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Bulgaria Cities with Hotels
 Bulgaria, republic in southeastern Europe,
known from 1946 to 1990 as the People's Republic of Bulgaria. Situated in the
Balkan Peninsula, Bulgaria is bounded on the north by
Romania, on the east by
the Black Sea, on the south by
Turkey and
Greece, and on the west by the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) and the Former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia. Once an independent kingdom, Bulgaria was dominated by the
Communist Party from 1946 until 1990, when a multiparty system was adopted.
During the Communist period, when Bulgaria was under the control of the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the once-dominant agricultural sector was
overtaken by manufacturing. The capital and largest city is Sofia.
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Bulgaria
Land and Resources
The area of Bulgaria is 110,912 sq km (42,823 sq mi). The
greatest distance from north to south is about 330 km (about 210 mi) and
from east to west it is about 500 km (about 310 mi).
Natural Regions
More than half of Bulgaria is hilly or mountainous; the
average elevation is about 480 m (about 1575 ft). The Balkan Mountains cross
the country from the northwestern corner to the Black Sea and form the
watershed between the Danube River and the Aegean Sea. The northern side of
the Balkan Mountains slopes gradually to form the northern Bulgarian
plateau, which ends at the Danube River. The central portion of the southern
side of the range is fringed by a series of narrow plains, notably the
Thracian Plain, an important agricultural region. In the southern part of
the country are the broad and irregular Rhodope Mountains, which form the
boundary with Greece. At the western end of these mountains, in southwestern
Bulgaria, are the Rila Mountains, which rise to a maximum elevation of 2925
m (9597 ft) at Musala, the highest peak in the Balkans. Several smaller
ranges lie along the western boundaries.
Rivers and Lakes
The principal river draining Bulgaria is the Danube. Its
primary tributaries in Bulgaria are the Iskùr (about 370 km/about 230 mi
long) and the Yantra (about 290 km/about 180 mi long). The Maritsa (about
480 km/about 300 mi long), which flows east to Greece and Turkey across the
Thracian Plain, is the deepest river of the Aegean Sea basin. Other
important rivers are the Kamchiya (about 180 km/about 110 mi long), which
empties into the Black Sea, and in the southwest, the Struma and Mesta,
which flow south to the Aegean Sea.
Plant and Animal Life
Approximately one-third of Bulgaria is forested, and half
this area supports tall trees suitable for timber. About 30 percent of the
timber trees are conifers. The Balkan Mountains and their foothills support
forests of various trees. Conifer, beech, and oak trees are found in the
timber zone of the Rhodope Mountains and their western extensions. Most
wildlife is confined to the mountainous southwestern portion of the country,
where there are bears, wolves, elks, foxes, and wildcats.
Natural Resources
The main resources of Bulgaria are agricultural. The country
also has a wealth of metallic and nonmetallic minerals, mainly iron ore and
coal. Other mineral reserves are small, but some deposits, particularly
those of manganese and petroleum, are valuable.
Soils
Soil types vary considerably. Some tablelands have fertile
black and gray soils, high in humus content and well suited for growing
grain. The Thracian Plain contains brown, loamy soils that are fertile and
adapted to diversified cultivation. Deforestation and inadequate
soil-conservation practices have caused gradual deterioration of several
fertile areas.
Climate
Most of Bulgaria has a continental climate, with cold winters
and hot summers. The climate in general is more severe than in other
European areas of the same latitudes, and the average annual temperature
range is greater than that of neighboring countries. Severe droughts,
frosts, winds, and hail storms frequently damage crops. A Mediterranean
climate, with dry summers and mild, humid winters, prevails in the valley of
the southwestern Rhodope Mountains; the northern limit of the climatic zone
is the Balkan Mountains.
The average January temperature in Sofia ranges between -4°
and 2° C (between 25° and 35° F) and the July temperature ranges between 16°
and 27° C (between 60° and 81° F). In Varna, along the Black Sea, the
average January temperature ranges between -1° and 6° C (between 30° and 42°
F) and the July temperature ranges between 19° and 30° C (between 65° and
85° F). The average rainfall in Bulgaria is about 630 mm (about 25 in) per
year, ranging from a low of about 190 mm (about 7 in) in the northeast, to a
high of about 1900 mm (about 75 in) in the Rila Mountains. The wettest
period is early summer in most of the country and autumn or winter in the
southern valleys.
"Bulgaria," Microsoft® Encarta® 97 Encyclopedia.
© 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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May 24, 2007 04:56 PM. |
