Bulgaria

Area Information - Bulgaria

General Info

Full name: Republic of Bulgaria
Area: 110,993 sq km
Population: 7.93 million
Capital: Sofia (pop 1.1 million)
Official Language: Bulgarian
Religion: 86% Bulgarian Orthodox, 13% Muslim
Political system: Parliament Republic
President: Georgi Parvanov
Prime Minister: Sergei Stanishev
GDP: US$34.9 billion
GDP per head: US$4300
Annual growth: 5.8%
Inflation: 11.4%

Terrain
Over half of Bulgaria is made up of mountains. The Balkan Mountains divide Bulgaria in two parts. They reach the Black sea to the east and the Bulgarian-Yugoslav border to the north. The plains and the lowlands swathe large areas of the both sides of the Balkan Mountains. The Danube plain is the largest, bordering river Danube to the north and the Balkan Mountains to the south. The southern part of the country has broad and jagged Rhodope Mountains, which form the border with Greece. At their western end are the Rila Mountains with Musala, the uppermost peak on the Balkan Peninsula (2925 m) and the Bulgaria second highest mountain Pirin. The Black sea is the eastern boundary of Bulgaria and its coastline is 378 km. long.

Climate
The typical weather in Bulgaria is determined by four clear seasons. The climate in the northern part of the country is average continental, while the climate in Southern Bulgaria is intermediate continental tending to Mediterranean. The climate in the regions with an altitude of 1900-2000 m above sea level is precipitous. The climate of the seaside regions is milder in the winter and cooler in the summer than the climate of the interior of the country. The average annual temperature is 10°C. The average air temperature in the summer is 30°C. The average water temperature is 25°C.