Unknown and Fun Facts about Bulgaria

We bet that many of you will be surprised by the following facts:

We are ancient...

1. Bulgaria is the oldest country in Europe that hasn’t changed its name since it was first established. This happened in 681 AD.
2. Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, was founded 7000 years ago. This makes it the second oldest city in Europe.
3. The gold treasure discovered in the Varna Necropolis is the oldest one in the world. It dates back to 5000 BC.
4. Bulgaria comes third in the list of countries with most valuable archaeological sites discovered on their territories, preceded only by Greece and Italy. 
5. Over 15 000 Thracian tombs have been discovered on the territory of Bulgaria. The bulk of them are yet to be explored.
6. There is solid historical evidence that wine has been produced on the territory of what is now modern-day Bulgaria ever since the Stone Age. Today the country has earned the reputation of a world-class wine producer.

We are unique...

1. Bulgarians express approval by shaking their heads rather than nodding. Weird, huh.
2. The famous Bulgarian rose oil is used for making some of the world’s most popular and expensive perfumes. One gram rose oil is produced out of 1000 rose blossoms.
3. Every year on 1 March Bulgarians exchange martenitsas. Essentially, these are small pieces of adornment made of red and white thread that symbolise good health and happiness.
4. Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, is the only big city in Europe that lies just 15 minutes away from an imposing mountain – Vitosha. Cherni Vrah (Black Peak – 2290 m) is its highest peak.
5. The Bulgarian folk song Izlel e Delio Haydutin has been flying around open space together with Bach’s and Mozart’s greatest works since 1977 when the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes left the Earth.
6. Bulgarian yogurt is the best in the world, no doubt about it. This is thanks to the unique Lactobacillus bulgaricus bacteria used for its production that can only be found on the territory of the country.
7. Nearly one third of Bulgaria is covered in forests and this shouldn’t be too surprising given the fact that there are over 40 mountains on its territory. Needless to say, they are all great for skiing and mountaineering.
8. Bulgaria is the country with the highest number of natural mineral springs in Continental Europe – over 600.
9. The different ethnic and religious groups in Bulgaria live in peaceful coexistence.
10. The Bulgarian army has never lost a single flag in battle.

We are famous...

1. The famous Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg has a Bulgarian origin and he is named after his Bulgarian grandfather - Marko. His grandfather has emigrated from Bulgaria in 1940. 
2. The first computer in the world was created by a Bulgarian. In the period 1937 – 1942 John Atanasoff, a scientist of Bulgarian descent, together with Clifford Berry, an American inventor working for the University of Iowa, designed and developed the first electronic digital computing device.
3. The first digital wristwatch was also invented by a Bulgarian. His name is Peter Petroff.
4. The renowned opera singers Boris Christoff and Nikolai Gyaurov are Bulgarians.
5. The Cyrillic alphabet was invented in the 9th century AD by none other than the two most famous Bulgarian monks ever to have lived – Cyril and Methodius.
6. Assen Jordanoff, a renowned aircraft engineer and one of the inventors of the airbag, was also of Bulgarian descent.
7. The Bulgarian national football team finished fourth in the 1994 World Cup. Their best footballer, Hristo Stoichkov, finished the tournament as a top scorer, netting six goals in seven games. Later that year, he also went on to become the first Bulgarian player to win the Ballon d’Or.