Description: �� Bulgaria's reliance on coal at odds with EU push for clean energy Bulgaria is finding itself in the spotlight for its less-than-impressive environmental stan
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Coordinates : 42°45′N 25°30′E / 42.750°N 25.500°E / 42.750; 25.500
Bulgaria ( i / b ʌ l ˈ ɡ ɛər i ə / , / b ʊ l ˈ - / ; Bulgarian : България , tr. Bǎlgarija , IPA: [bɐɫˈɡarijɐ] ), officially the Republic of Bulgaria ( Bulgarian : Република България , tr. Republika Bǎlgarija ), is a country in southeastern Europe . It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. With a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi) , Bulgaria is Europe's 16th-largest country .
Organised prehistoric cultures began developing on Bulgarian lands during the Neolithic period. Its ancient history saw the presence of the Thracians and later the Persians , Greeks and Romans . The emergence of a unified Bulgarian state dates back to the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681 AD, which dominated most of the Balkans and functioned as a cultural hub for Slavs during the Middle Ages . With the downfall of the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1396, its territories came under Ottoman rule