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The Republic of Bulgaria is located in south-eastern Europe. It covers 110 993.6 km², consists mainly of mountainous terrain, with lowlands in the north and south-east, and has a mild continental climate. The Bulgarian language comes from the Slavic group and uses the Cyrillic alphabet.

In 2004, life expectancy at birth was 72.6 years, and infant mortality was 11.65 per 1000 live births. The population was estimated to be 7.726 million in 2005, with 69.8% living in urban areas. According to a contested estimate, it comprises Bulgarians (85.8%), ethnic Turks (9.7%), Roma (3.4%) and other groups (1.1%).

Bulgaria became a member of the European Union on 1 January 2007. By the Constitution of July 1991, Bulgaria is a multiparty parliamentary democracy, governed by a single chamber, the National Assembly, with 240 members directly elected for four years, based on proportional representation. The head of state is the President, directly elected for a maximum of two five-year terms.

Bulgaria has moved from a command to a market-oriented economy. The economic situation is still difficult, although, over recent years, the country has achieved a high degree of macro-economic stability, with substantial economic growth rates, relatively low inflation and falling unemployment.