Located in Southeast Europe, Bulgaria is the birthplace of the Cyrillic alphabet and home to Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The country is also a part of the Schengen area of free movement, opening up travel by air and sea. The national drink is rakia, a spirit made through distilling fermented fruits such as grapes, plums and apricots.
The population of the Republic is 8,2 million, with a majority speaking Bulgarian and other Slavic languages as their mother tongue. The country is also home to significant minorities of Turks, Romani and Jews. Bulgaria’s capital city is Sofia, with other major cities being Varna, Plovdiv and Ruse. 9 cultural and 2 natural sites have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country: Rila Monastery, Boyana Church, The Ancient City of Nessebar, Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak, Madara Rider and Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo.
Bulgarian is a South Slavic language that has a unique and sophisticated grammatical structure. The modern Bulgarian literary standard was established in the late 19th century, influenced by Old Church Slavonic and later by the literary tradition of SS Cyril and Methodius. It has lost its older declensional system, but personal pronouns still have different subject, direct object and indirect object forms.
Unlike other Slavic languages, Bulgarian has several abstract particles that can be used to add strength to a statement and convey feelings such as doubt, surprise or irritation. They are most often used at the end of questions or instructions: kazhi mi, be – tell me; taka li, be? – is it true?; and vyarno li, be? – don’t say it!
In addition to a long history of religious and political influence, the country has been shaped by its location in a crossroads between Central and Southeastern Europe. In the past, it was a Byzantine, Ottoman and Russian satellite, and has recently become a member of the EU and Nato.
The country’s main religion is the Eastern Orthodox faith, which accounts for about 85.2 per cent of the population. Other religions practiced are Islam (mainly Sunni) and Judaism. Bulgaria has a high literacy rate and a healthy economy.
Its political situation has become tense as a result of the 2021 resignation of then prime minister Boyko Borissov and the subsequent formation of an emergency government. Observers warn that the prolonged crisis makes the EU’s poorest state vulnerable to Russian influence and weakens the alliance’s eastern flank.
The political impasse has led to a decline in democratic governance and increased media censorship, with foreign firms operating many of the country’s most popular TV channels. The most well-known station is bTV, owned by multinational media group CME. Other leading broadcasters include Nova TV and Scandinavian MTG. Bulgaria has a lively music industry, with pop and rock bands among the most popular genres. The country also has a rich theatrical tradition and is renowned for its ballet companies.