The Republic of Bulgaria is a country situated in the southeast of Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the east, Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and Montenegro and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Romania to the north along the river Danube

Population: 7,973, 673 (2001)

Capital city: Sofia

Religion: There is freedom of religious confessions. Traditional religion in the Republic of Bulgaria is Eastern Orthodox Christianity

Administrative division: 28 regions, named after their respective regional centres.

State system: a parliamentary republic with a one-chamber parliament (National Assembly), consisting of 240 national representatives, elected for a four-year term of service. The head of state of the republic is the President, elected for a five-year term of service. The Council of Ministers is the main body of executive power.

Relief: most diverse. Average height above sea level � 470 m. Some 31.5% of the countryies territory is plain (up to 200 m above sea level), 41% are lowlands and hilly regions (from 200 to 600 m above sea level), and 27.5% are mountains (from 600 to more than 1,600 m above sea level).

Climate: Bulgaria's most comfortable temperatures are found mid May to mid September.The weather in Bulgaria is influenced mostly by the Atlantic, European and Mediterranean climate zones resulting in four amazing and tender seasons.
Beautiful blooming spring, dry and hot summer, long and pleasant autumn, and mild winter with lots of opportunity for skiing

The average annual temperature is 51° F (10.5° C), but this conceals a wide variation; temperatures as low as -37° F (-38° C) and as high as 113° F (45° C) have been recorded. Mean annual precipitation ranges from about 18 inches (450 millimetres) in the northeast to more than 47 inches in the highest mountains.

Waters: rivers (main rivers are Danube, Maritsa, Mesta, Strouma, Iskar, Yantra); warm and cold mineral springs (more than 600); lakes coastal (some with curative mineral mud) and of glacial origin (in the Rila and Pirin mountains).

Plant and animal world: extremely diverse. An Act on the Protected Territories is operating in Bulgaria, aimed at the preservation of the countryies flora and fauna. It has specified the following categories in the country: a national and nature park, a reserve and a tended reserve, a natural sight, a protected locality.

Economy: Bulgaria has been an associated member of the European Union (EU) since 1992. In 1997 an agreement was signed with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank for economic stabilization and for the carrying through of economic reforms in the country. A currency board was introduced. The national monetary unit has been referred to the EURO. A structural reform is underway aimed at an economic growth, a functioning market economy and at paving the way for foreign investments in the country.

Business: Relationship building is important in Bulgaria, and initial meetings may be used as an introduction, after which more business-related meetings can be planned. Face-to-face meetings are therefore preferred over communication by email, fax or phone. The use of English in business is increasing, however the services of a translator might be required, and presentations should include the use of visuals where possible. Introductions include firm handshakes, and the exchange of business cards; dress should be conservative business attire and punctuality is expected.

Bulgaria has 4 international airports: Sofia (the capital), Varna and Burgas (coastal airports) and Plovdiv (approximately in the geographic center of the country. Which airport you choose to fly to will be determined by where you want to buy. The Bulgarian air companies have flights to the most European countries as well as all major European air lines have regular flights to Bulgaria. While flights to Sofia are normally priced, there are a lot of charter cheap flights to Bulgaria offered to Varna and Bourgas leaving from Western Europe especially in the summer tourist season.

Why to invest in Bulgaria:

-the ex-communist country has been seeing tremendous growth lately and is benefiting from a red-hot property market

-Bulgaria boasts political and economic stability and has been recording a sustained GDP growth of between 4.7% and 4.9% per year

- The country’s currency is stable

- Bulgaria is a member of NATO and European Union

- property prices seeing a 25% increase over the last several years

- benefits from a very strategic location

- Bulgaria experienced tremendous ecomic growth

- Bulgaria offers tax incentives for investing in depressed region

The Bulgaria property market is going through a growth spurt fuelled by the country’s recent ascension as a full member of the European Union. Along with its booming tourist trade and its ever-growing community of expats, the Bulgarian real estate sector is seeing some of the strongest activity in its history.

The Bulgarian property market is still considered an emerging one, which is another big fact in its favour. Bulgaria offers investors a better value for their money than most other European destinations because it is not over-developed yet and because the prices are still relatively low compared to what they are in other countries.

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