The site was extended from 600 ha to 1,357 ha in 2002. The major part of the site is the freshwater oxbow lake Srebarna (the last extant oxbow lake along the Bulgarian bank of the Danube), including an adjacent part of the River Danube and the river island Komluka covered by seasonally flooded forest of Salix sp. and Populus sp. The lake is an eutrophic wetland densely overgrown with emergent and submerged aquatic vegetation, sustaining both representative and rare wetland habitats. It is a biodiversity hot spot with some 2,748 taxa recorded, among them many red-listed plant and animal species, including some globally threatened species, and hosts more than 50,000 migratory and wintering waterbirds.

Vaya Lake. 2,900 ha. Partially Protected Area. The wetland, of very high significance for biodiversity (especially birds), is a shallow freshwater/brackish liman with associated marshy areas and extensive reedbeds (the largest in the country); fish farm basins, adjacent to the lake, are heavily overgrown by aquatic vegetation. In the site have been recorded several IUCN red-listed species of animals - 5 invertebrates, 4 fish, 4 amphibians, 3 reptiles, 5 birds and 3 mammals. Situated along the second largest migration path of birds in Europe, the "Via Pontica", the site is an important stopover and staging site for a large number of waterbirds, raptors and passerines. Yearly during migration and wintering more than 20,000 (up to 100,000) waterbirds congregate there, including Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus), Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus), White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons), and White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala).

World Heritage Sites in Bulgaria
The World Register of Historical Sites, established by UNESCO, includes seven cultural sites and two nature reserves.

The Rila monastery
St John of Rila, a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church, founded Rila Monastery in the 10th century. His ascetic dwelling and tomb became a holy site and were transformed into a monastic complex, which subsequently played an important role in the spiritual and social life of medieval Bulgaria. Destroyed by fire at the beginning of the 19th century, the complex was rebuilt between 1834 and 1862. The monument is a characteristic example of the Bulgarian Renaissance (18th-19th centuries) and symbolizes an awareness of a Slavic cultural identity following centuries of occupation.

Old Nessebar
Situated on a rocky peninsula on the Black Sea, the more than 3,000-year-old site of Nessebar was originally a Thracian settlement (Menebria). At the beginning of the 6th century B.C., the city became a Greek colony. The city's remains, which date mostly from the Hellenistic period, include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, an agora and a wall from the Thracian fortifications. Among other monuments, the Stara Mitropolia Basilica and the fortress date from the Middle Ages, when this was one of the most important Byzantine towns on the west coast of the Black Sea. Wooden houses built in the 19th century are typical of the Black Sea architecture of the period. Situated on a peninsula in the Black Sea, connected with the mainland by a narrow isthmus, this is a town with a history going back more than millennia.

Pirin Mountain Extending over an area of 27,400 ha and lying at an altitude of 1,008-2,914 m in the Pirin mountains, in south-west Bulgaria, Pirin National Park has a limestone Balkan landscape, with lakes, waterfalls, caves and pine forests. The rugged mountains, with some 70 glacial lakes scattered throughout them, are home to hundreds of endemic and rare species, many of which are representative of the Balkan Pleistocene flora. The mountains also have diverse and unique landscapes of great aesthetic value.

Srebarna Nature Reserve
The Srebarna Nature Reserve is a freshwater lake adjacent to the Danube and extending over 600 ha. It is the breeding ground of almost 100 species of birds, many of which are rare or endangered. Some 80 other bird species migrate and seek refuge there every winter. Among the most interesting bird species are the Dalmatian Pelican, Great Egret, Night Heron and Purple Herons, Glossy Ibis and Spoonbill.

The Boyana Church - Sofia
Located on the outskirts of Sofia, Boyana Church consists of three buildings. The Eastern Church was built in the 10th century, and then enlarged at the beginning of the 13th century by Sebastocrator Kaloyan, who ordered a second two-storey building to be erected next to it. The frescoes in this second church, painted in 1259, make it one of the most important collections of medieval paintings. A third church, built at the beginning of the 19th century, completes the ensemble. This site is one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of east European medieval art. It is one of the most important and valuable antiquities of exceptional historical and artistic significance

Thracian Tomb - Sveshtari
Discovered in 1982 near the village of Sveshtari, this 3rd- century B.C. Thracian tomb reflects the fundamental structural principles of Thracian cult buildings. The tomb has a unique architectural decor, with polychrome half-human, half-plant caryatids and painted murals. The 10 female figures carved in high relief on the walls of the central chamber and the decoration of the lunette in its vault are the only examples of this type found so far in the Thracian lands. It is a remarkable reminder of the culture of the Getes, a Thracian people who were in contact with the Hellenistic and Hyperborean worlds, according to ancient geographers.

Thracian tomb - Kazanlak
Discovered in 1944, this tomb dates from the Hellenistic period, around the end of the 4th century B.C. It is located near Seutopolis, the capital city of the Thracian king Seutes III, and is part of a large Thracian necropolis. The tholos has a narrow corridor and a round burial chamber, both decorated with murals representing Thracian burial rituals and culture. These paintings are Bulgaria's best-preserved artistic masterpieces from the Hellenistic period.

Rock Monasteries - Ivanovo
In the valley of the Roussenski Lom River, in north-east Bulgaria, a complex of rock-hewn churches, chapels, monasteries and cells developed in the vicinity of the village of Ivanovo. This is where the first hermits had dug out their cells and churches during the 12th century. The 14th-century murals testify to the exceptional skill of the artists belonging to the Tarnovo School of painting.

The horseman of Madara - Madara
The Madara Rider, representing the figure of a knight triumphing over a lion, is carved into a 100-m-high cliff near the village of Madara in north- east Bulgaria. Madara was the principal sacred place of the First Bulgarian Empire before Bulgaria's conversion to Christianity in the 9th century. The inscriptions beside the sculpture tell of events that occurred between A.D. 705 and 801.

USEFUL INFO
LOCAL TIME
GMT +2 HOURS
LANGUAGE
The official language in Bulgaria is Bulgarian.
VOLTAGE
All electrical appliances work on ~ 220V.
MONEY AND CURRENCY EXCHANGE
Many local and international banks and currency exchange offices function in the biggest cities around the country.
Bank working hours are: 9 a.m. - 3 a.m., Monday to Friday.
Currency exchange offices are open to 6 p.m., some work 24 hours a day.
MONETARY UNITS
The official monetary unit is called "LEV". The banknote denominations include 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 LEVA, as well as coins - 1, 2, 5,10, 20, 50 called "stotinki". 1 LEV coin is also available.
CUSTOMS
Common custom declarations and restrictions are applied for import and export of currency, food, alcohol and goods. There is a special custom regime for antiquarian objects, historic and cultural treasures, medicines, narcotics, weapons, and ammunitions.
RELIGION
90% of Bulgarian people are Orthodox Christians, about 8% are Muslims, about 1 % Catholics and a few are gypsies.
CREDIT CARDS
Master Card, Visa, American Express, Diners Club, etc. They can be used for payment of all standard services in some hotels, restaurants, night clubs, shops, car rentals, travel agencies, etc. You can retry money from the ATM (cash machines) in every city.
IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Emergency medical aid - 150
Police - 166
Fire - 160
Road assist - 146