Related Topics  Useful Information  How to Reach Bulgaria  Airlines  Explore Bulgaria		General Information Location Bulgaria is situated in Southeast Europe and occupies the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. To the north it borders on Romania, to the west on the Republic of Macedonia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, to the east on the Black Sea, to the south on Greece and to the southeast on Turkey's European part. Area: 111.000 sq km. Relief Extremely varied: large plains and lowlands, low and high mountains, valleys and lovely gorges. Climate Temperate continental with clearly marked four seasons. A Mediterranean influence is felt in the country's southern regions. The average annual temperature is 10.5°C. The average January temperature is around O°C. Average summer temperatures rarely exceed 30°C. Population 8,428,006  Language Bulgarian. English, German, French and Russian is spoken in the country's resorts, hotels and restaurants.  Alphabet Cyrillic. Signs along international motorways, in airports and resorts are also spelled in Roman letters.  Religion 86.6% of the population is Eastern Orthodox, 13% are Muslims. The Bulgarian Church is autonomous and headed by a Patriarch. State government Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic. Official holidays January 1 - New Year March 3 - Bulgaria's Liberation from Ottoman rule - the National Day Easter - one week after the Catholic Easter May 1 - Labour Day May 6 - Bulgarian Army Day May 24 - Day of Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture and the Slav Script September 6 - Bulgaria's Unification September 22 - Independance Day December 25-26 - Christmas Capital Sofia (pop. 1,141,000) Large Cities Plovdiv, Varna, Veliko Turnovo

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