32 Facts About Bulgaria

Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe.

In 1946, Bulgaria came under the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc and became a socialist state.

Bulgaria then transitioned into a democracy and a market-based economy.

Since adopting a democratic constitution in 1991, Bulgaria has been a unitary parliamentary republic composed of 28 provinces, with a high degree of political, administrative, and economic centralisation.

Bulgaria is a developing country, with an upper-middle-income economy, ranking 68th in the Human Development Index.

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Widespread corruption is a major socioeconomic issue; Bulgaria ranked as the most corrupt country in the European Union in 2018.

Bulgaria is a member of the European Union, NATO, and the Council of Europe; it is a founding member of the OSCE, and has taken a seat on the United Nations Security Council three times.

Bulgaria acknowledged the spiritual supremacy of the pope and received a royal crown from a papal legate.

Bulgaria entered World War II in 1941 as a member of the Axis but declined to participate in Operation Barbarossa and saved its Jewish population from deportation to concentration camps.

Bulgaria did not comply with Soviet demands to expel German forces from its territory, resulting in a declaration of war and an invasion by the USSR in September 1944.

Bulgaria suffered little war damage and the Soviet Union demanded no reparations.

Zhivkov resigned and Bulgaria embarked on a transition to a parliamentary democracy.

Bulgaria hosted the 2018 Presidency of the Council of the European Union at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia.

Bulgaria is a small country situated in Southeastern Europe, in the east of the Balkans.

Bulgaria has a varied and changeable climate, which results from being positioned at the meeting point of the Mediterranean, Oceanic and Continental air masses combined with the barrier effect of its mountains.

Bulgaria has some of the largest Natura 2000 areas in Europe covering 33.

Bulgaria is a parliamentary democracy where the prime minister is the head of government and the most powerful executive position.

Bulgaria is still listed as "Free", with a political system designated as a semi-consolidated democracy, albeit with deteriorating scores.

Bulgaria is a highly centralised state where the Council of Ministers directly appoints regional governors and all provinces and municipalities are heavily dependent on it for funding.

Bulgaria became a member of the United Nations in 1955 and since 1966 has been a non-permanent member of the Security Council three times, most recently from 2002 to 2003.

Bulgaria signed the European Union Treaty of Accession on 25 April 2005, and became a full member of the European Union on 1 January 2007.

Bulgaria deployed significant numbers of both civilian and military advisors in Soviet-allied countries like Nicaragua and Libya during the Cold War.

From a largely agricultural country with a predominantly rural population in 1948, by the 1980s Bulgaria had transformed into an industrial economy, with scientific and technological research at the top of its budgetary expenditure priorities.

Bulgaria is the largest producer globally of lavender and rose oil, both widely used in fragrances.

Bulgaria was ranked 35th in the Global Innovation Index in 2021, up from 40th in 2019.

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Bulgaria was known as a "Communist Silicon Valley" during the Soviet era due to its key role in COMECON computing technology production.

Bulgaria was the first country to grow wheat and vegetables in space with its Svet greenhouses on the Mir space station.

Bulgaria thus has one of the oldest populations in the world, with an average age of 43 years.

Bulgaria has the highest ratio of female ICT researchers in the EU, as well as the second-highest ratio of females in the technology sector at 44.

Bulgaria is a secular state with guaranteed religious freedom by constitution, but Orthodoxy is designated as a traditional religion.

Bulgaria was the world's second-largest wine exporter until 1989, but has since lost that position.

Bulgaria appeared at the first modern Olympic games in 1896, when it was represented by gymnast Charles Champaud.