Location:   The republic of Bulgaria is situated in the south-east part of Europe and more precisely in the eastern part of the Balkan peninsula. On the north it has a common boundary with Romania and on the west with Serbia. On the south-west it is conterminous with Macedonia while on the south-east it is contiguous to Turkey. On the east the country is bounded by the Black Sea. The total length of the Bulgarian border-line is 2 245 km (1 395 miles), 1 181 (734) of which are land frontier, 686 km (426) river and 378 km (235)sea-frontage.

Territory:                              111 000 km2 (42 857 square miles)

Population:                           7 500 000 (according to the census    taken in 2002     

Settlements:                          5406

Capital city:                           Sofia, with 1 188 000 inhabitants

Main Geographic Regions in Bulgaria: 6 - North-West, North-Central, North-East, SouthEast, South-Central, South-West
Provinces (Districts) in Bulgaria: 28
Total Munucipalities in Bulgaria: 264
Total Towns and Cities in Bulgaria: 250
Total Villages in Bulgaria: 5080

Divisions: The territory of the republic of Bulgaria is divided into 263 municipalities from 28 districts (provinces), groupped into 6 “planning economic regions”. 

Larger cities:     Plovdiv (population - 350 000), Varna (population - 300 000), Bourgas (population - 200 000), Rousse (population - 187 000), Stara Zagora (population - 150 000), Pleven (population - 120 000).

Distances to some big cities:
Distance Sofia - Varna: 377.16 km
Distance Sofia - Bourgass: 341.754 km
Distance Sofia - Plovdiv: 131.714 km
Distance Sofia - Rousse: 251.338 km

• BULGARIAN RESORTS

- NORT BLACK SEA COAST - (North-Eastern Region )

- SOUTH BLACK SEA COAST - (South-Eastern Region)

 - TOP SKY RESORTS

Highway network:                  36 720 km (22 817miles)

Railway system:                     4 300 km (2 672miles) 

Airports:                                   Sofia, Plovdiv,Varna, Bourgas

Harbours:       On  the  Black  Sea  -  Varna, Bourgas, Balchick, Nessebur;  on the Danube - Vidin, Lom, Oriakhovo, Nickopol, Svishtov, Rousse, Toutrackan, Sillistra.

Monetary unit:           LEV - with bank-notes (bills) of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 leva
Also you can find the following coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 stotinki and 1 lev  (1 Lev = 100 stotinki). If you need to exchange money we suggest to use only banks rather than local exchange bureaus or suspicious people on the street.

Official language:      Bulgarian - the oldest written Slavonic language. The alphabet is Cyrillic Learn the Bulgarian Language Online at EasyBulgarian.com

Religion:         Orthodox Christianity, Islam Relief: The lowlands occupy 31%, the plains and the hilly terrains 41%, and the mountains 28% of the country.s territory. The larger mountain ranges are the Balkan mountains (with its highest peak Botev - 2 376 m /7 795 ft), the Rhodopes (highest peak - Goliam Perrelick - 2 191 m / 7 188 ft), Rila (highest peak - Moussala - 2 925 m /9 596 ft ), Pirin (highest peak - Vihren - 2 914m / 9 560 ft), Vitosha (highest peak - Cherni Vruh -2 290 m / 7 513 ft).

Water resources:       On the east Bulgaria borders is the Black Sea. The common length of the sea-frontage from the north (Romania) to the south (Turkey) is 378 km / 235 miles. The rivers in Bulgaria flow into the Black and the Aegean Seas. The biggest and the longest rivers take their sources from the Rila mountains. The larger rivers are: The Danube (covering 609 km / 387 miles) of the Bulgarian northern boundary), Iskur (length - 368 km / 229 mileson Bulgarian territory), Toundja (length - 349 km / 217 miles on Bulgarian territory), Maritza (length - 321 km / 199 miles on Bulgarian territory), Ossum (length - 314 km / 195 miles), Strouma (length - 290 km / 180 miles on Bulgarian territory), Yantra (length - 285 km / 177miles), Kamtchya (length - 244 km / 152 miles).

Climate:          The climate in Bulgaria is moderate continental with four yearly seasons and average annual temperature of 10.5 degrees centigrade. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of 0 degrees centigrade. The average air temperature in the summer is 30 degrees centigrade. and the average water temperature - 25 degrees centigrade.

Vegetation and animals:       Basic characteristic features of the country.s natural life are the great variety and wealth of animal and plant species and their considerable ecological and biogeographical diversity. The vegetable life of Bulgaria numbers about 12 000 species - 71 kinds of trees, 119 kinds of bushes, 3300 kinds of flower plants, about 4000 kinds of seaweed, etc.  

