3. Information about Bulgaria
General information about Bulgaria and the records of bulgarian nature
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One can often hear the phrase “How beautiful is nature in Bulgaria!” A country with enormous natural and biological diversity, concentrated in a small area and within short traveling distances. The almost rectangular territory of 111,000 sq. km. represent one of the most important geographical nodes.
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If you buy Bulgarian property you will fail in a country with wonderful climate, soft winter and sunny summer, which give you the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful mountains covered with snow in winter, are buried in greenery in summer and by the other side you can enjoy the magnificent sea resorts of the black sea, famous with their fine golden sand beaches.
Language
The official language in Bulgaria is Bulgarian. The Bulgarian language belongs to the group of the Slavic languages and it is very close to Russian, Macedonian and Serbo-Croatian languages
Religion
90% of Bulgarian people are Orthodox Christians and celebrate the traditional Christian holidays - Christmas, Easter and the name days of Bulgarians named after Archangels, Saints and Martyrs. About 6% are Muslims. As a whole Bulgarian people are very obliging and hospitable
Monetary Units :
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The official monetary unit is called "LEV" (plural "LEVA"). The banknote denominations include 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 LEVA, as well as coins - 1, 2, 5,10, 20, 50 called "stotinki" ("stotinka" for singular). 1 LEV coin is also available
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Money And Currency Exchange
Many local and international banks and currency exchange offices function in Varna and all around the country. Bank working hours are: 9 a.m. - 3 a.m., Monday to Friday. Currency exchange offices are open to 6 p.m., some work 24 hours a day.
Passports And Visas
Tourists to Bulgaria from many countries do not need visa - a valid passport is required only. All visitors, however, are themselves responsible to go through a visa application if a visa is required
Credit Cards
Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club, Access, Airplus.
They can be used for payment of all standard services in hotels, restaurants, night clubs, shops, car rentals, travel agencies, etc.
Transport
Public transport in the big cities : tram, trolley bus and bus.
Inter-city transport : plane, train, coach.
Local and long distance bus services cover 90% of Bulgaria's settlements.
Tickets can be purchased from travel and tourist agencies or at the bus stations.
Taxi service : available at Varna Airport and in every city.
Car rental : You can rent a car from many rent-a-car companies
The sights of Bulgaria
The Belogradchik Rocks
The Rocks of Belogradchik are formed of versicoloured Triassic sandstones and conglomerates. These have fantastic outlines - silhouettes of people, towers, ships, mushrooms, obelisks, palaces, and animals.
Bulgarian Caves
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There are about 4620 caves found in Bulgaria by now. All of them are with their specific history,most of them are explored and are approachable to be visited. There are found historical values in some of them while others are interesting with their Karst forms and weird formation of nature. Here are some of the most interesting caves.
The most familiar of them are: Ledenika cave, Snejanka cave, Magura cave etc.. |
The Valley of roses
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The rose, queen of flowers is one of the symbols of Bulgaria. For centuries Bulgarians have planted roses, picked their flowers and extracted their heavenly essence– attar of roses. The rose, this marvellous gift of the land, is admired and used in perfumery, pharmacy and food industry.
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| Pirin National Park
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Pirin National Park is situated on the highest part of the Pirin mountain range whose peak's surpass 2,500 metres, and thanks to the influence of the Mediterranean climate the beautiful landscape abounds with rich vegetation and fauna. The Pirin lakes, surrounded by an area of Macedonian pine and Silver fir and spruce, teem with animal life, and eagles and falcons have made their homes high up in the mountains. The park is listed as a World Cultural and National Heritage site.
| Vitosha Park
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Vitosha is the oldest Park in the Balkans. Due to a great variability in elevation, a rich diversity of climates, flora, and fauna can be found within the park. There are 1500 species of higher plants, 500 species of sponges, 500 species of algae, 326 species of mosses, and 200 species of lichens.
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Among these there are 31 species which are Balkan endemics and 52 species which are included in the Red Book of Bulgaria.
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The records in bulgarian nature |
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* The longest mountain is "Stara Planina", alias "The Bolkan" -530km. She give the name of whole peninsula. |
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* The highiest mountain is "Rila", which peak Musala is 2925m above the sea-level. This is the highiest point on the Bolcans.
King Philip II, the father of Alexander The Great, is the first person who reached this peak. |
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* The biggest bay is in Bourgas. It is 31km long inside the land. Its bigest width is 41km and it is 25m deep |
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* The biggest seaboard lake is Varna's lake -18km. Also it is the deepest one. |
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* The biggest glacial lake is "Smradlivoto" situated in Rila mountain. Its area is 21,2 hectares. |
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* The highiest glacial lake is called "Popovoto". It is situated in Pirin mountain and it is 2715m above the sea-level. |
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* The longest river in Bulgaria is "Iskar" river. |
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* The highiest waterfall is "Raiskoto pryskalo" - 124m. it is situated not so far from "Botev" peak in "Stara planina" mountain. All bulgarian waterfalls are 300. |
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* The most mineral springs are situated around Welingrad town - more than 70. |
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* The one bulgarian volcano, which is not active now, is "Kojuh"(281m above sea-level). |
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* The lowest place in populated place in Bulgaria has been registered in 1947y. in Tryn town, west of Sofia.It was minus 38,3 degrees. |
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* The highiest temperature measured in the summer of 1916y. in Sadovo village around Plovdiv town +45,2 degrees. |
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* The oldest tree is an oak in Granit village arround Stara zagora town. It is 1650 years old.The head of the tree is 1017sq.m., the tour of the stem is 7,45m, and the tree is 23,40m high. |
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* The highiest tree is "Baikushevata mura" situated in Pirin mountain. It is 62m high and it is 360years old. |
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* The highiest cactus is in botanical garden in Balchik. It is 7m high. |
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* The last mountain cat is shot in 1941y. in Rila mountain. |
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* The most rare animal kind is Black Sea tulle. There are only 5-6 of them. They populate the caves around cape Kaliakra in Black sea. |
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USD: 1.32211 lv
EUR: 1.95583 lv
GBP: 2.46792 lv
CHF: 1.20100 lv
Sofia: 22/27°
