Independence:             3 March 1878 (autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire);                                      

                                     22 September 1908 (independence from the Ottoman Empire);

National holiday:               Liberation Day, 3 March (1878);

Nationality:                       Bulgarian;

Ethnic groups:                  Bulgarian 83, 9 %, Turkish 9,4 %, Roma 4,7 %, other 2 %;

Official Language:             Bulgarian, alphabet – Cyrillic;

Religion:                            Bulgarian Orthodox (82,6 %), Muslim (12,2%), other Christian (1.2 %), others (4,1 %);

Administrative divisions:  28 provinces;

Time Zone:                        GMT (London) + 2 hours, CET (Paris, Rome, Budapest) + 1 hour;

Electric Power:                 220 V, 50 Hz.