Bulgaria is one of Europe's oldest countries. The kingdom of Bulgaria was established in 681 when the Bulgars, a tribe from Asia, moved in and merged with the local populations. A significant European power by the ninth century, Bulgaria had some ups and downs with the Byzantine Empire before being overrun by the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 14th century. By 1908, Bulgaria was a fully independent kingdom again. Shortly after, it became involved in the Balkan Wars, then fought on the losing side in both world wars. It is important to note that Bulgaria refused to comply with Germany's 1943 resolution to deport all Jews to Auschwitz. Instead, Bulgaria choose to protect and save the 50,000 Jewish members of the community. After WWII, Bulgaria fell into the Soviet camp, where it remained until 1990 when multi-party elections were held. Bulgaria is set to join the European Union on January 1, 2007.
Bulgaria on Wikipedia
