The Country
Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic. It is a unitary state with a centralised structure. It consists of 27 provinces and a metropolitan capital province (Sofia-Grad).
Located in Southeast Europe, in the northeast part of the Balkan Peninsula, Bulgaria is on the crossroad between Europe, Asia and Africa.
The country’s geographic position also determines the relatively wide angle of sunlight that falls on the country, making the country predominantly sunny. The influence of the Mediterranean is extensive for the climate in the southern parts of the country, while the Black Sea influences the climate over an area extending some 40 km inland. Bulgaria’s favorable geographic location creates excellent preconditions for the development of tourism.
Bulgaria is one of the oldest countries in Europe, established in 681 AD. Its territory has been populated since the earliest historical times and the country was a cradle of some of the earliest civilizations in Europe. The Bulgarian alphabet - the Cyrillic - is the third official alphabet of the European Union and nearly 15 million people around the world use it. The foundations of present- day Bulgaria were laid after the liberation from Ottoman rule in 1878, when the country was declared a monarchy. In 1946 Bulgaria becomes a People's Republic and the Bulgarian Communist Party came to power. The democratic changes started at the end of 1989, when multi-party elections were held and a new constitution was adopted. The Constitution of 1991 declares Bulgaria as a parliamentary republic with a one camera national assembly, directly elected president and the country began its transition to democratic development and a market economy. Bulgaria became a full EU member country on 1 January 2007 and in 2018 held the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union.