Bulgaria

Bulgaria is a country in Southeast Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north,  Serbia and  North Macedonia to the west,  Greece, and  Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. Its capital and largest city is Sofia; other major cities are Plovdiv, Varna, and Burgas. Even though it is an important member of the EU, they're often forgotten.

Female
Bulgaria, like some other countries from the fandom, wears her traditional clothes (they come in different variations). A second option, which is less popular, is her wearing a flower crown made out of roses, a light brown turtleneck, a long skirt or black jeans and round glasses, her being aesthetically dressed like a soft girl, or vintage. She can be drawn having long/short white or brown hair (can be drawn with a bun too). Her eyes can be deep-green or honey-brown in colour.

Male
The male version of Bulgaria can be seen also wearing a turtleneck with black pants and a rose flower crown. He can also be seen wearing a green T-shirt over a striped long-sleeved shirt. Another option for him is wearing a pullover on top of a white shirt with a camera and a skater beanie. As for hair, it can be short, brown/white in colour. Eyes are either deep-green or honey-brown.

Personality
Bulgaria is quite laid back and usually has lots of free time and spends it relaxing. They're often late when they have things to do. They're no complainer either and usually stay positive no matter what, they're quite welcoming and puts their friends and families first and is very protective of them. They can get a bit possessive and jealous. But have good intentions, they're quite sensitive, and are forever loyal.

Interests

 * Kukiers (Bulgarian carnivals)
 * Painting
 * Choral singing
 * Writing

Etymology
The Bulgars, who are a tribe of Turkic origin that founded the country, is where the name Bulgaria is derived from.

Flag meaning
The Bulgarian flag is a rectangle divided into three horizontal stripes: white, green and red. White means peace, green means freedom, and red means the victims and the blood spilled of the struggle to liberate Bulgaria from Turkish rule.

Other symbols

 * National animal: Lion
 * National flower: Rose

Nicknames

 * Bulgar
 * The Land Of Roses
 * The Land of Lions
 * The Land of Thracians

History
In the middle of the fourth millennium BC, an influx of nomadic tribes from Central Asia began to arrive in the area of present-day Bulgaria. In the 5th century BC, one of the Thracian tribes even formed a state organism - the Kingdom of Oder. These areas were conquered by the Romans and in the first half of the first century (6-9 A.D.) between the Danube and the Stara Planina range, they created a Roman province of Messe, which in 86 A.D. was divided into Lower and Upper Messe. In the middle of the first century AD, south of Stara Planina, the Roman province of Thrace was established. With time, the area of present-day Bulgaria became a place of invasions of Huns and Goths.

In the 6th century, these areas began to be inhabited by Slavic pastoral tribes, which were conquered by the Proto Bulgars around the year 680. Bulgaria was founded in 681 by Asparuh. Chan Boris, I Michael was baptized by the Greek clergy on the eve of Pentecost on May 25, 864. He received the name Michael in honour of Byzantine Emperor Michael III, his godfather. A powerful state was established with the capital city of Pliska (from 895 in Preslaw), which lasted from 681 to 1018. In 915. Simeon assumed the title of tsar. From 1018, Bulgaria was eventually conquered by Byzantium and remained under Byzantine rule until 1185 despite the anti-Byzantine popular uprisings.

In the years 1186-1398, there was a second state of Bulgarians, after which its territory became part of the Ottoman Empire.

On March 3, 1878, after the defeat of Turkey in the war with Russia, a peace treaty was drawn up in San Stefano, which provided for the creation of the Great Bulgaria, which was still a vassal of Turkey, but without the right to station Turkish troops in it. In addition to Bulgaria itself, Thrace and Macedonia without Thessaloniki were to be included within the borders of the great Bulgarian state. Therefore, 3 March - the day of the end of the centuries-old Turkish occupation of the Bulgarian lands - is the national holiday of this country.

The first ruler of independent Bulgaria was elected by the national assembly of Alexander I Battenberg, who used the title of prince. Independence gained in 1878 (fully in 1908 after the official annexation of Eastern Romania) started a clash of German and Russian influences. In 1886 Russian officers forced the abdication of Prince Alexander I.In 1879 Ferdinand I of Coburg, the nephew of King Ferdinand II of Portugal, became Prince. In 1908 he became the king of an independent kingdom of Bulgaria, and then he proclaimed himself Tsar. As a result of the Balkan Wars (1912-1913), Bulgaria lost a significant part of its territory and therefore joined World War I on the side of the central states. However, the war ended in disaster, and Bulgaria lost its short-term territorial gains (the most painful was the lack of access to the Aegean Sea). In 1918 the tsar was forced to abdicate for his son Boris and leave the country.

During World War II, Bulgaria took sides with the Axis countries (including Hungary, Romania, and Finland). Boris III served as the tsar until his death in 1943. During World War II, Boris's brother, Simeon II, was officially the Tsar of several years old. The actual power rested in the hands of the Council of Regents, which included Bogdan Fiłow, Prince Cyril (brother of Boris III) and General Nikolai Muchow. During the Second World War Bulgaria obtained small acquisitions in the eastern part of Yugoslavia and a short-term inclusion in Bulgaria of part of the Greek territory of Western Thrace and part of Aegean Macedonia, but without Thessaloniki. The occupation of the country by the Red Army in 1944 resulted in the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of the People's Republic of Bulgaria in 1946, after which the Bulgarian Communist Party (general secretaries - Georgi Dimitrov, Todor Zhivkov, Vytautas Chervenkov) took over the power.

