Bulgaria Country & Tourist Information

Location
Southeastern Europe.

Area
110,994 sq km (42,855 sq miles).

Population
7.3 million (official estimate 2007).

Population Density
65.8 per sq km.

Capital
Sofia.
Population: 1.4 million (official estimate 2006).

Government
Democratic Republic since 1990.

Language
Bulgarian is the official language and the Cyrillic alphabet is used - Bulgaria is the only EU nation to use it. Turkish and Macedonian are amongst the minority languages. English, German, French and Russian are spoken in major tourist resorts and hotels.

Religion
The majority of the population are Christian, the main denomination being Bulgarian Orthodox Church with a membership of 83% of the population. Eastern Orthodox Christianity is considered to be the traditional religion in Bulgaria. There is also a significant Muslim minority (13%) and a small Jewish community.

Time
GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are two-pin.

Head of Government
Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev since 2005.

Head of State
President Georgi Parvanov since 2002.

Recent History
The Socialist Party, led by Sergei Stanishev, won the latest election in summer 2005, but did not win enough seats to form a government on its own. The liberal Movement for Simeon II (NMS), which led the former coalition, came second and the mostly ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) third. Mr Stanishev said that EU membership was his government’s top priority, and Bulgaria succeeded in joining the EU in January 2007. He has also promised to intensify the campaign against corruption and organized crime. President Georgi Parvanov won a second term in the October 2006 presidential elections. His role is mainly ceremonial.

Telephone
Country code: 359. Calls from some remote parts of the country must be placed through the international operator. There are many public telephones in the main towns, from which telephone cards are used.

Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is patchy to good in most of the country. It is easy to purchase domestic SIM cards.

Internet
There are fewer Internet centers in Sofia and Plovdiv than there used to be owing to high rent, but there are a few Internet gaming rooms. Varna has several places in the town center, and the beach resorts have some facilities. Most major hotels have Internet connection, and some have Wi-Fi access.

Media
Bulgaria enjoys a relatively free press, although most media outlets are aligned to one political party. Bulgaria passed a broadcasting law in 1996, one of the last European countries to do so. National radio and TV were given the status of public services and granted independence. bTV, Bulgaria’s first national commercial channel, was launched in May 2000 by Balkan News Corporation (part of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation) and pulls in more than 35% of the TV audience. Nova TV won the bid for a second national commercial TV license in 2003. Several privately-owned regional television stations are also on the air.

Post
Airmail to Western Europe takes from four days to two weeks. The General Post Office in Sofia, at ulitsa Gurko 6, is open 24 hours.

Post office hours: Usually Mon-Sat 0830-1730.

Press
• The weekly newspaper, Sofia Echo, is available in English, as is the daily business publication Pari (Money). Both of these are available in print or online versions.
• The most popular dailies include 24 Chasa (24 Hours) and Trud (Labor).
• There are now over 30 regional and national newspapers available online, some of them in English.

Radio
• Publicly-owned BNR (Bulgarian National Radio) operates Horizont, cultural network Hristo Botev and external service Radio Bulgaria, which has an English service and is also available online.
• Darik Radio is a national, commercial station.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2009-December 2010 period.

2009
1 Jan New Year's Day.
3 Mar National Day (Day of Liberation). 
17-20 Apr Orthodox Easter.
1 May Labor Day.
6 May St George's Day (Day of Bulgarian Army). 
24 May St Cyril and Methodius Day (Day of Culture and Literacy).
6 Sep The Unification of Bulgaria.
22 Sep Independence Day.
1 Nov Day of the Bulgarian Revival Leaders.
24-25 Dec Christmas.
31 Dec New Year's Eve.

2010
1 Jan New Year's Day.
3 Mar National Day (Day of Liberation). 
2-5 Apr Orthodox Easter.
1 May Labor Day.
6 May St George's Day (Day of Bulgarian Army). 
24 May St Cyril and Methodius Day (Day of Culture and Literacy).
6 Sep The Unification of Bulgaria.
22 Sep Independence Day.
1 Nov Day of the Bulgarian Revival Leaders.
24-25 Dec Christmas.
31 Dec New Year's Eve.

Contact Information:

National Tourist Information Center
ploshtad Sveta Nedelya 1, 1040 Sofia, Bulgaria
Tel: (02) 933 5811.
Website: www.bulgariatravel.org

Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in the UK
186-188 Queen’s Gate, London SW7 5HL, UK
Tel: (020) 7584 9400 or 9433 (general enquiries) or 0906 550 8950 (visa section; recorded information; calls cost £1 per minute) or (020) 7589 3763 (visa section; individual enquiries; Mon-Fri 1300-1500 only).
Website: www.bulgarianembassy.org.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1800 (general enquiries) or 0930-1230 (visa applications with appointment) or 1230-1400 (visa applications without appointment).

Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in the USA
1621 22nd Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 387 0174 or 7969 (consular office).
Website: www.bulgaria-embassy.org


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