Bulgaria is a country on the Balkan
Peninsula, in Southern Europe. It borders the Black Sea
to the east, Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and
the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Romania to
the north, mostly along the Danube. Bulgaria also shares
a sea border with Turkey, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, and
Georgia. The capital is Sofia.
Bulgaria is a country with an ancient history dating
back to prehistoric times, the Thracian, Greek and Roman
worlds of antiquity, and the powerful medieval Old Great
Bulgaria founded in 632 CE and Bulgarian Empire founded
in 681 CE. Geographically and climatically, Bulgaria
is noted for its diversity, with the landscape ranging
from the Alpine snow-capped peaks in Rila, Pirin and
the Balkan Mountains to the mild and sunny weather of
the Black Sea coast, from the typically continental
Danubian Plain (ancient Moesia) in the north to the
strong Mediterranean influence in the valleys of Macedonia
and the lowlands in the southernmost parts of Thrace.
Bulgaria joined NATO on March 29, 2004 and the European
Union on January 1, 2007. The country has been a member
of the United Nations since 1955, and is a founding
member of OSCE. As a Consultative Party to the Antarctic
Treaty, Bulgaria takes part in the governing of the
territories situated south of 60° south latitude.
