About Bulgaria
Bulgaria is one of the oldest European States with 20-century-old history and traditions. Modern Bulgaria is situated in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkan Peninsula - a busy crossroad of ancient cultures.
Bulgaria is also known for its picturesque nature and rich cultural heritage. According to the statistics, the country ranks third in Europe only after Greece and Italy for the number of its valuable archeological monuments.
General Information
Territory 110 993,6 km2
Population 7 973 671
Capital
Sofia (1 173 811 inhabitants)
Official language Bulgarian
Official holidays January 1st - New Years's Holiday;
March 3d - National Holiday (National Liberation from the Ottoman domination);
Easter, and the first Monday after Easter;
May 1st - Labour Day;
May 6th - Gergyovden, and the Bulgarian Military Army's Day;
May 24th - Cyril and Methodius Day;
September 6th - Unification Day;
September 22d - Independence Day;
November 1st - National Day of the Bulgarian Revival Leaders;
December 24,25,26 - Christmas Days;
National currency Lev
Measures and scales Metric system
Time zone GMT +2
Bulgarian History
The territory of the present-day Bulgaria has been inhabited since the New Stone Age and the New Copper Age and continues to reveal exceptional archeological findings.
Bulgaria is one of the oldest European States with 20-century-old history and traditions. Modern Bulgaria is situated in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkan Peninsula - a busy crossroad of ancient cultures.
For centuries, the roads passing through the territory of the country have been connecting Europe with Asia and Africa .
Most archaeological discoveries have been made near Kazanluk, Karlovo, Nova Zagora, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Sofia, Teteven, Troyan, Kurdjali and in the Rhodope Mountains.
The world-famous culture of the Tracians developed on the territory of today's Bulgaria during pre-historic and ancient times. The oldest gold treasure in the world - the Vulchitrun gold treasure (13-12 century BC), is of Thracian origin.The Thracian heritage influenced significantly the Bulgarian culture and is part of the foundations of the European civilization.
The first Thracian state unions emerged in the 11th century BC and flourished in the 7th-6th centuries BC. In the 1st century BC their lands were conquered by Rome, and after the 5-th century AD they were incorporated in the Byzantine Empire. The Thracians were later assimilated by the Slavs who settled in the Balkan Peninsula in the 6-th century AD. The most famous people born in ancient Trhace were Orpheus - the greatest singer of all time - and Spartacus - a gladiator and leader of the biggest slave uprising in Antiquity. According to the archeological and historical data, on the territory of the present-day Bulgaria the Thracians planted their vines and produced the honey-sweet black wine, described in Homer's Illiad.
In the 8th - 6th century B.C. the seafaring Greecs settled on the present day Bulgarian Black Sea cost and built fortified port cities such as Odessos (Varna), Mesambria (Nessebur), Apolonia (Sozopol).
Bulgaria is also known for its picturesque nature and rich cultural heritage. According to the statistics, the country ranks third in Europe only after Greece and Italy for the number of its valuable archeological monuments.
Bulgarian Economy
In the last seven years, Bulgaria has made impressive progress in stabilization, growth, and poverty reduction. Since 1997 Bulgaria has been implementing a comprehensive stabilization and structural reform program anchored in its process for EU accession. As a result, Bulgaria achieved, and has maintained macroeconomic stability since 1999; growth has ranged between 4 and 5 percent per year, contributing to increasing per capita income, at PPP, from US$5,508 in 1998 to US$8,260 in 2004; and unemployment has started to decline. The share o f the private sector in the economy had increased to around 75 percent by 2004, and trade in goods and services relative to GDP has expanded to above 100 percent since 2002. FDI flows have increased to an average o f 7 percent o f GDP per year since 1998 compared to an average o f 1 percent o f GDP in the first nine years o f transition. Investors' confidence has improved over time, both domestically and externally, with spreads o f Brady and Euro bonds declining since 2002. During the summer o f 2004, S&P and Fitch upgraded Bulgaria's longterm foreign currency debt to investment grade rating. Taken all together, Bulgaria has the unique opportunity o f the momentum o f i t s economic progress to deepen its economic transformation so as to accelerate real convergence.
The core reform agenda for Bulgaria is centered on achieving successful integration with the EU and the global markets. Bulgaria should build on its achievements to date to accelerate real convergence by expanding efficiency gains and competitiveness more broadly across the economy. To this end, Bulgaria needs to continue to act on several fronts as it has done since 1998 and to implement a core agenda o f reforms that will deepen trade integration with the EU and global markets. For Bulgaria to move towards potential output growth and become more competitive, policies and economic restructuring need to focus on
achieving higher economic efficiency and productivity supported by a fiscally sustainable and well targeted social protection system.
Going forward, a cohesive structural reform agenda supported by disciplined macroeconomic policies is central if Bulgaria is to translate EU accession into sustained improvement in standards of living for its population. Bulgaria has gained considerable
expertise in recent years in managing its economy under a hard peg. Best of all, it has demonstrated a willingness to subject its fiscal policy to the exigencies of the currency board and a flexibility to do so that will hold in good stead as it integrates in European monetary arrangements. Still, these challenges underscore the centrality of implementing the structural
reforms to get the Bulgarian economy in sync with the rest o f the currency area and able to withstand common external shocks. Reforms to substantially enhance labor market adjustment, to improve competition in the domestic markets, to enhance the
dependability of contracts and to upgrade skills and transport network, will help achieve that, while accelerating real convergence. These are central for Bulgaria to translate EU accession into sustained improvement in standards of living for its population.
Bulgarian Nature
Bulgaria is distinguished for its beautiful nature which has charmed everyone who has ever visited the country. Its territory is not that extensive at all, but being concentrated on such tiny space, natural landmarks are even more fascinating. The sublime mountains, age-old forests, lovely valleys, great plains, golden coastline and incredible sea-water make Bulgarian nature attractive. That is why Bulgaria takes pains to preserve its natural landmarks by turning vast areas of land into natural reserves and national parks. The country ranks second in the world as far as natural reserves are concerned and they number 17.
The climate in Bulgaria is moderate continental with four yearly seasons and average annual temperature of 10.5 C?. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of 0 degrees C?. The average air temperature in the summer is 30 C. and the average water temperature - 25 C?.
Basic characteristic features of the country's natural life are the great variety and wealth of animal and plant species and their considerable ecological and biogeographical diversity. The vegetable life of Bulgaria numbers about 12 000 species.
The most common and often met animals and birds are the typical of Europe: hinds, deer, wild-boars, bears, wolves, foxes, jackals, wood-grouses, vultures, sparrows, grass-snakes, etc.
Altogether in Bulgaria are to be found about 40 000 invertebrate species.
Protection of the natural world is one of the country's major concerns.
The protected territories are 49, the biospherical reserves - 17 (the greatest recorded number in Europe), the national parks - 7, the reserves - 82, the protected natural sites - 3055, the protected plants - 63 and the protected animals - 419.
The air and water resources of the country are some of the purest in Europe.
Search properties
Properties by type
Properties in Sofia
Contact Tera Estate
Address:
Sofia,
100 Dimitar Petkov bld. 1
Phone:
02/ 920 08 08
0886/33 38 38
E-mail:
office@teraimot.com