Bulgaria is located in Southeast Europe and bordered by 5 countries, including Romania and Turkey. It encompasses an area of nearly 43,000 square miles. Bulgaria has a population of roughly 6.9 million, and has been shrinking from a peak of 9 million per the census taken in 1989. Bulgaria traces back to the 1st Bulgarian Empire formed in 681 AD. Eventually it came under Ottoman rule.
Bulgaria fell under the specter of Soviet rule in 1944 during WWII, becoming a communist satellite of the Soviet Union. Bulgaria was subsequently integrated into the Warsaw Pact, opposing NATO in Western Europe. When the Soviet Union fell in 1989, Bulgaria transformed into a democratic state, albeit with some continuing challenges. It became a member of NATO in 2004.
Sofia is the capital and largest city. Sofia sits in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain. I also visited Plovdiv, and transited several other small towns including Kyustendil and Rila.
