Southeastern Europe.

GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

110,994 sq km (42,855 sq miles).

7.8 million (official estimate 2005).

70.7 per sq km (2005).

Sofia. Population: 1.2 million (2005).

Bulgaria is situated in Eastern Europe and bordered to the north by the River Danube and Romania, to the east by the Black Sea, to the south by Turkey and Greece and to the west by Serbia & Montenegro and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The Balkan Mountains cross the country reaching to the edge of the Black Sea and its golden beaches. The land is heavily cultivated, covered with forests and crossed by rivers. Although Bulgaria lies in the very southeast corner of Europe, the climate is never extreme in summer, even on the red-earthed plains of Southern Thrace. The Black Sea resorts have some of the largest beaches in Europe and offer sunbathing from May until October, while in winter heavy falls of snow are virtually guaranteed in the mountain skiing resorts.

Legislative power is held by the 240-seat National Assembly, whose members are directly elected for maximum four-year terms by proportional representation. The Assembly elects a Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister. The Council of Ministers assists the President of the Republic, who as head of state wields supreme executive power and who is also directly elected for a five-year term.

Democratic Republic since 1990. Head of State: President Georgi Purvanov. Head of Government: Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev since 2005. Recent history: Legislative power is held by the 240-seat National Assembly, whose members are directly elected for maximum four-year terms by proportional representation. The Assembly elects a Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister. The Council of Ministers assists the President of the Republic, who as head of state wields supreme executive power and is directly elected for a five-year term. Presidential elections are due in 2006. The Socialist Party, led by Sergei Stanishev, won the latest election in summer 2005, but did not win enough seats to form a government on its own. The liberal Movement for Simeon II (NMS), which led the former coalition, came second and the mostly ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) third. Mr Stanishev has said that EU membership is his government's top priority. He has also promised to intensify the campaign against corruption and organised crime.

Bulgarian is the official language and the Cyrillic alphabet is used. Turkish and Macedonian are amongst the minority languages. English, German, French and Russian are spoken in major tourist resorts and hotels.

The majority of the population are Christian, the main denomination being Bulgarian Orthodox Church with a membership of 83 per cent of the population. Eastern Orthodox Chrisitianity is considered to be the traditional religion in Bulgaria. There is also a significant Muslim minority (13 per cent) and a small Jewish community.

Normal courtesies should be observed and handshaking is the normal form of greeting. Dress should be conservative but casual. If invited to the home, a small souvenir from one’s homeland is an acceptable gift. Do not give money. Remember that a nod of the head means ‘No’ and a shake means ‘Yes’. Smoking: Since 1 January 2005, Bulgarian restaurants, cafes, nightclubs etc have zones for smokers and non-smokers. There is no smoking in public places.

220 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are two-pin.