Bulgaria

About Bulgaria

     Bulgaria (Bulgarian: България, Bălgariya, pronounced IPA: [bɤlˈgarijə]), officially the Republic of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Република България, Republika Bălgariya, pronounced IPA: [rɛˈpubliˌkə bɤlˈgarijə]), a state in Southeastern Europe, borders five other countries; Romania to the north (mostly along the Danube), Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south. It is bordered by the Black Sea to the east.

     Bulgaria comprises the classical regions of Thrace, Moesia, and Macedonia and has a civilized history covering more than 6600 years. It also represents the tradtion of a powerful European medieval empire, the First Bulgarian Empire, which at times covered most of the Balkans and spread its culture and literature among the Slavic peoples of Eastern Europe. Centuries later, during the decline of the Second Bulgarian Empire, the country fell under five centuries of Ottoman rule. Bulgaria became re-established as a constitutional monarchy in 1878, also known as the birth of the Third Bulgarian Empire. After World War II, Bulgaria became a communist state and part of the Eastern Bloc.

     Today, Bulgaria functions as a democratic, unitary, constitutional republic, a member of the European Union and of NATO. It has a population of about 7.7 million, with Sofia as its capital and largest city.

     A member of the European Union since 2007, Bulgaria has a rapidly growing, technologically developed economy. The country boasts the second-highest standard-of-living in Southeastern Europe in terms of GDP per capita. Inflation is well under control; unemployment stands lower than the average for the European Union and is steadily declining. Due to this positive economic profile, Bulgaria is expected to join the Eurozone in 2011, after having spent 3 years in ERM II, the entry for which is currently scheduled for early 2008. In comparison, the majority of EU member states, which are currently struggling with the Eurozone criteria, are expected to join the single currency union later than 2011.

     Bulgaria's economy contracted dramatically after 1989 with the dissolution of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON), with which the Bulgarian economy had integrated closely. The standard of living fell by about 40%, but it regained pre-1990 levels in June 2004. United Nations sanctions against Yugoslavia and Iraq took a heavy toll on the Bulgarian economy. The first signs of recovery emerged in 1994 when the GDP grew and inflation fell. During the government of Zhan Videnov's cabinet in 1996, the economy collapsed due to lack of international economic support and an unstable banking system. Since 1997, the country has been on the path to recovery, with GDP growing at a 4% – 5% rate, increasing FDI, macroeconomic stability and European Union membership.

The former NMSII government elected in 2001 pledged to mai

 

About Svishtov

     Svishtov (Bulgarian: Свищов, known as Sistova during Ottoman rule) is a town in northern Bulgaria, located in Veliko Tarnovo Province on the right bank of the Danube.

     Svishtov is identified with the Roman colony Novae mentioned by Ptolemy. The exact site appears to have been Staklen, to the west of the present town, which has gradually moved eastward since the 16th century, when it was almost destroyed in the Turkish wars.

     It was at Svishtov that the peace of 1790 was signed, by which the Austrian-Turkish boundary was determined. The town was burned in 1810 by the Russians; but after 1820 it began to revive, and the introduction of steam traffic on the lower Danube (1835) restored its prosperity. The Romanian town of Alexandria was founded by fugitives from Svishtov after the Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829.

     Svishtov is known as the first town to be liberated during the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78, since the largest part of the Imperial Russian Army forced the Danube nearby. It is a beautiful city

     Svishtov Cove in Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named for Svishtov.