Bulgaria

Bulgaria.
Bulgaria is a country in Southeastern Europe. It borders Romania to the north, Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. The semi-nomadic Bulgars founded the first Bulgarian state in AD 681, which was instrumental in the development and spread of the Cyrillic script. The modern Bulgarian state was established following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 and obtained full independence in 1908. It transformed into a Soviet-allied people's republic in 1946, but the fall of communism paved the way for a transition into a parliamentary democracy in 1990. Since joining the European Union in 2007, Bulgaria has improved its Human Development Index. The country has an open market economy focused on services. The biggest cities are Sofia (the capital), Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. The population, currently around seven million, has declined significantly since 1988.