[...]...INTRODUCING BULGARIA DISCOVERING BULGARIA 1011 PUTTING BULGARIA ON THE MAP 1213 A PORTRAIT OF BULGARIA 1433 BULGARIA THROUGH THE YEAR 3437 THE HISTORY OF BULGARIA 3853 10 I N T R O D U C I N G B U L G A R I A DISCOVERING BULGARIA W ith fine beaches and ski and picturesque small towns resorts, Bulgaria is well with icon-filled churches, the known both... The Bulgarian Black Sea in central Bulgaria coast was a big draw for Eastern Recent decades have seen Bulgaria European holidaymakers from the buffeted by social and economic 1960s onwards, and the tourist induschange Under the Communist try has gone from strength to strength regime, the Bulgarian people became with Bulgaria s discovery by the rest of accustomed to regular employment, the world Bulgaria s... I A Priest at a Bulgarian Orthodox Church service Like other Orthodox Slav nations, they use the Cyrillic alphabet – although plenty of young Bulgarians use Latin script for text messages or emails Just over 12 per cent of the population are Muslim descendants of Turks who settled here in the late Middle Ages, or ethnic Bulgarians who converted to Islam under the Ottoman occupation Bulgaria s Turks... variety of restaurants here than anywhere else in Bulgaria, and a great choice of lively cafés and bars SOUTHERN BULGARIA • Cobbled streets of Plovdiv • Stunning natural wonders of the Rhodope Mountains • Unmissable Rila Monastery Any exploration of southern Bulgaria usually starts in Plovdiv (see pp134–9), where Roman, Ottoman and restored 19th-century Bulgarian monuments are crowded together in a tight... well-qualified, went abroad in search of better jobs These are people Bulgaria can ill afford to lose; its birth rate is among the lowest in Europe, and the population will decline further unless current demographic trends are reversed PRESENT-DAY BULGARIA The last decade has witnessed dramatic changes in Bulgaria s political and economic fortunes Bulgaria s accession to the European Union in Visitors at a seafront... C I N G B U L G A R I A Putting Bulgaria on the Map Located in the southeastern corner of Europe, Bulgaria covers an area of 110,550 sq km (42,685 sq miles) It is bordered by Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Romania, with the Black Sea on its eastern side, and the Danube as much of its northern border The rugged Stara Planina, or Balkan range, runs across central Bulgaria from west to east, with... BOSNIA and SERBIA HERZEGOVINA ANDORRA SPAIN ITALY Tekirdağ MONTENEGRO KOSOVO BULGARIA GREECE BLACK SEA TURKEY 110 E90 0 kilometres Sea 0 miles ALGERIA 50 50 TUNISIA CYPRUS MEDITERRANEAN SEA I N T R O D U C I N G B U L G A R I A 15 A PORTRAIT OF BULGARIA A combination of stunning scenery and Mediterranean climate have made Bulgaria one of Europe’s fastest-growing tourist destinations Attention has focused... sheer diversity of natural beauty spots, archaeological sites and picture-postcard villages ensures that there is much more here to stir the traveller’s imagination Heritage plays a highly visible Lined with long sandy beaches, role in Bulgarian society, with Bulgaria s Black Sea coast is medieval churches and the country’s most obviously monasteries drawing a captivating natural attribute steady stream... or stone Some of these have opened their doors to tourists as rustic bed-and-breakfast establishments, giving these once-isolated communities a new lease of life Sofia, Bulgaria s busy but beautiful capital BULGARIA S BIGGEST CITIES Bulgaria s key cities have very different personalities Sofia, the capital, grew out of virtually nothing in the late 19th century, its boulevards laid out in imitation... dances and costumes remain firmly rooted in the contemporary cultural mainstream Even Bulgarian pop music is more in tune with the melodies and rhythms of the Orient than with anything from the West PEOPLE AND SOCIETY Bulgaria has a population of just under 7.5 million The majority of its inhabitants are Christian Orthodox Bulgarians, descended from the Slav tribes who settled in the eastern Balkans in . 0RL, UK or email: travelguides@dk.com. CONTENTS HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE 6 INTRODUCING BULGARIA DISCOVERING BULGARIA 10 PUTTING BULGARIA ON THE MAP 12 A PORTRAIT OF BULGARIA 14 BULGARIA THROUGH. h0" alt="" INTRODUCING BULGARIA DISCOVERING BULGARIA 1011 PUTTING BULGARIA ON THE MAP 1213 A PORTRAIT OF BULGARIA 1433 BULGARIA THROUGH THE YEAR 3437 THE HISTORY OF BULGARIA 3853 is covered.