is a country situated in Southeast Europe and occupies the eastern quarter of the Balkan peninsula, being the largest country within its geographic boundaries. It is bordering Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. The northern border with Romania follows the river Danube .
Bulgaria features notable diversity with the landscape ranging from the snow-capped peaks in Rila, Pirin and the Balkan Mountains to the mild and sunny Black Sea coast; from the typically continental Danubian Plain in the north to the strong Mediterranean climatic influence in the valleys of Macedonia and in the lowlands in the southernmost of Thrace, the lowest parts of the Upper Thracian Plain, along the Maritsa River, the Southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast.
Bulgaria's mild climate and fertile soil has attracted settlers since ancient times.
Because of its location at the crossroads between Asia and Europe, many different cultures have influenced Bulgaria.
Bulgaria as we see it today is the result of intricately intertwined histories of many different peoples.
The Thracians lived in Bulgaria from 1000BC.
Bulgarian history really starts with the Thracians. The Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes that lived throughout the Balkan Peninsula from about 1000 BC. They lived simply in small-fortified hilltop villages, but had an advanced cultural life. Many elaborate gold and silver treasures have been found in Bulgaria, and you can still admire some of their burial tombs today.
The Bulgars were a war-like tribe from central Asia.
From 200 BC, the Romans became the main power in Europe. By 50 AD, all the Thracian tribes were obliterated and the Romans had created the provinces of Thrace in the South and Moesia in the North.
During Roman rule, the Slavs started to migrate south and east. The Slavs were a large tribe that came from east Ukraine. Because of their interest in Christianity, the Romans allowed these peaceful farming people to settle. The Slavs became the most powerful people in the Balkans, until the arrival of the Bulgars in the second half of the 6th century.
The Ottoman empire once ruled the whole of Bulgaria, as well as South East Europe and North Africa (map shows extent of the Ottoman empira around 1600 AD).
The 'Ottoman Yoke' was a difficult time for the Bulgarians. During the first 50 years, almost half of the population was killed or left to starve. People had to pay very high taxes, even for occasions such as birth and death, and many people were forced to convert to Islam.
There were some uprisings during the 500-year period that the Ottomans ruled, but the Ottomans quickly crushed these and no real change followed.
However, in spite of the oppression, the Bulgarians managed to keep their culture, traditions and language alive.
Vasil Levski became a martyr for the liberation of Bulgaria after his execution by the Ottomans.
The National Revival period and the increasing tolerance of the Ottomans sparked ideas of liberation. Bulgarian Nationalists grouped under one leader, Vasil Levski, a gifted poet. When the Turks executed Vasil, he became a martyr for the liberation cause.
In April 1876, the April uprising started in a small mountain village in the Balkan Mountains. But the Turks quickly crushed the uprising and killed over 30,000 rebels, both during the uprising and in revenge attacks.
However, the rebels' fate was not in vain, because Russia, shocked by the atrocities, attacked the Turkish Empire and freed Bulgaria in 1877.
For a very brief period in history, Bulgaria became a large independent country that included Macedonia and East Greece. This however was too dangerous to Western Europe. They divided Bulgaria again and even gave parts back to the Ottomans.
Bulgaria was a Communist country from 1946 to 1989.
After the liberation by Russia, the Bulgarian Communist Party (BKP) emerged as the leading political force. At first they hid their radicalism behind a moderate coalition government. But a staged referendum on the monarchy resulted in its abolishment and the People's Republic of Bulgaria was proclaimed in 1946.
Many enterprises were nationalized. The communists quickly turned to any opposition, whether from within or outside the party. They got rid of over 100,000 people and transformed Bulgaria into a modern industrialist state with heavy industry and many factories. Agricultural production stayed behind though, partly because of the many smallholdings in private ownership.
Bulgaria has kept many of its traditions. Horo dancing is one of them.
After the fall of the Berlin wall, a new party leader was appointed. Other political parties also started to appear. By 1990 state and party were separated, hardliners removed and the name changed to the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP).
The first elections brought the BSP back to power, partly because it had financial resources for campaigning, but also because the other parties hardly had the time to get themselves organized. Some people are convinced the outcome was fixed.
The following period was a time of many protests, discontent and economic crises. There were many power switches in the government, but no government delivers promises of better living conditions for the ordinary Bulgarians. Crime and corruption became common and many former party members were able to buy state businesses at cheap prices.
The Bulgarians were hoping for a public figure that could be an example to sort out the mess. Then the former king Simeon the second appeared and formed a political party. He won the elections and set out to turn Bulgaria around. But because no real change appeared in the lives of the average Bulgarian, most people quickly lost their hopes.
Today, all hopes are on a new political party again: GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria). GERB has won the elections in 2009. They state their priorities as fighting crime and corruption, while preserving family as the cornerstone of Bulgarian society and achieving energy independence.
Time will tell whether GERB will be able to help Bulgaria towards better living conditions, while respecting Bulgaria's beautiful natural environment.