Bulgaria officially the Republic of Bulgaria  is a country in Southeastern Europe, and a member state of the European Union.

A country of southeast Europe on the Black Sea. Settled in the 6th century A.D. by Slavs, it was ruled by Turkey from the late 14th century until 1908, when it became an independent kingdom.

Geography

Bulgaria comprises portions of the classical regions of Thrace, Moesia, and Macedonia. The southwest of the country is mountainous with two alpine ranges - Rila and Pirin and further east are the lower but more extensive Rhodope Mountains. Rila mountain includes the highest peak of the Balkan Peninsula, peak Musala at 2,925 meters (9,596 ft); the long range of the Balkan mountains runs west-east through the middle of the country, north of the famous Rose Valley.

Economy

Bulgaria's economy contracted dramatically after 1989 with the loss of the market of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) member states, to which the Bulgarian economy had been closely tied. The standard of living fell by about 40%, but it regained pre-1990 levels in June 2004.

The country has good traditions and perfect opportunities in science. The inventor of the earliest known electronic computer John Atanasoff is of Bulgarian descent. Bulgaria used to be a major supplier of scientific and research instruments for the Soviet space programmes, it was one of the first states to develop serial computer production, it has great experience in pharmaceutical research and development. The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is the leading institution with most of the researchers working for its numerous branches.

Transport

Bulgaria occupies a unique and strategically important geographic location. Since ancient times, the country has been a major crossroad between Europe, Asia and Africa. Five of the ten Transeuropean corridors run through its territory.

Demographics

Bulgarian is the mother-tongue of 84.8% of the population; it is a member of the Slavic languages. Bulgarian is the only official language, but other languages such as Turkish and Romany, are spoken corresponding closely to ethnic breakdown.
Now Bulgaria suffers a heavy demographic crisis. In 1988 the population of Bulgaria was 8,859,000 people (after a census), and a 2001-census shows a 7,950,000 population.

Culture

A country often described to lie at the crossroads linking the East and West, Bulgaria was the centre of Slavic Europe during much of the Middle Ages, exerting considerable literary and cultural influence over the Eastern Orthodox Slavic world by means of the Preslav and Ohrid Literary Schools.
Bulgaria is well-known for its rich folklore, distinctive traditional music, rituals and tales, but the country's contribution to humanity also continued in the 19th and 20th century.

Sports

Football is by far the most popular sport in the country. Many Bulgarian fans follow closely the top Bulgarian league, the Bulgarian A Professional Football Group, as well as the leagues of other European countries, such as those of Spain, England, Italy and Germany.