Curriculum PowerPoint matches 5th and 6th-grade standards. First-person resources copyright of Global Ties Akron Know Your Community Know Your World know-your-world.org

1. Bulgaria
KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY
KNOW YOUR WORLD
A PROGRAM OF GLOBAL TIES
AKRON

2. Bulgaria is located in Southeastern Europe in a region known as the
Balkans. It has many mountains and plains. Eastern Bulgaria is bordered
by the Black Sea and has many beautiful beaches. By plane, it takes
about 14 hours and multiple stops to get to Sofia, Bulgaria.

3. Country Quick Facts
● Full name: Republic of Bulgaria
● Population: about 6.9 million (July 2014 est.)
● Capital: Sofia
● Largest city: Sofia
● Official language: Bulgarian
● Major religion: Eastern Orthodox Christian (about 60%)
● Life expectancy: Male: 70, Female: 78
● Monetary unit: Lev, Leva (plural)
● Main exports: clothing, footwear, iron and steel,
machinery and equipment, fuels
● GNI per capita: $15,210

4. Bulgarian History in Brief
● The Bulgarian State was founded in
681 CE
● Became independent from the Ottoman
Empire in 1908
● On the losing side in both World War I
and II
● Communist government took over in
1946
● Was part of the Eastern bloc, countries
obedient to the Soviet Union during the
Cold War
● Held their first democratic elections in
1990 and begin switching to a capitalist
economy

5. Language
• HELLO: zdrave/здравей
• GOODBYE: dovizdane/довиждане
• YES: Da/да
• NO: Ne/не
• THANK YOU: Blagodarya, Mersi/ благодаря, Мерси
• YOU’RE WELCOME: molya/моля
• PLEASE: molya/моля
• I LOVE YOU: Obicham te/Обичам те
• HOW ARE YOU: Kak si?/Как си?

6. Government
● President: Rosen Plevneliev
● Prime Minister: Boyko Borisov
● Government structure: parliamentary democracy
● Voting age: 18 years

7. Current Issues
● Poor infrastructure, especially
roads
● Struggling economy, lack of jobs
● Corruption in the government
● Aging population
● Refugees
● Discrimination of Roma people

8. Economy
● Bulgaria’s economy has been struggling since the Communist times
● Joined the European Union in 2007
● Major industries are:
● Tourism on the Black Sea coast in cities like Varna and Burgas
● Lots of rose oil! Used for things like perfume
● Wine, especially from Southern Bulgaria
● Energy
● Telecommunications

9. Currency
● Leva (paper money), stotinka (coins)
● 1 US dollar= 1.73 Bulgarian leva (June 2015)

10. Cultural Differences from the US
● Orders at a restaurant in Bulgaria is not served at the same time, dinner is much slower
paced than in the US
● Clean plate or empty glass means you want more and they will always serve you more even
if you don’t want it
● Bulgarians are known for their sarcastic/dry sense of humor
● Lots of stray dogs
● Smaller cars, hardly any trucks
● Still a lot of focus on extended family, very close
● Eye contact very important
● Don’t like to rush
● Bulgarians like to think they invented everything from baklava and yogurt to the Cyrillic
alphabet

11. National Festivals
● Kukeri Festival- rituals dating back to ancient times to scare off evil
spirits of the winter season through scary costumes and dancing

12. Traditional Bulgarian Food
● Banitsa
● Yogurt very common, sour compared to ours
● Lots of meat, potato, and rice dishes
● Two kinds of cheese: yellow and white cheese
● Ayran (cold yogurt beverage mixed with salt) and boza
(grain-based drink) are traditional beverages
Banitsa- popular bread and
cheese dish
Boza

13. Fun Facts
● The current prime minister,
Boyko Borisov, currently plays
for a club soccer team
● Bulgaria has an UNESCO
World Heritage Site- Rila
Monastery
● Bulgaria has Roman ruins!
(See next slide)
● Quidditch player Viktor Krum
from the Harry Potter books
and movies was from Bulgaria
● Bulgaria was one of the two
countries that did not turn over
their Jews to the Nazis

14. Roman Amphitheater in
Plovdiv, Bulgaria dating
back to the 2nd century

15. Links
● http://www.novinite.com/
● http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17202996
● https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/geos/bu.html
● http://www.eurodict.com/English_Bulgarian_Dictionary_seo_4
6.html
● http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/bg.htm
● http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/mapping/o
utline-map/?map=Bulgaria&ar_a=1
● http://bulgariatravel.org/
● http://bulgaria.usembassy.gov/