Bulgaria

Location: Bulgaria is a Balkan country with a coastline along the Black Sea. To the west, it borders Serbia and North Macedonia, Greece and Turkey to the south, and Romania to the north. 

Area: Bulgaria has an area of 110, 994 sq km. It has mountainous regions with the Balkan mountains running through the middle of the country from west to east. Peak Masala with an elevation of 2,925m is the highest peak in Bulgaria and as well on the Balkans. The Danube river flows along Bulgaria’s border with Romania. 

Major cities: Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria with a population of 1.54 million people. Plovdiv (675,000 citizens) is the second largest city and is Bulgaria’s cultural capital. Varna (418,108 citizens) and Burgas (277,922 citizens) are other major cities which are located along the Black Sea coast. 

Local time: GMT +2

Population: 6,863,422

Major ethnic groups: Bulgarians (84.8%), Turks (8.8%), Roma (4.9%)

Religions: Eastern Orthodox Christians (85 %), Muslims (13%), Catholics (1%)

Languages: Bulgarian 

Climate: Bulgaria has two climate regions. The northern part has a continental climate while the southern a Mediterranean climate. Summers are hot, and winters are cold and long with snowfall. 

Currency: Bulgarian lev 

Government: Unitary parliamentary republic 

Country code: +359

Official holidays:

1 January – New Year’s Day

3 March – National Holiday /Bulgaria’s Liberation from the Ottoman Empire/

1 May – Labour and International Worker’s Solidarity Day

6 May – St. George’s Day, and the Bulgarian Army’s Day

24 May – Bulgarian Education and Culture, and Slavic Script Day

6 September – Unification Day

22 September – Independence Day

1 November – Day of the Bulgarian Enlighteners (Holiday for all educational institutions)

24 December – Christmas Eve

25, 26 December – Christmas Days

Easter Holidays– 4 days /Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday and Monday/ according to the Orthodox calendar of the year 

Transportation: Bulgaria’s infrastructure relies mostly on road transport with 829km of highways. The country has 4 international airports, the largest one being Sofia Airport. Bulgaria’s railways are outdated. 

Taxation: 20% VAT. A reduced rate of 9% is for certain tourist services and e – Books. 

Electricity: The standard voltage is 230V and 50 Hz frequency. Sockets and plugs are standard European.

Important phone numbers: 

112 – Emergency 

Working hours: Typical working hours of shops are from 10:00 to 20:00 Monday to Friday. On weekends, working hours are from 11:00 till 19:00.