Interesting Facts about Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially known as the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in southeast Europe that shares a border with Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey. It is the 15th largest country in Europe at just over 110,000 km2 (42,000 sq mi). Even though the First Bulgarian Empire was created in 681, the modern country was officially recognized in 1908. It is a member of the European Union (EU) and NATO. Let’s take a look at some more fun facts about Bulgaria.
Interesting facts about Bulgaria
The capital city of Bulgaria is Sofia and this city is also the largest in Bulgaria. It has a population of about 1.27 million people and the entire country has about 7.3 million people.
The official language of Bulgaria is Bulgarian, which is spoken as a first language by about 85% of the population. Bulgaria doesn’t have an official religion, but most people are Orthodox Christian.
The average life expectancy is 73.6, which is below the European average of 78.9 years.
The currency of Bulgaria is the Lev, which is set at a fixed worth of 1.95583 lev? per 1 euro.
The country has several mountainous areas and the highest point is Musala, which is the summit of Rila mountains, at 2,925 meters (9,596 ft) high. This peak was named Stalin, between 1949 and 1962, after the communist leader Joseph Stalin. Bulgaria also has over 540 rivers, and many of these flow through the mountainous regions.
The climate of Bulgaria is known for its cold winters and hot summers. The average rainfall is 63cm (24.8 in) per year.
Bulgaria has a rich cultural history. There are 9 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bulgaria and 7 of these are cultural sites.
In Bulgarian culture a nod of the head actually means “no” and shaking the head from side to side means “yes.” This has confused many tourists over the years and led to some comical, and not so comical, misunderstandings.
The most popular sport in Bulgaria is football (soccer). The national football team has appeared in 7 FIFA World Cup Finals and made the semi-finals in 1994, which is their best result so far. The best result in world football is a silver medal in the 1968 Olympic games.
Yogurt is a commonly produced in Bulgaria. Interestingly a bacterium called Lactobacillus Bulgaricus, only found in the air of Bulgaria, gives yogurt produced in Bulgaria a unique taste and consistency.
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