• Total aid: $414m (receipts)

Loans from the IMF, the World Bank, and the EBRD are mainly intended for infrastructure improvements. The EU is by far the largest single donor, with funds aiding reforms in preparation for Bulgaria's eventual membership of the EU. Humanitarian aid focuses mainly on medical provision and children's homes.

Part of the Ottoman Empire from 1396, Bulgaria gained autonomy in 1878 and independence in 1908. Under King Ferdinand, it sided with Germany during World War I, and subsequently lost valuable territory to Greece and Serbia. Under King Boris, Bulgaria once again sided with Germany in World War II.

• 1943 Child king Simeon II accedes.
• 1944 Allies firebomb Sofia. Soviet army invades. Antifascist Fatherland Front coalition, including Agrarian Party and Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP), takes power in bloodless coup. Kimon Georgiev prime minister.
• 1946 September, referendum abolishes monarchy. Republic proclaimed. October, general election results in BCP majority.
• 1947 Prime Minister Georgi Dmitrov discredits Agrarian Party leader Nikola Petkov. Petkov arrested and sentenced to death. International recognition of Dmitrov government. Soviet-style constitution adopted; one-party state established. Country renamed People's Republic of Bulgaria. Nationalization of economy begins.
• 1949 Dmitrov dies, succeeded as prime minister by Vasil Kolarov.
• 1950 Kolarov dies. "Little Stalin" Vulko Chervenkov replaces him and begins BCP purge and collectivization.
• 1953 Stalin dies; Chervenkov's power begins to wane.
• 1954 Chervenkov yields power to Todor Zhivkov. Zhivkov sets out to make Bulgaria an inseparable part of the Soviet system.
• 1955–1960 Zhivkov exonerates victims of Chervenkov's purges.
• 1965 Plot to overthrow Zhivkov discovered by Soviet agents.
• 1968 Bulgarian troops aid Soviet army in invasion of Czechoslovakia.
• 1971 New constitution. Zhivkov becomes president of State Council and resigns as premier.
• 1978 Purge of BCP: 30,000 members expelled.
• 1984 Turkish minority forced to take Slavic names.
• 1989 June–August, exodus of 300,000 Bulgarian Turks. November, Zhivkov ousted as BCP leader and head of state. Replaced by Petur Mladenov. Mass protest in Sofia for democratic reform. December, Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) formed.
• 1990 Economic collapse. Zhivkov arrested. BCP loses constitutional role as leading political party, changes name to Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). Elections: BSP victory. Parliament chooses Zhelyu Zhelev, UDF leader, as president. Country renamed Republic of Bulgaria; communist symbols removed from national flag.
• 1991 February, price controls abolished; steep price rises. July, new constitution adopted. October, UDF wins elections.
• 1992 Continued political and social unrest. October, UDF resigns after losing vote of confidence. December, MRF forms government. Zhivkov convicted of corruption and human rights abuses.
• 1993 Ambitious privatization program begins, bu progress slow.
• 1994 General elections return BSP to power.
• 1995 BSP leader, Zhan Videnov, heads coalition government.
• 1996 Financial crisis and collapse of lev. Presidential elections won by opposition UDF candidate, Peter Stoyanov.
• 1997 General election won by UDF, whose leader Ivan Kostov becomes prime minister.
• 2001 Despite economic upturn, voters turn to new party headed by ex-king, who, as Simeon Saxecoburggotski, becomes prime minister. November, BSP leader Georgi Purvanov elected president.
• 2004 Joins NATO.

Weather chart

The central valley and the lowlands have warm summers and cold, snowy winters, but hot or cold winds from Russia can bring spells of more extreme weather. The hotter summers on the Black Sea coast have encouraged the growth of tourist resorts. Snow may lie on the high mountain peaks until June.