Geography, Weather, & Wildlife of Bulgaria

Geography

Bulgaria is located on the Balkan Peninsula, reaching inland from the Black Sea, which is on its eastern side. Bulgaria is bordered by Serbia (west), Macedonia (southwest), Greece (south), Turkey (southeast), and Romania (north).

Geographically, Bulgaria seems to be either very low-lying or very high rising. Much of the country's north, south, and east are flat, but in the middle of the country and in the west there are some mountains that quickly rise up and are difficult to access. These areas provide great beauty, but little life; as the flat lands, particularly the Black Sea coast are home to most of the population.

Weather

Bulgaria's weather is affected by the Mediterranean currents from the south, the Black Sea to the east, and the continental currents from the Balkan Peninsula mountains. These variations make the weather somewhat unpredictable.

Daily winter highs in most of the cities are above freezing (32° F (0° C), but night temperatures usually drop to below freezing and to as cold as 23° F (-5° C) in the case of Sofia. At elevation these temperatures can be much lower and in these areas snow is not uncommon.

Summers tend to be hot throughout the country with daily highs of nearly 80° F (27° C) in both Varna on the coast and in Sofia, which is inland. Night temperatures can drop significantly though, with daily lows of about 56° F (13° C) in Sofia.

Wildlife

Bulgaria has one of the most diverse wildlife ecosystems in Europe due to the country's diversity from mountains to waterfront and warm sub-tropical weather to snow in the mountains. Bulgaria is home to bears, wolves, deer, elk, and goats, in addition to many small mammals like squirrels and rodents. There is also a wide variety of sea life, in the lakes, rivers, and the Black Sea.

The Black Sea coast also attracts a number of migrating birds, which feed off the small fish in the rivers and lakes.

This page was last updated: March, 2013