The Grants' Bulgaria Blog.

Bulgaria is an Eastern European country with a population of around 8 million. To the south it borders on Turkey and Greece; to the west, Serbia and Macedonia; to the north is Romania and to the East is the Black Sea. The climate is typically continental (temperate), with warm summers and snowy winters. Compared to Tassie, summer days average 4-5 degrees C warmer and winter days average 6-7 degrees C cooler (ie. below zero!).

Bulgaria’s political past is quite complex – the land has been the site of numerous wars and conflicts throughout recorded history, notably in the Crusades, the Balkan Wars, and both World Wars.

As a result, the ethnic makeup of Bulgaria’s poplation is quite complex, and there is a considerable amount of ethnic tension because of this. Over 80% of the population identify themselves as ethnically Bulgarian, but there are a number of minority ethnic groups (Turkish 10%, Roma 5%). The tensions between these groups are intrinsically tied to religion, with ethnic Bulgarians affiliating with the Orthodox Church and ethnic Turks and Rom having a strong Islamic identity.

In Southern Bulgaria, a much higher percentage of the population are Turkish – up to 50% in some areas. Ethnic groups tend to separate themselves, leading to “Turkish” and “Bulgarian” neighbourhoods. Ethnic violence is unheard of (to us, at least!) – the tensions between these ethnic groups tend to be played out in terms of social exclusion and discrimination, which can of course be just as damaging. As a result, Turks tend to have less opportunities and a lower socio-economic status. Smaller minority groups, such as the Rom and Millet (who might formerly have been referred to as Gypsies), suffer even greater disadvantage.