Bulgaria

Occupying the eastern portion of the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe, Bulgaria 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.

Sofia is the capital.

Bulgarian is the only official language.

Population, 6,679,915. Size, 110,994 km^2.

The Bulgarian Lev (BGN) is the official currency.

The constitution recognizes Eastern Orthodox Christianity as the country's “traditional” religion, and the law exempts the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC) from registration.

Major cities include Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, and Stara Zagora.

Shopska salad is the national dish, a cold salad with roasted red peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes. Principal crops include wheat, corn, barley, rye, oats, soybeans and rice.

There is a continental climate in the north and a Mediterranean climate in the south. The country's Mediterranean climate tends to be hot and dry in the summers and cool in winters.

Bulgaria is one of the oldest countries in Europe and pre-dates the Roman Empire. Bulgaria is the only country in Europe whose name has not changed since the original establishment of the country. Bulgarian is the oldest written Slavic language and is written in the Cyrillic alphabet. Yogurt originated in Bulgaria and is the national food. Bulgarian folk music is a highly developed traditional art. The national instrument is the bagpipe, joining Scotland and Ireland to be the only countries to employ the bagpipes in their traditional music. The oldest golden treasure in the world was found from the Eneolithic period in a necropolis (graveyard) near Varna in 1972. Bulgarians are 2nd internationally in IQ scores as well as SAT scores. Sofia is the second oldest city in Europe. There are nine natural and historical objects on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites as well as cultural traditions. The Bulgarian Air Force developed the first air-dropped bomb in military history during the first Balkan War. The roses grown in the “Rose Valley” Kanalak region of Bulgaria produce most of the world’s rose oil.