Portal:Bulgaria

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Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located west of the Black Sea and south of the Danube river, Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, and Romania to the north. It covers a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi) and is the 16th largest country in Europe. Sofia is the nation's capital and largest city; other major cities include Burgas, Plovdiv, and Varna.

Bulgaria has an upper-middle-income economy, ranking 70th in the Human Development Index. Bulgaria ranks 38th in the innovation index. Its market economy is part of the European Single Market and is largely based on services, followed by industry—especially machine building and mining—and agriculture. The country faces a demographic crisis; its population peaked at 9 million in 1989, and has since decreased to under 6.4 million as of 2024. Bulgaria is a member of the European Union, the Schengen Area, NATO, and the Council of Europe. It is also a founding member of the OSCE and has taken a seat on the United Nations Security Council three times. (Full article...)

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A fresco depicting St. John of Rila from Rila Monastery, Bulgaria

Saint John of Rila, also known as Ivan of Rila (Bulgarian: Свети преподобни Йоан Рилски Чудотворец, romanized: Svеti prеpodobni Yoan Rilski Chudotvorеts, lit. 'Saint John of Rila the Wondermaker'; c. 876–946), was the first Bulgarian hermit. He was revered as a saint while he was still alive. The legend surrounding him tells of wild animals that freely came up to him and birds that landed in his hands. His followers founded many churches in his honor, including the famous Rila Monastery. One of these churches, Saint John of Rila was only discovered in 2008 in the town of Veliko Tarnovo. Today, he is honored as the patron saint of the Bulgarians and as one of the most important saints in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. (Full article...)

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Did you know (auto-generated)

... that Tsvetana Jermanova survived imprisonment in two forced labour camps in communist Bulgaria?
... that one of the highest death rates in the Holocaust was in Bulgarian-occupied Greece, where 97 percent of Jews were killed in less than a month?

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Gallery

Image 1Razgrad is a city in East Bulgaria.
Image 2Maritsa is a river in South Bulgaria.
Image 3A beach in Bulgaria.
Image 4Rila is a mountain in West Bulgaria
Image 5Danube river in Bulgaria
Image 6Varna lake is a salt lake near Black sea.
Image 7Sofia is the biggest city in Bulgaria.

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A view of the northern part of the Pirin mountain. The second-highest mountain of Bulgaria, Pirin is famed for its 176 glacier lakes and harbours the UNESCO World Heritage Pirin National Park.

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