Religions:
--- Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Islam, Roman
Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism
Unit of Currency:
--- Lev
National Flag:
--- White, green and red horizontal stripes
Liberty Day:
--- March 3, 1878
--- With more than 20-century-old history and traditions Bulgaria is one of the oldest European States. Situated in Southeastern Europe the country is a busy crossroad connecting Europe with Asia and Africa. Bulgaria is world-famous for its picturesque nature and rich cultural heritage. The country ranks third in Europe for the number of its valuable archeological monuments. During pre-historic times the culture of the Tracians developed on the territory of today’s Bulgaria. The oldest gold treasure in the world - the Vulchitrun gold treasure (13-12 century BC), is found in Bulgaria. Undoubtedly the Thracian heritage influenced significantly not only the Bulgarian culture but is is also part of the foundations of the European civilization. Some of today’s cities such as Varna, Nessebur and Sozopol were once greek fortified port cities.
--- The main religion in Bulgaria is Bulgarian Orthodox. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church played a crucial role in preserving Bulgarian culture during the Ottoman occupation. In spite of the official status of Orthodoxy, Bulgaria also have tradition of tolerance toward other religions. 88.5% of the population of Bulgaria belong to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Around twelve percent of the people are Muslim. One of the oldest, largest and most beautiful monasteries and a symbol of the Bulgarian religion is the world famous Rila Monastery , known as the "Bulgarian" Jerusalem.
--- Bulgaria is distinguished for its beautiful nature which has charmed everyone who has ever visited the country. The alluring mountains, age-old forests, lovely valleys, amazing plains, golden coastline and incredible sea-water make Bulgarian nature irresistable. That is why Bulgaria takes pains to preserve its natural landmarks by turning vast areas of land into natural reserves and national parks. Protection of the natural world is one of the country’s major concerns. The protected territories are 49, the biospherical reserves - 17 (the greatest recorded number in Europe), the national parks - 7, the reserves - 82, the protected natural sites - 3055, the protected plants - 63 and the protected animals - 419.
--- The climate in Bulgaria is moderate continental with four yearly seasons and average annual temperature of 10.5 Cº. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of 0 degrees Cº. The average air temperature in the summer is 30 C. and the average water temperature - 25 Cº. The air and water resources of the country are some of the purest in Europe.
--- There are 9 Bulgarian properties, inscribed on the World Heritage List:
--- Boyana Church,
--- Madara Rider,
--- Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo,
--- Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak,
--- Ancient City of Nessebar,
--- Rila Monastery,
--- Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari,
--- Pirin National Park,
--- Srebana Nature Reserve.
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