Bulgaria Overview

Bulgaria is a stunning and interesting place to visit. It is a small country with an ancient culture, scenic beauty and friendly people who are warm and hospitable.

The capital city of Bulgaria is Sofia. Bulgaria has a population of 7,450,349 (July 2005) and consists of 110,910 sq km of which 110,550 sq km is land and 360 sq km is water, with 354 km of coastline. The terrain is mainly mountainous with lowland in the north and southeast with the lowest point being the Black Sea at 0 metres and the highest point being Musala at 2,925 metres.
Stunning mountain landscapes combined with golden sandy beaches make Bulgaria ideal for tourism. The Black Sea Coast on its Eastern border is famous for fine sandy beaches and the ideal temperatures of both water and air. The beautiful mountain areas offer excellent winter sports facilities, including skiing.

Bulgaria is divided into twenty eight provinces and lies in South Eastern Europe, occupying the north eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. In the east, it borders the Black Sea with Romania to the north separated by the Danube River. Serbia, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are to the west and to the south are Greece and Turkey.

Just over 40% of the country is arable land with the main agricultural products being vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers and sugar beet.

In 2007, Bulgaria will join the EU and extensive efforts are under way to harmonise Bulgarian legislation with EU legislation, which makes the investment property potential very attractive to foreign investors.

Politically, Bulgaria is rated as a stable democracy. The Chief of State is President Georgi Purvanov and the Vice President is Angel Marin both of whom have been in office since 22 January 2002. The Prime Minister is Sergei Stanishev and Deputy Prime Minister is Ivaylo Kalfin who have been in office since 16 August 2005. The Cabinet (Council of Ministers) are nominated by the Prime Minister and elected by the National Assembly.

Bulgaria simply resembles a continent in miniature because of its very varied relief and miraculous working of nature where measure is paramount. Eye-catching mountain lakes, sunny beaches, gorgeous rose valleys, curative hot springs and deep chilly caves coexist in harmony.

The natural charms of Bulgaria are becoming better known as increasing numbers of tourists visit and enjoy the great range of outstanding beauty to be found here. With an ideal climate for beach holidays in the summer months as well as skiing and stunning mountain scenery during winter, Bulgaria boasts a wealth of natural charms which provide a solid base for its expanding tourist industry.

In fact tourism plays a very large part in Bulgaria’s success story and it has become the fastest growing tourism economy in Europe. With this kind of growth in the tourist sector and property prices still at a low, it is not surprising that Bulgaria has become one of the world’s most exciting emerging property markets and it is currently attracting interest from investors all over the world.

Some of the driving forces behind Bulgaria’s tourism success:

“Blue Flag” Beaches - Bulgaria boasts stunning beaches along the Black Sea coast. No less than eleven of these beaches have obtained the “Blue Flag” and account for 354km of the coastline.

Mountain Trails - Bulgaria offers around an incredible 37,500km of hiking paths and mountain trails, making it a firm favourite with ramblers and explorers. These trails run through many stunning locations with breathtaking views.

Roman, Greek And Thracian Historical Attractions - Bulgaria is composed of a unique blend of cultures and can boast nine UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organisation) world heritage sites

Top Ski Resorts - Bulgaria offers world class skiing facilities and excellent ski resorts, namely Bansko and Borovets. Bansko is the most established of the two, while Borovets is newer and larger. Borovets has experienced a great deal of infrastructure improvements aimed at helping to improve its strong bid for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

Low Population Density - Bulgaria is a sparsely populated country roughly the same size as the United Kingdom but its population is only around 7.45 million. Major cities like Sofia are more heavily populated but a feeling of space predominates.

Warm Air Temperature in Summer - On the Black Sea coast the average air temperature during the summer months is 27°C and water temperature is around 22°C.

Mineral Springs - Bulgaria is also home to around 500 natural springs of various mineral content.

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