About Bulgaria

Bulgaria (Bulgarian: България, Balgariya,[1] pronounced IPA: [bɤlˈgarijə]), officially the Republic of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Република България, Republika Balgariya, pronounced IPA: [rɛˈpubliˌkə bɤlˈgarijə]), a state in Southeastern Europe, borders five other countries; Romania to the north (mostly along the Danube), Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south. The Black Sea defines the extent of the country to the east.

Bulgaria comprises the classical regions of Thrace, Moesia, and Macedonia. Proto-Thracian culture in the region started to produce golden artifacts by the fifth millennium BC.[3][4] The country preserves the traditions of the First Bulgarian Empire (632 - 1018), which at times covered most of the Balkans and spread its culture and literature among the Slavic peoples of Eastern Europe. Centuries later, with the decline of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185 - 1396/1422), the country came under Ottoman rule for five centuries. Diplomacy re-established Bulgaria as a constitutional monarchy in 1878, with the Treaty of San Stefano marking the birth of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom. After World War II, Bulgaria became a communist state and part of the Eastern Bloc.

Currently, Bulgaria functions as a parliamentary democracy under a unitary constitutional republic. The country has joined the European Union and NATO. It has a population of approximately 7.7 million, with Sofia as its capital and largest city.

Source: wikipedia.org