About Bulgeria
Bulgaria is a Balkan nation with diverse terrain encompassing Black Sea coastline, a mountainous interior and rivers, including the Danube. A cultural melting pot with Greek, Slavic, Ottoman, and Persian influences, it has a rich heritage of traditional dance, music, costumes, and crafts. At the foot of domed Vitosha mountain is its capital city, Sofia, dating to the 5th century B.C.It is known for its natural variety – mountains, plains, seas, rivers, lakes and even a small desert. The country is known as the Land of Roses, as The Rose Valley near the town of Kazanlak produces 85% of the world’s rose oil. In recent years, Bulgariaalso tops lavender oil producers ranking.
Bulgarian food is tasty, fresh and hearty. Bulgaria is famous for its quality vegetables and dairy products and its variety of mild spices. Pork and chicken are the most common forms of meat, though seafood, fish and veal dishes are also popular and lamb has a special traditional place in Bulgarian cooking.
History
The history of Bulgaria can be traced from the first settlements on the lands of modern Bulgaria to its formation as a nation-state and includes the history of the Bulgarian people and their origin. The earliest evidence of hominid occupation discovered on what is today Bulgaria date from at least 1.4 million years ago. Around 5000 BC, a sophisticated civilization already existed and produced some of the first pottery and jewelry in the world. After 3000 BC, the Thracians appeared on the Balkan peninsula. In the late 6th century BC, most of what is nowadays Bulgaria came under the Persian Empire. In the 470s BC, the Thracians formed the powerful Odrysian Kingdom, probably after the Persian defeat in Greece, which subsequently declined and Thracian tribes fell under Macedonian, Celtic and Roman domination. This mixture of ancient peoples was assimilated by the Slavs, who permanently settled on the peninsula after 500 AD.
Culture
Contemporary Bulgarian culture blends the formal culture that helped forge a national consciousness towards the end of Ottoman rule with millennia-old folk traditions. An essential element of Bulgarian folklore is fire, used to banish evil spirits and illnesses. Many of these are personified as witches, whereas other creatures like zmey and samodiva (veela) are either benevolent guardians or ambivalent tricksters. Some rituals against evil spirits have survived and are still practised, most notably kukeri and survakari.Martenitsa is also widely celebrated.Nestinarstvo, a ritual fire-dance of Thracian origin, is included in the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Nine historical and natural objects are UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Pirin National Park, Sreburna Nature Reserve, the Madara Rider, the Thracian tombs in Sveshtari and Kazanlak, the Rila Monastery, the Boyana Church, the Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo and the ancient city of Nesebar. The Rila Monastery was established by Saint John of Rila, Bulgaria’s patron saint, whose life has been the subject of numerous literary accounts since Medieval times
Education
Education in Bulgaria is compulsory from the ages of 7 to 16. Children complete their compulsory education in upper secondary schools. Basic education (Grades 1-8) in Bulgaria comprises primary school (grades 1-4) and pre-secondary school (grades 5-8).
HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM IN BULGARIA. Higher education is provided exclusively by colleges and universities. … Currently the tertiary education system includes 51 higher schools which under the Higher Education Act are state owned and private, including universities, specialized higher schools and self-contained colleges.
Climate
July is the hottest month in Sunny Beach with an average temperature of 73°F (23°C) and the coldest is January at 37°F (3°C) with the most daily sunshine hours at 11 in July. The wettest month is November with an average of 56mm of rain.In general, the warmest areas are in the southern districts of bulgaria, influenced by the nearby mediterranean sea. Daytime temperatures vary from 0-5°C in the winter and 25-30°C in summer months.
Language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language and a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic language family.
Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language (collectively forming the East South Slavic languages), has several characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages: changes include the elimination of case declension, the development of a suffixed definite article and the lack of a verb infinitive, but it retains and has further developed the Proto-Slavic verb system. Bulgarian and Macedonian, as well the Torlakian dialects (transitional varieties of Serbo-Croatian), fall into the Balkan Slavic linguistic area, which is part of the broader Balkan sprachbund. Various evidential verb forms exist to express unwitnessed, retold, and doubtful action.
Safety
Bulgaria is generally a safe country to travel to, and its people, much like in other Balkan countries, are quite friendly even though Balkan people have a falsely bad reputation. However, even though it is safe, and Bulgaria’s crime rates are not high, you should always use common sense when you are outside of the main tourist areas. If in Sofia, try to avoid dark streets at night. Always take care of your belongings and keep them closely by your side or safely in your accommodation, and never leave them in a visible place of your car.
When it comes to organized crime, even though it is a serious issue throughout Bulgaria, it usually does not affect tourists. Also, the presence of organized crime groups are in decline, and Bulgaria is either way much safer than most European countries in terms of violent crimes. Pickpocketing and scams are common, especially in crowded places (such as bus and train stations, airports and areas near major tourist landmarks), so watch over your valuables, and if you find yourself surrounded by a loud group of people throwing tantrums and making scenes, you should immediately move away from them, as it may be a trick to divert your attention, while they pickpocket you.
Famous Places
It is known for its natural variety – mountains, plains, seas, rivers, lakes and even a small desert. The country is known as the Land of Roses, as The Rose Valley near the town of Kazanlak produces 85% of the world’s rose oil. In recent years, Bulgaria also tops lavender oil producers ranking.
Rila Monastery, Sunny Beach, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia
Vitosha, Borovets, Boyana Church
Seven Rila Lakes, Pamporovo, Tsarevets
Musala, Bachkovo Monastery
Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak, Aladzha Monastery
Industries
Bulgaria is an industrialized nation with a developed heavy and light manufacturing industry. In 2007 industry accounted for 31.7% of the country’s GDP. This makes industry the second largest sector of the economy after services. In 2007 the sector employed 33.6% of the labour force.
Universities
1) Academy of the Ministry of Interior – Sofia
2) Agricultural University of Plovdiv
3) American University in Bulgaria
4) Bulgarian Virtual University
5) Burgas Free University
6) D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics
7) European Polytechnical University
8) Georgi Rakovski Military Academy
9) Higher School of Insurance and Finance
10) National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts
11) Lyuben Karavelov Civil Engineering University