The most common and often met animals and birds are the typical of Europe: hinds, deer, wild-boars, bears, wolves, foxes, jackals, wood-grouses, vultures, sparrows, grass-snakes, etc. Altogether in Bulgaria are to be found about 40 000 invertebrate species, 659 vertebrate species, 337 bird species, 117 fish species and 92 mammal species.

Protection of Nature:         Protection of the natural world is one of the country’s major concerns. The protected territories in Bulgaria are 49, the biospherical reserves - 17 (the greatest recorded number in Europe), the national parks - 7, the reserves - 82, the protected natural sites - 3055, the protected plants - 63 and the protected animals - 419. The air and water resources of the country are some of the purest in Europe.

History:            The Bulgarian people is one of the most ancient. The Bulgarian state was founded on the present-day territory of Europe in 681 and ever since that time the name of the country has always been the same. What follows are some of the most significant dates and events in the history of Bulgaria:

885 - Cyril and Methodius created the Slavonic script.
864 - 866 - Bulgaria adopted Christianity. 
1018- 1185 - Bulgaria fell within the limits of the Byzantine Empire and Rule.
1185 - Restoration of the Bulgarian state.
1396 - 1878 - Bulgaria was under the Turkish Yoke.
1878 - 1944 - Bulgaria was a constitutional monarchy.
1944 - 1989 - Bulgaria was a people’s republic, governed by the communist  party.
Since 10 th of November, 1989 Bulgaria has been a parliamenary republic.

Useful Tips

Arriving in the country:  British citizens holding full 10 year British passport and entering Bulgaria on pre-booked arrangements and staying 1 month or less do not need a visa. This does not apply to third country nationals residing permanently in the UK. If you plan to stay in Bulgaria for a longer period of time and apply for a long-term residence, you need to obtain visa D from the Bulgarian Embassy in the UK. If you are travelling with a child and the child is registered in the passport of one of the parents, please bear in mind that the child can travel in the country and leave the country only accompanied by the same parent unless the other parent is given power of attorney.

Important:      All foreign nationals who are not staying in a hotel must register in the nearest police department within 48 hours after their entry into Bulgaria. They have to notify the authorities of their address of staying. If you are staying in a hotel, the hotel staff will inform the authorities for you – it's a routine procedure of registering all hotel guests.

British Embassy:    The British Embassy in Bulgaria is based in Sofia.

The address is: 9 Moskovska Street

Tel. (+359 2) 933 9222

Fax (+359 2) 933 9250

The Embassy's office hours are 08:30-17:00 Monday to Thursday and 08:30-13:00 on Friday.

The Consulate is open to the public as follows: 09:00-12:00 Monday to Friday
14:00-16:00 Monday to Thursday

Bulgarian International Airports:

Sofia Airport . Tel: +359 (2) 937 2212

Plovdiv airport . Tel: +359 (32) 601111

Varna Airport . Tel: +359 (52) 500834, 500840

Bourgas airport . Tel: +359 (56) 87 02 48

CUSTOMS: Import and export of all kinds of narcotic drugs and substances, firearms, explosives and ammunitions in the Republic of Bulgaria is prohibited.

Export of objects with artistic, historical or cultural value out of the country is allowed only with the special permission of the ministry of Culture.

Duty-free allowance per adult:

1 litre of spirits 

2 litres of wine

200 cigarettes 

50ml of perfume
 

DRIVING 

Speed limits for cars are:

up to 50 km/h(30 mph) within populated areas – cities, villages

up to 90 km/h (55 mph) outside populated areas

up to 120 km/h (75 mph) on motorways

ELECTRICITY -  Bulgaria operates on 220 volt,50Hz. The standard continental two-pin plug is used. 
MEASURES  -  Bulgaria uses the metric system for weights and measures:

Linear measures   

1 inch = 2.54 cm    1 yard = 91.44 cm

1 foot = 30.48 cm   1 mile = 1.609 km

Capacity measures

1 pint = 0.5683 dm³    1 gallon (UK) = 4.546 dm³ 

Weight

1 ounce = 28.35 g       1 stone = 6.350 kg

1 pound = 0.4536 kg

Temperature

 ° Fahrenheit = (9/5 x ° C) + 32              ° Centigrade = (5/9) ( ° F – 32) 

Important telephone numbers for all built-in areas of the country:

Police - 166, Fire Brigade - 160, Road Duty - 146, First Aid – 150

Official holidays:

January 1st . New Years’s Holiday;

March 3rd . National Holiday;

Easter, and the first Monday after Easter;

May 1st . Labour Day;

May 6th . Gergyovden and the Bulgarian Military Army.s Day;

May 24th . Cyril and Methodius Day;

September 6th . Unification Day;

September 22nd . Independence Day;

November 1st - National Day of the Bulgarian Revival Leaders;

December 24,25,26 . Christmas Days;

Time zone: GMT +2