
The Bulgars, a Central
Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in
the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding
centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert
its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the
country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Bulgaria regained its
independence in 1878, but having fought on the losing side in both
World Wars, it fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became
a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990,
when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War
II and began the contentious process of moving toward political
democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment,
corruption, and crime. Today, reforms and democratization keep
Bulgaria on a path toward eventual integration into NATO and the
EU - with which it began accession negotiations in 2000. . LOCATION:
Southeastern Europe, bordering
the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey CLIMATE: Temperate;
cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers BORDERS:
Greece 494 km, The Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia and Montenegro
318 km, Turkey 240 km