"Legend has it that when God was giving lands to the peoples of the world he forgot the Bulgarians. To set things right he took a piece of Heaven and gave it to them."

Situated in southeastern Europe, Bulgaria occupies the northeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. To the north it has a border with Romania, to the south - with Turkey and Greece, to the west - with Serbia and Macedonia, to the east - a 378 km borderline with the Black sea. A country with total area of 111 thousand sq.m. and approximately 7.8 million people population. Its capital is Sofia and the official language is Bulgarian.
    
Bulgaria possesses a varied relief, in the altitude range from 0 to 2,925 m. Its territory includes part of the lower Danube Plain, The Balkan Range – part of the Alpine-and-Himalayan chain, part of the Thracian lowland and to the south – the mountain structures of the Macedonian-Thracian massif. The predominant climate in Bulgaria is moderate and transitional continental with plenty of sunlight days per year. There are four seasons, with warm summer and snowy winter. The average yearly temperature is 10.5 °C.
    
The Bulgarian mountains which occupy half of the country’s territory, are easily accessible, and are a prime destination for both winter and summer tourist activities, including skiing, hiking, fishing, canoeing. The major mountain ranges are Rila, Pirin, Rhodope and Stara Planina. Mussala peak in the Rila mountain range is the highest point on the Balkan peninsula.
    
Much of the Black sea coast is covered by long beaches with fine white sand. The sea itself is non-tidal, less salty and warmer than the Mediterranean. The tourism sector has flourished in recent years and holds a firm lead in the Bulgarian economy.
    
The country offers a mixture of quiet rural scenery and villages that have preserved their unique spirit of old times, and modern cities pulsating with the rhythm of growing business activity and ever changing fashions. Regardless of your mood and interests, you will always find something intriguing and fascinating in this small piece of land.
    
Bulgaria is famous for its natural hot mineral water springs – 1600 of them altogether. They present excellent opportunities for health tourism. The country is very rich in ancient monuments and artifacts from different epochs in its 1300 year old history and beyond. Thracians, Romans, Slavs, Greeks and Turks have left their mark and heritage to be appreciated by locals and tourists alike. The country has 9 UNESCO World Culture Heritage sites. Numerous monasteries, churches and mosques, some having hundreds of years of history, present a compelling attraction to every tourist.
    
Ancient culture, endless beaches and an emerald sea, high mountains with marvellous gorges and caves, clear lakes and rivers full of fish, wide valleys, healing springs, ancient culture, hospitable people, tempting cuisine and wines, diverse flora and fauna... Explore this land!
    
Bulgaria’s political system is a parliamentary republic. After the fall of communism in 1989 the country has started on the road to democratic reforms and has achieved significant progress in recent years. It has a sustained GDP growth of 4.8%, a stable political system and highly trained workforce. The country is a member of NATO since March 2007 and a member of EU since January 2007.