Geography of Bulgaria

Hungary, Bulgaria & RumaniaCreative Commons License photo credit: Marxchivist

Bulgaria is located in the south eastern part of Europe, and is bordered by the Black Sea on its east side. Bulgaria has borders with Romania to the north, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Republic of Macedonia and Serbia to the west. The land area of Bulgaria is 110,550 square kilometres.
Considering its small size, Bulgaria has a great range of topographical features, and features a notable diversity within its landscape. The Alpine snow-capped peaks of the Balkan Mountains contrast sharply with the sunny Black Sea coast. The lowlands in the southern part of Bulgaria and the Danubian plains are yet another example of the ever varying landscape. Even within small parts of the country, the land may be divided into plateaus, plains, hills, mountains, basins, gorges, and deep river valleys.
One of the main attributes of Bulgaria’s topography is the alternating bands of high and low ground that extend east to west across the country. Starting from the north, these bands are the Danubian Plateau, the Balkan Mountains, the central Thracian Plain, and the Rhodope Mountains.