The basics
- Area: about 111,000 km² – slightly larger than Austria, slightly smaller than Iceland, but with much nicer weather.
- Population: 6,423,207 people as of 31 December 2025 (according to the National Statistical Institute). It is shrinking, because the young leave and the old do not come back.
- Capital: Sofia
- Time zone: Eastern European Time (UTC+2, UTC+3 in summer). If you are travelling from Vienna, move your watch forward by one hour.
- Currency: the euro (since 1 January 2026)
- Member of: the EU (2007), NATO (2004), Schengen (fully since 2025)
The borders
- North: Romania – most of the border is the River Danube. Two bridges: Ruse–Giurgiu and Vidin–Calafat.
- West: Serbia and North Macedonia
- South: Greece and Turkey
- East: the Black Sea, with a coastline of about 378 km
The terrain
About a third of the country is mountainous. The average altitude is around 470 m. The highest point is Musala (2,925 m) in the Rila Mountains – and the highest peak on the whole Balkan Peninsula. The lowest is sea level, where you will spend your best holidays.
Between us
The Balkans take their name from the Bulgarian mountain Balkan, also known as Stara Planina. A whole peninsula is named after our mountain. Modestly put, Bulgaria gave a peninsula its name and a continent its alphabet.