Bulgaria

Република България Republika Balgariya Republic of Bulgaria
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Съединението прави силата  (Bulgarian) "Saedinenieto pravi silata"  (transliteration) "Unity Makes Strength"
Anthem: Мила Родино  (Bulgarian) Mila Rodino  (transliteration) "Dear Motherland"
Location of  Bulgaria  (orange) – on the European continent  (camel & white) – in the European Union  (camel)
Capital (and largest city)	Sofia 42°41′N 23°19′E
Official languages	Bulgarian
Government	Parliamentary republic
- President	Georgi Parvanov
- Prime Minister	Sergey Stanishev
Formation
- Founded	632
- Christianized	865
- Last previously    independent state1	1422
- Vassality to the    Ottoman Empire	1878
- Independence	1908
Accession to EU	January 1, 2007
Area
- Total	110,912 km² (104th) 42,823 sq mi
- Water (%)	0.3%
Population
- 2005 estimate	7,726,000  (93rd)
- 2001 census	7,932,984
- Density	70 /km² (124th) 181 /sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2006 estimate
- Total	$77.130 billion (68th)
- Per capita	$10 400 (66th)
HDI (2004)	0.816 (high) (54th)
Currency	Lev, pl. Leva (BGN)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Internet TLD	.bg2
Calling code	+359
1 Vidin Tsardom. 2 The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states.

Bulgaria (Bulgarian: България, IPA: ), officially the Republic of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Република България, IPA: ), is a country on the Balkan Peninsula, in Southern Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the east, Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Romania to the north, mostly along the Danube. Bulgaria also shares a sea border with Turkey, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, and Georgia. The capital is Sofia.

Bulgaria is a country with an ancient history dating back to prehistoric times, the Thracian, Greek and Roman worlds of antiquity, and the powerful medieval Old Great Bulgaria founded in 632 CE and Bulgarian Empire founded in 681 CE. Geographically and climatically, Bulgaria is noted for its diversity, with the landscape ranging from the Alpine snow-capped peaks in Rila, Pirin and the Balkan Mountains to the mild and sunny weather of the Black Sea coast, from the typically continental Danubian Plain (ancient Moesia) in the north to the strong Mediterranean influence in the valleys of Macedonia and the lowlands in the southernmost parts of Thrace.

Bulgaria joined NATO on March 29, 2004 and the European Union on January 1, 2007. The country has been a member of the United Nations since 1955, and is a founding member of OSCE. As a Consultative Party to the Antarctic Treaty, Bulgaria takes part in the governing of the territories situated south of 60° south latitude.

History

Thracians inhabited what is now Bulgaria in antiquity. They were divided in numerous tribes until King Teres united most of them around 500 BC in the Odrysian kingdom, which peaked under the kings Sitalkes and Cotys I (383-359 BC). In 341 BC it was destroyed by the Macedonian state but rose from its ashes at the end of the fourth century BC under Seuthes III. In 188 BC the Romans invaded Thrace and the wars with them continued to 45 CE, when Thrace became a Roman province.

The Thracians did not have writing and now their legacy survives mainly in the numerous treasures and tombs they left. It is believed that the oldest golden treasure, the Varna treasure which is 6,500 years old, is Thracian-made. One of the most talented ancient commanders, Spartacus, was a Thracian born in the middle Struma region.

In 632, the Bulgars led by Khan Kubrat formed an independent state called Great Bulgaria, bounded by the Danube delta to the west, the Black Sea to the south, the Caucasus to the southeast, and Volga River to the east. Byzantium recognized the new state by treaty in 635.

Pressure by the Khazars led to the loss of the eastern part of Great Bulgaria in the second half of the seventh century. Some of the Bulgars from tha