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8 July 2008 |
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TravelDir - Cheap Air Tickets, Hotel Booking, Travel Information
logo, ringtone, screensaver, colour background for your Nokia, Ericsson, Sony, Samsung, Alcatel, Motorola mobile phone BulgariaThe Republic of Bulgaria is in Southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Turkey, Greece, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Romania and the Black Sea.Sofia is the capital city of Bulgaria. Other important cities are Plovdiv, Varna, Bourgas, Rousse, Stara Zagora, Pleven, Dobrich, Sliven and Shumen. Bulgaria's terrain is diverse with mountains, hills and lowlands. The River Danube flows along Bulgaria's border with Romania. Other rivers in Bulgaria include the Iskur, Maritsa, Mesta and Strouma. Bulgaria's climate is temperate with cold snowy winters and hot summers. Environment Bulgaria is mountainous with over four thousand mapped caves. Thirty-eight percent of Bulgaria consists of forests and woodlands and there are many rivers, water-falls, lakes and mineral springs. Bulgaria has a number of protected areas: the Pirin National Park; Sinite Kamani National Park; the Bourgas Wetlands; Steneto Reserve; the Parangalitza Reserve and the Srebarna Nature Reserve, a World Heritage site and home to over a hundred species of indigenous and migrating birds. Architecture Bulgaria has monuments dating back to its Thracian era. This includes the Tomb of Sveshtari (third century BC) and the Tomb of Kazanlak (fourth century BC). The Bulgarian town of Nessebar began as a Thracian settlement. Like the Thracian tombs, Nessebar is on the World Heritage List. Evidence of Greek colonisation in Nessebar can be seen in the acropolis and the Temple of Apollo. Other architecture of interest in Nessebar is its nineteenth century wooden houses. Bulgarian religious buildings feature on the World Heritage List: Boyana Church, Sofia (dating from the tenth century); the Christian churches of Ivanovo (thirteenth and fourteenth centuries) and Rila Monastery. Bulgaria still has examples of Turkish architecture from the five hundred year Ottoman occupation. Restoration has recently taken place on Ottoman architecture in Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Shumen and Yambol. Population The population of Bulgaria is just over seven million, seven hundred and seven thousand. Languages Bulgarian is the official language. Religion The main religion in Bulgaria is Bulgarian Orthodox. Thirteen percent of the population is Muslim. Minority religions include Roman Catholic, Protestant and Jewish. Food The cuisine of Bulgaria is influenced by that of its Balkan neighbours (Yugoslavia, Greece and northern Turkey). Traditional food includes bread, pickled vegetables, salads, soups, stews, casseroles, stuffed vegetables, kebabs, spicy sausages and cheese dishes. Yoghurt is very popular and eaten most days. Meat (pork, chicken, lamb, beef), fish and vegetarian dishes are served with staple foods such as rice and bulgar wheat. Vegetables include aubergines, beans, cabbage, carrots, corn, courgettes, cucumbers, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes and olives. Favorite desserts are pancakes, baklava (walnut and syrup pie), baked apples and fruit (apricots, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, grapes, melons, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, pears, plums and quinces). Traditional alcoholic drinks are "rakiya" (a fruit brandy, often plum), wine and "boza" (a type of beer made with grain, especially millet). Non-alchoholic drinks include coffee, tea, juices, buttermilk and mineral water. SofiaVarnaPlovdiv |
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