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GDP: US$33.6 billion
GDP per head: US$4100
Annual growth: 4%
Inflation: 1%
Major industries: Food processing, machine and metal building, electronics, chemicals, textiles, ferrous and nonferrous metals
Major trading partners: Italy, Germany, Turkey, Greece, Russia, USA
Member of EU: no

Events

Public holidays include New Year (1 and 2 January), 1878 Liberation Day (3 March), Cyrillic Alphabet Day (24 May) and Christmas (25 and 26 December). The reason for the two Christmas days is that religious Bulgarians were forbidden to practise during the Communist era, so they invented a secular - and suspiciously Christmas-like - celebration on the following day. Since the collapse of Communism, the original Christmas Day has been celebrated as before, but the invented holiday has been sensibly retained. Bulgarians observe a number of traditional customs. Trifon Zarezan on 14 February is the ancient festival of the wine growers. Vines are pruned and sprinkled with wine to ensure a bounteous harvest. On 1 March Bulgarians give one another martenitsi, red and white tasselled threads which are worn for health and happiness at the coming of spring. When wearers see their first stork of the season, the martenitsa is tied to the nearest tree.

At the Koprivshtitsa Folk Festival, which is held every four years, some 4000 finalists compete for awards. There is a biennial festival in Pernik at which participants, wearing traditional masks and costumes, perform ancient dances to drive away evil spirits and ask the good spirits for a plentiful harvest. Koukeri is another spring festival, most avidly celebrated in the Rodopi Mountains. The Festival of Roses is celebrated with folk songs and dances at Kazanlâk and Karlovo on the first Sunday in June.

Traveling Guidelines

Visas: EU and US passport holders do not usually require a visa, but most other travellers must shell out for Bulgaria's expensive entry documents. Travellers on package tours are the exception - if the Bulgarian authorities know where you're going to be, there's generally less red tape.
Health risks: No particular risks, but you're advised to stick to private clinics if you require medical treatment in Bulgaria.
Time: GMT/UTC plus two hours
Electricity: 220V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Tourism: 8 million visitors annually

Ideal Time to Visit

Bulgaria has a temperate climate, with cold damp winters and hot dry summers. Sofia has average daily temperatures above 15°C from May to September, above 11°C in April and October, above 5°C in March and November, and below freezing in December and January. Beaches on the Black Sea Coast can get insanely crowded in the summer, and accommodation and camping grounds in coastal resorts tend to fill up. The Coast is virtually deserted from mid-September to mid-May.