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About Bulgaria
Geographic Location and Climate
History
Geographic
Location (to top)
Bulgaria is situated on the Balkan
peninsula and shares borders with Turkey and Greece to the south, The
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro to the
west, Romania to the north and the Black Sea to the east. The
terrain of Bulgaria is mostly mountains with lowlands in the north and the
southeast. There are two mountain ranges: the Balkans (locally known as
Stara Planina) and the Rhodope range, as well as the Rila mountain (with
Mussala, 2925 m, the highest peak on the Balkans) and Pirin Mountain with
Bansko, the most modern ski resort in Europe).
Bulgaria is famous for its mineral springs overall 500 throughout the country, many thermal
with a vast range of healing properties.
Climate
The climate of Bulgaria is
temperate continental with slight Mediterranean influence. There are four
clearly marked seasons. Summers are typically hot and dry, but rarely
oppressive, with moderate relative humidity. Winters are cold but not
bitterly so.
The Bulgarian autumn is referred to as the gold autumn
a spectacular season with the changing of colours, the falling of the
leaves and and the last sunny days.
Medio temperature
Settembre 11-22 C
Ottbre 8-17 C
Novembre 3-9 C
History (to top)
The Thracians lived in what is now known as Bulgaria
from about 3500 B.C. They were incorporated into the Roman Empire by the
first century A.D. At the decline of the empire, the Goths, Huns, Bulgars,
and Avars invaded. The Bulgars, who crossed the Danube from the north in
679, took control of the region. Although the country bears the name of
the Bulgars, the Bulgar language and culture died out, replaced by a
Slavic language, writing, and religion. In 865, Boris I adopted Orthodox
Christianity. But in 1396 they were invaded by the Ottoman Empire, which
made Bulgaria a Turkish province until 1878. Ottoman rule was harsh and
inescapable, given Bulgaria's proximity to its oppressor. In 1878, Russia
forced Turkey to give Bulgaria its independence after the Russo-Turkish
War (18771878). But the European powers, fearing Russia's and Bulgaria's
dominance in the Balkans, intervened at the Congress of Berlin (1878),
limiting Bulgaria's territory and fashioning it into a small principality
ruled by Alexander of Battenburg, the nephew of the Russian tsar.
Alexander was succeeded in 1887 by Prince Ferdinand
of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who declared a kingdom independent of the Ottoman
Empire on September 22, 1908. In 1912, in the First Balkan War,
Bulgaria fought with Greece and Serbia against Turkey and in the Second
Balkan War, a year later, Bulgaria, defeated by Serbia, Greece, Romania
and Turkey, lost territories on all sides. In October 1915 Bulgaria
entered the WWI on the German side, in the hope of regaining its lost
territories. In 1918 Ferdinand abdicated in favor of his son. Boris III
squandered Bulgaria's resources and assumed dictatorial powers in
19341935. Bulgaria fought on the side of the Nazis in World War II, but
after Russia declared war on Bulgaria on Sept. 5, 1944, Bulgaria switched
sides. Three days later, on Sept. 9, 1944, a Communist coalition took
control of the country and in 1946 established the Peoples Republic of
Bulgaria with leader Georgi Dimitrov. In September 1946, 8-year-old Tsar
Simeon II and his family left Bulgaria for exile.
A Soviet-style
People's Republic was established in 1947 and Bulgaria acquired the
reputation of being the most slavishly loyal to Moscow of all the East
European Communist countries. The general secretary of the Bulgarian
Communist Party, Todor Zhikov, resigned in 1989 after 35 years in power.
His successor, Peter Mladenov, purged the Politburo, ended the Communist
monopoly on power, and held free elections in May 1990 that led to a
surprising victory for the Communist Party, renamed the Bulgarian
Socialist Party (BSP). Mladenov was forced to resign in July 1990.
In
Oct. 1991, the Union of Democratic Forces won, forming Bulgaria's first
non-Communist government since 1946. Power shifted back and forth between
the pro-Western Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) and the BSP during the
1990s. The economy continued to deteriorate amid growing concern over the
spread of organized crime. A new UDF government, led by Prime Minister
Ivan Kostov, was elected in 1997 to overhaul the economic system and
institute reforms aimed at stemming corruption. Currency was stabilized by
an agreement with IMF establishing a currency board in Bulgaria. Progress
on both fronts remained slow. As a result, the UDF lost the July 2001
election to the former king of Bulgaria, leader of the Simeon II National
Movement (SNM). The new prime minister, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Simeon
II), had been dethroned 55 years earlier (at the age of nine) during the
Communist takeover of the country. Bulgaria became a member of NATO in
2004. In 2005, the EU approved its membership for 2007, subject to the
implementation of reforms, especially the cleaning up of corruption and
organized crime.
In June 2005 general elections,
no party received a clear majority, and a coalition government was formed
with Socialist Party leader Sergei Stanishev as the new Prime
Minister.
On January 1st, 2007, Bulgaria
became a member state of the EU.
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