Ancient Thrace was partially located on the territory of modern Bulgaria , and Thracian culture provides a wealth of archeological sites within Bulgaria . The first Bulgars (now also commonly referred to as proto-Bulgarians) migrated to the region from Central Asia between the second and fifth centuries A.D.

The first Bulgarian state was established in 635 A.D. , located along the north coast of the Black Sea . In 681 A.D. the first Bulgarian state on the territory of modern Bulgaria was founded. This state consisted of a mixture of Slav and Bulgar peoples. In 864, Bulgaria adopted Orthodox Christianity. The First Bulgarian Kingdom , considered to be Bulgaria 's "Golden Age," emerged under Tsar Simeon I in 893-927. During this time, Bulgarian art and literature flourished. Followers of Saints Cyril and Methodius are believed to have developed the Cyrillic alphabet in Bulgaria in the early 10th century.

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. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria 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 Bulgaria is parliamentary democracy. The country joined NATO in 2004 and EU in 2007.

Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
Border countries: Greece , Macedonia , Romania , Serbia , Turkey

Geography - Note: Strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia

Area: 110 910 sq. km.

Population: 7 385 367 (2006 est.)

Capital: Sofia (1.2 million)

Others: Plovdiv (368 568); Varna (349 482)

Economy
GDP (2006 est.): $27.85 billion.
Real GDP growth: 5.5% (2006 est.); 5.5% (2005); 4.3% (2003)
Per Capital GDP (PPP, 2006 est.): $10.400
Inflation rate: 6.5% (2006); 5% (2005); 6% (2004); 5.6% (2003)