LANDSCAPE AND CLIMATE
Bulgaria is in southeastern Europe, in the area known as the Balkan Peninsula. To the north is Romania, to the east is the Black Sea, to the south are Greece and Turkey and to the west lie the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

 The terrain of Bulgaria is mostly hilly, with flatlands in the north and central regions. Forests cover approximately a third of the land. The Balkan Mountains cross the country from west to east. Bulgarians call them Stara Planina or "Old Mountains." The Rhodope and Rila Mountains are in the southwest, along the border with Greece. 

Between Sofia and the Black Sea is a low-lying area called the Valley of Roses, because it is an important rose-growing area. The northern part of the Black Sea coast is rocky with high cliffs, but the southern part is a resort area lined with beaches.

 Sofia, which is located in the western part of the country, is the largest city in Bulgaria, with a population of about 1.1 million, or about an eighth of Bulgaria's population. Plovdiv, the second largest city, has a population of 360,000.

In general, Bulgarians will not find Canadian weather very different from the four seasons in their home country. Although the Black Sea coast has mild winters, there is snow for winter sports in the mountains. The interior of the country can be bitterly cold and temperatures may fall below -30°C. Summers are long, hot and dry in the interior and cooler on the coast.
 
 
   Summary Fact Sheet 

 
 
Official Name: Republic of Bulgaria 
Capital:  Sofia
Type of Government: Republic
Population:  8.4 million
Area:  110,900 sq. km
Major Ethnic Groups:  Bulgarians, Turks, Roma, Armenians, Russians
Languages:  Bulgarian, Turkish, Roma, Armenian, Hebrew
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, 2022