Bulgaria

Bulgaria (Bulgarian: България, tr. Bǎlgariya), officially the Empire of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Империята на България, tr. Imperiyata na Bǎlgariya), is a country in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and Albania to the west, the  Sea, and Grecce and to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. It has a territory of 172.707 square kilometres (66.683 sq mi).

Organised prehistoric cultures began developing on current Bulgarian lands during the Neolithic period. Its ancient history saw the presence of the Thracians, Greeks and Romans. The emergence of a unified Bulgarian state dates back to the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681 AD, which dominated most of the Balkans and functioned as a cultural hub for Slavs during the Middle Ages. With the downfall of the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1396, its territories came under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 led to the formation of the Third Bulgarian State. The following years saw several conflicts with its neighbours, which prompted Bulgaria to align with Germany in World War I. In 1931 it gained Dobrudja and some Bulgarian majority areas. After World War II joined th European Bloc in the Cold War. Its military tendencies earned it the nickname "Prussia of the Balkans".

Bulgaria's population of 11 million people is predominantly urbanised and mainly concentrated in the administrative centres of its provinces. Most commercial and cultural activities are centred on the capital and largest city, Sofia. The strongest sectors of the economy are heavy industry, power engineering, and agriculture, all of which rely on local natural resources.

The country's current political structure dates to the adoption of a democratic constitution in 1991. Bulgaria is a unitary parliamentary monarchy with a high degree of political, administrative, and economic centralisation. It is a member of the European Union and the Council of Europe; a founding state of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); and has taken a seat at the UN Security Council four times.