My native country is
Bulgaria. It is situated in the core of the
Balkan Peninsula. The neighboring countries are as follows.
To the North Bulgaria is separated from Romania by the Danube river,
to the West - Yugoslavia and Macedonia, to the South - Greece and Turkey,
and to the East - the Black sea (see the map).
The area of my country is 42,822 sq. mi. and the population is approximately
7.6 million. As a comparison, the area is approximately 90 times smaller
than this of Canada and the population is approximately the same as this
of the city of Tokyo.
Although the area of my country is small we have all substantial
types of terrain : plains, mountains, many rivers, outlet to sea
and so on. This and the well determined four main seasons make Bulgaria
a preferable country to many tourists.
For the lovers of winter in the mountain there is a wide choice of
possibilities - more then two-thirds of my country's territory is
mountainous. Some of the more famous resorts are
Borovets,
Pamporovo, and
Bansko.
Also there are many summer resorts located on the picturesque
Black sea coast. Some of them are
Golden sands, Albena, Neseber, Sunny beach, and Primorsko.
The biggest cultural and business center in Bulgaria is the capital -
the city of Sofia,
which holds more than 1/8th of the whole population
of the country. Sofia is the second oldest capital in Europe
(after Athens).
Pictures (from top):
- Vidin, the city where I was born and grew up
- A view of the Capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (1187-1393)
- Pictures from Stara Planina, Rila, Pirin, and Rodope mountains
- Pictures from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast (Nesebar, Varna, and Albena)
- Pictures from the Rila Monastery, some preserved villages, and
the Rose Valley.
View from Vidin's downtown: