Country Information on Bulgaria 

Terrain

From the banks of the Danube, a plain slopes up to the rounded summits of the Stara Planina. This east-west range runs right across the northern half of the country from the Black Sea to Yugoslavia. Southern Bulgaria is even more mountainous. Musala Peak (2925 m) in the Rila Mountains south of Sofia is the highest mountain between the Alps and Transcaucasia, and is almost equalled by Vihren Peak (2915 m) in the Pirin Massif further south. The Rodopi Mountains stretch east along the Greek border from Rila and Pirin, separating the Aegean Sea from the Thracian Plain of Central Bulgaria. This plain opens onto the Black Sea coast with great bays and coastal lakes at Burgas and Varna.

Climate

The northern parts of Bulgaria are dominated by continental climatic conditions with intense variation in annual average temperature. Cold winters are followed by hot and dry summers. Milder air masses from the Mediterranean are being kept off by the mountainous region of Southern Bulgaria, whereas the basin region in the southern part with a predominantly Mediterranean climate is characterized by dry summers and humid winters. The Balkans (as a natural border) offer genuine protection when it comes to masses of cold air advancing from the north-east.

Fauna/Flora

Approximately a third of Bulgaria's surface is forested, with oak and beech dominating the lowlands, pine, spruce and fir in altitude regions. Conifers amount to appr. 30% of timber. In the southern parts of the country (given the favourable climatic conditions) Mediterranean plants like various species of Macchie can be found. Quite a few animal species typical for Central Europe, like roe deer, deer and chamois (horned antelope), can be found in Bulgaria. Bulgarian forests even provide a sufficient habitat for bears and wolves.

History/Politics

In 679, the Bulgars, a Turkic tribe, crossed the Danube to found the First Bulgarian Empire; they then expanded south at Byzantium's expense before finally conquering Macedonia in the 9th century. The Bulgars were eventually assimilated by the more numerous Slavs, and adopted their language and way of life. It was only as Turkish power weakened in the 18th century that Bulgarians began to suffer rising taxes and inflation, the burden of unsuccessful Turkish wars against the Austrians and the Russians.

The modern history of Bulgaria dates from this 1878 liberation. European powers, fearful of a powerful Russian satellite in the Balkans, hacked away bits of Bulgaria, leaving everyone unsatisfied and ready to snap at the two Balkan Wars which preceded World War I. Bulgaria did not too well, losing Macedonia and entering into an alliance with the Central Powers in World War I, despite opposition within Bulgaria. The interwar years were characterised by serious problems with Macedonian refugees, communist uprisings and economic crises. Bulgaria sided with Germany at the outbreak of World War II, but Tsar Boris III, fearing a popular uprising, refused to declare war on Russia. The underground Fatherland Front consolidated opposition to the pro-German government, eventually gaining the popular support necessary to overthrow the monarchy. Communist Todor Zhivkov persuaded a none too reluctant army to switch sides, resulting in the Bulgarians fighting alongside their erstwhile liberators (Russia) and against their recent allies (Germany) until the war's end.

Under Todor Zhivkov, Bulgaria's leader from 1954 to 1989, the country became one of the most prosperous in Eastern Europe, with farmers allowed to till small private plots and industrial growth eventually contributing to over half the gross national product. The collapse of Communism in 1989 left industry exposed, and the transition to democracy has been a troubled one. The renamed Communist Party (now the Bulgarian Socialist Party) has managed to control the direction of newly democratic Bulgaria, restricting the influence of the president.

Economy

In April 1997, the current ruling Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) government won pre-term parliamentary elections and introduced an IMF (International Monetary Fund) currency board system which succeeded in stabilising the economy. The triple digit inflation of 1996 and 1997 has given way to an official consumer price increase of 1% in 1998. Following declines in gross domestic product growth in both 1996 and 1997, the economy grew an officially estimated 4% in 1998, and 4.5% in the first quarter of 2000. Unemployment rate amounted to 5% in 1999. Major industries are food processing, machine and metal building, electronics, chemicals, and rose oil.

Culture

"Trifon Zarezan" on 14 February is the ancient festival of the wine growers. Vines are pruned and sprinkled with wine to ensure a bounteous harvest. On 1 March, Bulgarians give one another "Martenitsi", red and white tasselled threads which are worn for health and happiness at the coming of spring. At the Koprivshtitsa Folk Festival, which is held every four years, some 4000 finalists compete for awards. There is a biennial festival in Pernik at which participants, wearing traditional masks and costumes, perform ancient dances to drive away evil spirits and ask the good spirits for a plentiful harvest. "Koukeri" is another spring festival, most avidly celebrated in the Rodopi Mountains. The "Festival of Roses" is celebrated with folk songs and dances at Kazanlâk and Karlovo on the first Sunday in June.