Geographic Characteristic and Natural Resources

The Republic of Bulgaria is situated in Europe in the north-east part of the Balkan peninsula and occupies 111000 sq.km. Bulgaria's northern border is along the Danube with Romania; south's - with Turkey and Greece, west's - with Macedonia and Serbia and east's - with the Black Sea.

The average elevation above the sea level is 470 м. Behind this number hides a variety of landscapes - vast lowlands, hill plains, plateaus, gorges and 16 mountains which occupy approx. 30% of the territory.

The country is divided into the following geographic regions:

North Bulgaria – the coast of the Danube, The Danube Plain and The Old Mountain, which divides Bulgaria into two. The Old Mountain is 600 km. long. Its highest peak is Botev - 2376 m. The mountain is rich of forests, pastures and waters. Its old name is The Balkan and the Balkan Peninsula is named after it. There are many rivers running through The Danube Plain.

Middle Bulgaria – includes a belt parallel to The Old Mountain - The Sofia Field, The Valley of Roses, The Underbalkan Fields, The Middle Forrest, The Upper Thracian Lowland, the Tundzha River sides, The Strandzha Mountain.

South Bulgaria – the highest and vastest mountain area, including the mountains of Pirin, Rila, Rodopes, Osogovo-Belasitsa. In this area is situated the highest peak not only in Bulgaria but on The Balkan Peninsula too - Musala (2925 m.). In this part of Bulgaria are the biggest mountain resorts and ski centers.

The Black Sea coast is a completely separate area considering its climate and relief. Its length is 378 km. The sea influences the climate 30-40 km into the land. The winter here is fairly mild, the summer - slightly cool and autumn - warm and long. The natural conditions are in favor of the sea tourism. There are several sea resorts with large beaches and the villages and towns across the coast are active tourist centers.

Climate

The climate of Bulgaria is moderately continental. There are 4 seasons - summer, autumn, winter, spring. The average annual temperature in the country is 10.5 C.

Waters

Bulgaria is comparatively rich of water resources.The longest river in Europe - the Danube runs through it and is a natural border with Romania.

Many rivers spring from the Old Mountain and Rila most of which flow into the Danube and a little part like Maritsa, Tundzha and Mesta - into the White Sea. There are many lakes in Bulgaria too, which are sea-by, karst and mountain. Most of them have only a tourist value and not an economic one.

Vegetation

The vegetation is various - Mediterranean, middle European and steppe. Bulgarian flora has more than 8500 species. The mountains are full of deep forests and rich pastures, In Bulgaria there are forest and mountain plants; the Rose (Valley of Roses), lianas (the Black Sea coast), edelweisses (Pirin) and others.

The Rose is the symbol of Bulgaria and that is not accidental. The Kazanluk and Karlovo gorges are called the Valley of Roses. In here are the most appropriate for the development of the oil-bearing Rose conditions. The rose gathering was once a true ritual. Now it is a tourist attraction. During the rose gathering a Miss of the Roses contest is held in which every year young girls participate.The contest also has a rich cultural and tourist program and is visited by many foreign tourists that come from different parts of the world. They get acquainted with one of the oldest and traditional Bulgarian crafts - the rose boiling. It is a process of getting rose oil and rose water from the colors of roses by means of water distillation and special equipment. Bulgaria since the ХVІІ c. is one of the biggest exporters of rose oil in the world. And rose oil is one of the most important compositions for the perfumery production.

Animals

The fauna of Bulgaria is represented by numerous and different animal species – bears, wolves, foxes, wild pigs, rabbits, pheasants, water birds, deers, does, birds, insects. By the coasts of the Danube and in the Sreburna Lake there are different, rare and becoming extinct birds.