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A lesson in Geography: Bulgaria
Location
Bulgaria occupies the east part of the Balkan peninsula. It is a small country comprising an area of 111 km². The maximum distance from west to east is 520 km and the maximum distance from north to south – 330 km. To the east Bulgaria borders Black Sea, to the north – along the river Danube it borders Romania; to the south it borders Serbia and Macedonia. Greece and Turkey are Bulgaria’s southern neighbours. The population of the country is about 7 million people.
Cities
In the capital of Bulgaria - Sofia live more than a million inhabitants. Except from this city there aren’t any other large cities in the country. Small and middle cities prevail, the largest of which is Varna (with 500 inhabitants), followed by Plovdiv (400 inhabitants) , Bourgas and Rousse – with about 200 thousand inhabitants each.
Religion
Bulgaria is an orthodox country. More than 85 % of the population are East Orthodox Christians. 12% are Muslims – sunnites. In an intriguing way the orthodox faith is interwoven with the belief in miracles and prophecies – thousands of pilgrims are flocking to the grave of Vanga (a blind oracle) in a region called Rupite.
Language
The official language of the country is Bulgarian, and the official alphabet – Cyrillic. This script is named after its creator Cyril (Constantine Philosopher). He was a monk, like his brother Methodius. The two of them were pronounced saints in 9th century. These two apostles are widely venerated; on 24 May the most celebrated festival takes place – The day of the Slavonic literature and culture.
Climate
Bulgaria is a country with moderate continental climate, ideal for tours (May to October), skiing (December to March) and going to the seaside (May to September).
Relief
Bulgaria is a mountainous country. Mountains form about 30 percent of the country’s area, and 40 percent of it are hills. Forests cover about one third of the territory of the country. The largest mountain ranges are – Rila, Pirin and Rhodope mountains, situated in the south-west and in the south part of Bulgaria. The highest peak in Bulgaria Moussala (2925 m) is situated in the Rila range. Stara planina (meaning Old Mountain in Bulgarian) is a ridge near 420 km long that runs through the middle of the country. It is famous for the Shipka Pass (the brightest symbol of Bulgarian liberation from Ottoman rule). Stara planina, like a barrier protects the fertile Thracian valley from cold winds, thus leaving Mediterranean sea to influence the climate in this region. Stara planina is the local name of the Balkan mountains (Balkan mountains gave the name of the whole peninsula). Its main peak is Botev (2376 m)
Flora and Fauna
Broad-leaved woodlands with oaks, beeches, hornbeams, limes, walnut-trees are found in Stara planina, Sredna Gora, Stranja. Coniferous forests are to be found at height above 1000 m.
There is a great diversity of animal species in Bulgaria (especially in its mountainous part) that became extinct elsewhere in Europe long ago: bears, wolfs; red deers, does, badges and jackals. There are more than 50 species of amphibians and reptiles, more than 1100 butterflies. There are also rare bird species like bearded vulture, black vulture and pelican.
More than 3200 plant species are observed in Bulgaria. Territories with natural environment are situated along the creeks of the rivers Kamchia and Ropotamo, on some islands and along the Danube bank. The first National park in Bulgaria was established in 1934. At present the total protected area of the National parks and the zones protected by the government is 498 hectares. Most of them are open for visitors.
History
As a result of its location, throughout its long history (the first Thracian tribes settled here 40 centuries BC; in 681 Khan Asparuh – the leader of the Bulgars, a nomadic tribe, founded The First Bulgarian State) Bulgaria has always been a bridge between the East and the West. Its periods of political independence were short, due to the continual seizures of its mighty neighbours: from 1018 till 1185 Bulgaria was under Bizantine rule, and from 1396 till 1878 had been a part of the Ottoman Empire. Thracians, Greek-colonists, Romans, Byzantines, Turks – all these peoples left their mark on the territory of Bulgaria. Numerous treasures of art and history are found on the territory of Bulgaria. Seven of the most prominent are included in the list of Unesco’s world heritage sites: two Thracian tombs (one in Sveshtari and one in Kazanlak), the ancient city-museum of Nesebar, The rock relief ‘’ Madara Rider’’, the church St. Pantaleimon in Boyana, the Rila monastery and the Rock-hewn church in Ivanovo.
Politics
Bulgaria is a Parliamentary Republic. The one-chamber parliament has legislative power and its mandate is a four-year one. The president has no real power. After the transition in 1989 when the irremovable leader of the country and the communist party – Todor Jivkov was foced down, the country has been led in turn by ‘’blue ones’’ (Union of Democratic Forces) and ‘’red ones’’(Bulgarian Socialist Party – an immediate successor of the Bulgarian Communist Party). NDSV (National Movement Simeon II) also plays a considerable role in modern political processes in Bulgaria. Its leader is Simeon Sax-Coburg-Gota (son of Tsar Boris III – the last king of Bulgaria) who recently returned to the country and formed the party. Presently socialists hold the majority of seats in the parliament; the prime-minister and also the leader of the Bulgarian Socialist party is Sergey Stanishev, the president of Republic of Bulgaria and also the former leader of the same party is Georgi Parvanov.
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