Bulgaria
Updated: Oct 2, 2022
Home> Countries> Europe> Bulgaria
Country Name
Bulgaria, or officially the Republic of Bulgaria.
Location
Bulgaria is a country in Southeast Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, Greece, and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east.
Capital
Sofia.
Reason for Naming
The name Bulgaria is derived from the Bulgars, a tribe of Turkic origin that founded the country. Their name is not completely understood and is difficult to trace back earlier than the 4th century AD, but it is possibly derived from the Proto-Turkic word bulģha ("to mix", "shake", "stir") and its derivative bulgak ("revolt", "disorder"). The meaning may be further extended to "rebel", "incite" or "produce a state of disorder", and so, in the derivative, the "disturbers". Ethnic groups in Inner Asia with phonologically similar names were frequently described in similar terms: during the 4th century, the Buluoji, a component of the "Five Barbarian" groups in Ancient China, was portrayed as both a "mixed race" and "troublemakers".
Flag
The Flag of Bulgaria's first adoption date was adopted in 1879, following the Russo-Turkish War. The nation adopted the flag after gaining independence. The current flag of Bulgaria was officially adopted on November 22, 1990. The National Flag of the Republic of Bulgaria is a national symbol, which expresses the independence and sovereignty of the Bulgarian State. The flag consists of three horizontal white, green, and red stripes. The red and white colors of the flag were taken from the Pan Slavic colors. The green replaced the blue of the Russian Tricolor and before 1990, the white stripe contained the Bulgarian coat of arms*. The white color represents peace, The green color represents the soil’s fertility, and the red color represents the courage of the Bulgarians.
*Flag Facts
-An unofficial flag that features the nation’s coat of arms is also commonly used throughout Bulgaria.
Language
Bulgarian, an Indo-European language is the official language of Bulgaria and is spoken by a majority of the country’s population. The language is a close relative of the Macedonian language and a member of the Slavic group of languages.
Minority Languages Of Bulgaria are Turkish & Romani.
Russian is the most commonly spoken foreign language while English is the second most commonly spoken foreign language in Bulgaria.
Italian, Spanish, and French commonly spoken foreign languages in the country.
Religion
Most of Bulgaria's population are Christians. Orthodox Christianity was accepted as the official state religion of Bulgaria during the rule of the First Bulgarian Empire in the 9th century.
Roman Catholicism was introduced in Bulgaria during the Middle Ages, while Protestantism was introduced much later in the 19th century.
Most ethnic Bulgarians are affiliated with the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Other Orthodox churches are also active within the country.
Islam is the second most popular religion in Bulgaria many Muslims adheres to Sunnis Muslims
Although Bulgaria is a secular state, its constitution does recognize Orthodox Christianity as the country’s traditional religion. The freedom of religion is provided by the constitution, and the government generally respects this freedom.
Currency
Lev (BGN).
