Bulgaria is a country roughly the size of England. It is situated in the South Eastern part of mainland Europe and covers an area of 110,993.6 square kilometres. It is bound in the east by the Black Sea; in the north by the River Danube and Romania; in the south by Turkey and Greece and in the west by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Macedonia. It is, therefore, strategically located at the crossroads between Northern and Southern Europe and between Europe and Asia. Bulgaria's varied topography includes fertile plains and thickly wooded mountain ranges. The capital and main commercial centre is Sofia (population 1.2 million, 1800ft above sea level).

Population

The population of Bulgaria in 2001 was 7.9 million. Bulgaria's birth rate, at 8.6 per thousand, is one of the lowest in the world. The average life expectancy is 69 years for men and 75 years for women.

Principal commercial centres and towns

Sofia , with a population of over one million, is the capital, and the main commercial centre of Bulgaria; Plovdiv, with a population of c338,000, is the second most important town. Varna c321,000 and Bourgas c209,000 on the Black Sea, are the principal ports. Other important towns are Rousse c178,000, Stara Zagora c168,000, Sliven c136,000, and Shumen c104,000.

Climate

Climatic conditions vary considerably in different parts of the country, generally tending to be more extreme than Britain.

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