Bulgaria (For Want of a Telegram)

Kingdom of Bulgaria
*Царство България*
Tsarstvo Bŭlgariya
Kingdom of Bulgaria Царство България; Tsarstvo Bŭlgariya
	Motto: "Съединението прави силата" (Bulgarian); "Sǎedinenieto pravi silata" (transliteration); "Unity Makes Strength"
	Anthem: "Мила Родино" (Bulgarian); "Mila Rodino" (transliteration); "Dear Motherland";
	Location of Bulgaria Location of Bulgaria (dark green), within the European Union (light green)
Capital; (and largest city)	Sofia
Official languages	Bulgarian
Ethnic groups	84.8% Bulgarians; 8.8% Turks; 4.9% Roma; 1.5% others
Demonym	Bulgarian
Government	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Legislature	National Assembly
Formation
Population
Currency	Lev (BGN)

Bulgaria (Bulgarian: България, tr. Bǎlgariya), officially the Kingdom of Bulgaria or the Tsardom of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Царство България, tr. Tsarstvo Bŭlgariya), is a country in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east.

Organised prehistoric cultures began developing on current Bulgarian lands during the Neolithic period. Its ancient history saw the presence of the Thracians, Greeks and Romans. The emergence of a unified Bulgarian state dates back to the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681 AD, which dominated most of the Balkans and functioned as a cultural hub for Slavs during the Middle Ages. With the downfall of the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1396, its territories came under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 led to the formation of the Third Bulgarian State. The following years saw several conflicts with its neighbours, which prompted Bulgaria to align with Germany in both world wars. In 1945 it became a one-party fascist state as part of the Russian-led Eastern Bloc. In December 1989 the ruling Nationalist Party allowed multi-party elections, which subsequently led to Bulgaria's transition into a democracy.

Bulgaria's population of 7.4 million people is predominantly urbanised and mainly concentrated in the administrative centres of its 28 provinces. Most commercial and cultural activities are centred on the capital and largest city, Sofia. The strongest sectors of the economy are heavy industry, power engineering, and agriculture, all of which rely on local natural resources.

The country's current political structure dates to the adoption of a democratic constitution in 1991. Bulgaria is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a high degree of political, administrative, and economic centralisation. It is a member of the European Union, NATO, and the Council of Europe; a founding state of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); and has taken a seat at the UN Security Council three times.