Geographically and in terms of climate, Bulgaria features notable diversity, with the landscape ranging from the Alpine snow-capped peaks in Rila, Pirin and the Balkan Mountains to the mild and sunny Black Sea coast; from the typically continental Danubian Plain (ancient Moesia) in the north to the strong Mediterranean climatic influence in the valleys of Macedonia and in the lowlands in the southernmost parts of Thrace.
Like most European countries the history of Bulgaria has got something of a complicated past. The tourist board in Bulgaria proudly calls it Europe’s oldest civilization.
Bulgaria certainly experienced very early colonization and, without making this a long history lesson, it was influenced by the Greeks, Romans, Bulgars of central Asia, Slovak locals, and the Ottoman Empire who invaded and occupied it. Bulgaria fought on the losing side of World War I, which was repeated during World War II and ended with the Soviet Union influence in 1946.
From this period onward, Bulgaria had become a satellite of the Soviet Union, remaining so throughout the Cold War period. Todor Zhivkov, the head of the Bulgarian Communist Party, ruled the country for much of its time under communism. During his 27 years as leader of Bulgaria, democratic opposition was crushed, agriculture and industry were nationalized, and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church fell under the control of the state.
As Bulgaria emerged from the pain of communism, it experienced a period of social and economic unrest that culminated in a severe economic and financial crisis during late 1996 to early 1997. With the help of the international community, a number of reforms were initiated that helped stabilize the country’s economy and put the history of Bulgaria on the Euro-Atlantic path.
Bulgaria officially became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on March 29, 2004 and gained full membership into the European Union on January 1, 2007. It’s been a democratic country for more than 15 years, and long gone are the iron curtains that hid this fascinating country from the rest of the world.