Bulgaria was a member of the Comecon and the Warsaw Pact. The mass demonstrations in November and December 1989 led to the creation of a democratic parliamentary republic (the first free elections on 13 October 1991).

Between 2001 and 2005, the former Tsar Simeon II was Prime Minister of the Republic. It was the first time in the history of Eastern European countries that a monarch overthrown by the communist regime became the Prime Minister of the republic that was created later. Simeon is also the only monarch in the world who managed to regain power in the republic through democratic means.

On 29 March 2004 Bulgaria joined NATO.

On January 1, 2007, Bulgaria became a member of the European Union. The Bulgarian government is making efforts to become a member of the Schengen area.

Organizations and Affiliations
WIP

Government
Education system - Global education is a new concept for most teachers in Bulgaria, yet during discussions many teachers could identify how they were in effect carrying out some Global Education already and were able to suggest how they could strengthen and build on this. The need or desire for Global Education in Bulgaria generally came back to the increasing multicultural makeup of the classroom and Bulgarian society generally. The Bulgarian education system left little space for other activities, such as Global Education. Also, the need for more training and support was expressed. The current atmosphere of cutbacks across the board in the Bulgarian economy, including in the education sector, also places obvious limitations on what can be done in practice in the short-term to support teachers in the strengthening of global education in the secondary school sector in Bulgaria. However, overall there seemed to be an openness and a positive approach by the key partners involved in the initiative and by teachers to furthering Global Education in Bulgaria.

Diplomacy
Particular attention is given to the diplomatic conflict between Bulgaria and the Balkans, and the role of Bulgaria in the conflict. Emphasizes the controversial policy of Bulgaria, which is quite evasive and carefully behaved on the eve of global conflict. It is noted that the beginning of the military conflict in Europe automatically done Bulgarian revisionist foreign policy revanchist policy. The fact that the Bulgarian national question was also a territorial issue. Bulgaria had a claim to almost each of its four neighbors. Diversity its revisionism would cause significant difficulties in any major state or coalition of states that have set a goal of attracting Bulgaria as an ally. It is noted that the definition of Bulgarian foreign policy concept of the crucial role played by King Ferdinand. All Bulgarian political life, especially foreign policy, guided by the king, - said the Russian envoy in Sofia AA Savinskiy. - Ministers are blind instrument in his hands. It is noted that at the beginning of the first World War Macedonian lands were subject to bargaining between Bulgaria and the Entente, on the one hand and the Central Powers - on the other. For entry into the war both coalition promised Sophia accession Vardarski and the part of Aegean Macedonia. Bulgaria’s main mistake was that it entered the World War on the side not to «friends» and to the side of the oppressor century of Bulgarian land - of the Ottoman Empire. The article was followed that liberated severe suffering, Bulgaria passed to the enemy, seeking «justice.» This step was considered by public opinion as ingratitude and under the authority of Bulgaria fell more. The article also contains description of the situation in the country before world war and during the neutrality of Bulgaria, analyzed the complexity of its foreign policy objectives that guided the Bulgarian policy, to address the main question.

Geography
Bulgaria is located in southern Europe on the Black Sea, in the north-eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. It borders Romania on the north,  Serbia and  North Macedonia on the west,  Greece and  Turkey on the south. The capital of Bulgaria is Sofia (1.1 million inhabitants), and other major cities are Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Ruse, Stara Zagora, Pleven, and Returns.

Total area: 110 994 km²

Total land border: 1808 km

The length of the coastline: 378 km

Length of the borders with neighbouring countries:
 * Romania 608 km
 * Greece 494 km
 * Serbia 318 km
 * Turkey 240 km
 * Northern Macedonia 148 km

Around 60% of Bulgaria is covered by upland and mountainous terrain, the average elevation of the country is about 470 m above sea level. Along the northern border stretches the Danube Lowland, covering the entire northern part of the country. In the central part of Bulgaria lies its main mountain massif - Stara Płanina (Balkan) and the Zabałka Valley belt (Sofia, Kazanłyk, Sliwyńska, and others). In south-western Bulgaria, there are mountain massifs Rodopa and Pirin (on the border with Greece) and Rila (the highest peak of Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula Musała - 2925 m above sea level). Southeastern Bulgaria is occupied by the vast Górnotracka Lowland, and south of it, on the border with Turkey, the low mountains of Sakar and Stranja.

The climate of Bulgaria is a moderate, warm, continental, dry, subtropical sea, more humid. In the mountains, there is a climate piętrowość climatic. The average air temperature in January ranges from -6 °C (in mountain areas), -3 °C (in the central part of the country) to 2 °C (in the south of the country), and in July from 18 °C, 23 °C and 25 °C respectively. the average annual rainfall ranges from 450 mm in the north to 1200 mm in mountainous areas. The average air temperature and the average total precipitation in Sofia's capital city are -2 °C and 42 mm in January and 22 °C and 60 mm in July.

Family

 * Russia— Cousin
 * Ukraine — Cousin
 * Belarus — Cousin

Friends

 * Japan
 * Spain
 * Germany 
 * Canada
 * European Union
 * United States
 * Hungary
 * Romania — "My best friend who was always supporting me from the past and to the present and possibly to the end!"
 * Spain
 * Albania
 * Greece
 * NATO

Neutral

 * Russia — "I'm not sure whether to trust you or not."

Enemies

 * Turkey
 * Ottoman Empire (formerly)

Past Versions

 * Old Great Bulgaria
 * First Bulgarian Empire
 * Second Bulgarian Empire
 * Ottoman Bulgaria
 * Kingdom of Bulgaria
 * People's Republic of Bulgaria

Trivia

 * WIP