Project: Bulgaria/Country

Republic of Bulgaria
Flag of Bulgaria

Contents

Location

The Republic of Bulgaria, is a country located in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east.

See also: Geography of Bulgaria

Administrative Divisions

Bulgaria is administratively divided into 28 oblasti (provinces). The provinces are named after their respective capital cities.

See also: Provinces of Bulgaria

The capital and largest city of Bulgaria is Sofia. Other major cities include Plovdiv, Varna, and Burgas.

History

By 5000 BC, the lands we know today as Bulgaria were already home to a sophisticated civilization which produced some of the world's first pottery, jewelry, and golden artifacts. In the 470s BC, the Thracians formed the powerful Odrysian Kingdom which lasted until 46 BC, when it was conquered by the Roman Empire. Over time, the Thracian tribes fell under Macedonian, Hellenistic, and Celtic domination. This mixture of ancient peoples who were assimilated by the Slavs, who permanently settled on the peninsula after 500 AD. Meanwhile, in 632 the Bulgars formed an independent state north of the Black Sea that became known as Great Bulgaria under the leadership of Kubrat. Pressure from the Khazars led to the gradual disintegration of Great Bulgaria in the second half of the 7th century.

In 680–681 a part of the Bulgars moved south to the northeastern Balkans, where they secured Byzantine recognition of their right to settle south of the Danube by defeating the Byzantine army at the Battle of Ongal. During the 9th and 10th century, Bulgaria became an important power in the region competing with the Byzantine Empire. It became the foremost cultural and spiritual center of south Slavic Europe throughout most of the Middle Ages. The First Bulgarian Empire collapsed under multiple Rus’ and Byzantine attacks and wars, and was eventually conquered and became part of the Byzantine Empire.

In 1185, a major uprising restored the Bulgarian state to form the Second Bulgarian Empire. Until 1256, the Second Bulgarian Empire was the dominant power in the Balkans, defeating the Byzantine Empire in several major battles. In the late 13th century, however, the Empire declined under constant invasions by Mongols, Byzantines, Hungarians, and Serbs, as well as internal unrest and revolts. The 14th century saw a temporary recovery and stability, but also the peak of Balkan feudalism as central authorities gradually lost power in many regions. Bulgaria was divided into three parts on the eve of the Ottoman invasion.

In the late 14th century, the Ottomans conquered Bulgaria and made it into the core of Rumelia, or “Roman Province”, which encompassed the Balkan section of the Ottoman Empire. It was the richest Ottoman region, which was also the most ethnically diverse in the Ottoman realm. The Ottomans reorganized the Bulgarian territories, with significant portions of the conquered lands parceled out to the Sultan’s followers, who held it as benefices or fiefs directly from him, or from the Beylerbeys.

The brutal suppression of the Bulgarian April Uprising of 1876 and the public outcry it caused across Europe led to the Constantinople Conference, where the Great Powers tabled a joint proposal for the creation of two autonomous Bulgarian vilayets. The sabotage of the Conference led to the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), whereby the much smaller Principality of Bulgaria, a self-governing, but functionally independent Ottoman vassal state was created. In 1885 the Ottoman autonomous province of Eastern Rumelia unified through a bloodless coup with the Principality of Bulgaria. Bulgaria declared independence in 1908.

Historical Timeline

  • 512 BC - The Thracians conquered Macedonia and formed the powerful Odrysian Kingdom.
  • 46 BC - The Odrysia Kingdom was conquered by the Roman Empire.
  • 632 AD - The Bulgars formed the independent state of Great Bulgaria.
  • 680 AD - The First Bulgarian Empire was formed.
  • 971 AD - The Byzantine Empire dethroned Boris II.
  • 1185 AD - Second Bulgarian Empire restored.
  • 14th century - The Ottomans conquered Bulgaria and made it into the core of Rumelia,
  • 1878 - Following the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), the Principality of Bulgaria, a self-governing, but functionally independent Ottoman vassal state was created.
  • 1885 - The Ottoman autonomous province of Eastern Rumelia unified through a bloodless coup with the Principality of Bulgaria.
  • 1885 - Serbo-Bulgarian War.
  • 1903 - Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising.
  • 1912-1913 - Balkan Wars.
  • 1915-1918 - World War I.
  • 1941-1945 - World War II.
  • 1946-1990 - Communist era.
  • 1990 - Bulgaria broke from the influence of the collapsing Soviet Union and has since been a nation in transition.

See also: History of Bulgaria

Ethnicities

Bulgarians are by far the largest ethnic group in Bulgaria representing about 75% of the population. Significant ethnic minorities include Turks, represent about 8% of the population and the Romani, whose numbers are often underestimated, but who may represent as much as 9-11% of Bulgaria’s population. Other minority groups present in Bulgaria include Russians, Armenians, and Vlach.

See also: Bulgarians

Language

The official language of Bulgaria is Bulgarian, which is spoken by 85% of the country’s population. Other major languages spoken in Bulgaria include Russian, Turkish and Romani.

See also: Languages of Bulgaria

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Bulgarian Alphabet

Please use the correct letters when writing Bulgarian names and locations. If your keyboard does not support some of these letters, please copy & paste them from the list below.

Capital letters
А Б В Г Д Е Ж З И Й К Л М Н О П Р С Т У Ф Х Ц Ч Ш Щ Ъ Ь Ю Я
Lower case letters
а б в г д е ж з и й к л м н о п р с т у ф х ц ч ш щ ъ ь ю я

Religion

The majority of Bulgarians (65%) practice Eastern Orthodox Christianity. It is the official religion of the country and was adopted as the state religion in 864. Eastern Orthodox Christianity is followed by 64.7% of the population. Islam is the second-largest religion in Bulgaria, with about 10% of the population practicing it. Other religions practiced in Bulgaria include Protestantism, Catholicism, and Judaism. It is worth noting that a significant part of the Bulgarian population is not religious or identifies as believers without any specific religion.

See also: Religion in Bulgaria

See also: Demographics of Bulgaria

Bulgarian Naming Conventions

Bulgarian naming conventions are similar to those of other Slavic countries, typically consisting of a given name (which comes first), a patronymic (which is second and is usually omitted when referring to the person), and a family name (which comes last).

Bulgarian given names are usually of Slavic origin or from Greek, Latin, or Hebrew when reflecting Christian faith. The Slavic names may describe the appearance or character of the person, may constitute a wish, or even stem from pre-Christian conjuring rituals that are meant not to attract the evil spirits.

See also: Bulgarian Names



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