LESSON NOTES

All About S1 #6
Top 5 Things to Know About
Bulgaria

CONTENTS
2 Grammar

# 6
COPYRIGHT © 2012 INNOVATIVE LANGUAGE LEARNING. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is a Quiz!

These are five things you have to know about Bulgaria! Test your knowledge of Bulgaria.

Geography

I. In which part of Bulgaria is the Black Sea coast located?

1. The north

2. The south

3. The east

Correct answer: 1. the east

The Black Sea coast covers the entire eastern boundary of Bulgaria. Golden beaches occupy
approximately 130 kilometers of the 378-kilometer-long coast. The season for tourism along
the Black Sea Coast starts in May and ends in late September. Many foreign and local tourists
visit it, and this is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Bulgaria. Its nickname is the
Bulgarian Riviera.

The Bulgarian Black Sea coast has a humid subtropical climate, with temperatures averaging
around twenty-eight degrees Celsius, and the sunshine in the peak season of July and
August is more than three hundred hours.

The Balkan Mountains of Bulgaria cross the country and reach the edge of the Black Sea
coast at Cape Emine, dividing the coastline into northern and eastern parts. The northern
Black Sea Coast attracts people with beautiful rocky headlands where many ancient stories
took place. The southern Black Sea Coast is known better for its wide sandy beaches with
preserved privacy and beauty.

The Bulgarian Black Sea coast presents many opportunities for summer sports, sightseeing,
archaeological tourism, art festivals, and many other ways to have a good time. The coastal
region can be accessed from two airports, Varna International Airport and Burgas Airport. An

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easier option, though, is to land at the airport in the capital, Sofia, and go by bus to the
seaside.

Pop Culture

II. We give the names of three people. One is a famous singer, another is a politician, and
the third is a sports star. Match the name with their profession.

Boyko Borisov Singer

Dimitar Berbatov Politician

Valya Balkanska Athlete

Correct answers:

Dimitar Berbatov is a Bulgarian soccer player and is well known throughout the world. He
plays for Manchester United. He captained the Bulgarian national team from 2006 to 2010,
and is its all-time leading goal scorer. He has also won the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year a
record seven times, surpassing the number of wins by another famous Bulgarian soccer
player, Hristo Stoichkov.

Valya Balkanska is a Bulgarian folk music singer from the Rhodope Mountains. She is
known locally for her wide repertoire of Balkan folksong, but around the world she is known
mainly for singing the song "Izlel e Delyu Haydutin," part of the Voyager Golden Record
selection of music included in the two Voyager spacecrafts launched in 1977.

Boyko Borisov is the Prime Minister of Bulgaria and has held the office since July 2009.
Previously, he was Mayor of Sofia from November 2005 until his election as Prime Minister.
Boyko Borisov's "man of the people" attitude and the failings of the previous government have
been seen as the main sources of his popularity. Borisov has also marked a very wide media
presence, being regularly cited in most major media outlets. One of his main goals is the
expansion of the national motorway network, of which "Lyulin" was the first motorway to be
completed.

Just like Bulgarian grammar, it's all about agreement.

The Bulgarian Finance Minister is vowing that there will be a higher figure for the growth of
the state budget, which will feature 2.8 or 2.9 percent growth. However, others estimate these
figures will be lower, and Borisov's popularity has been steadily declining due to ongoing
economic woes and failure to carry out promised reforms. His controversial status remains the

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main subject in the news.

Travel

III. Which are the most popular travel destinations in Bulgaria?

1. Rila National Park, Bansko, and Sofia

2. The Black Sea resorts, Melnik, and Sofia

3. Bansko, Sofia, and the Black Sea resorts

Correct Answer: 3. Bansko, Sofia, and The Black Sea coast

Bansko is the most frequently visited ski resort in Bulgaria. During recent years a multi-million
euro investment in a brand new skiing area has been made. Bansko has the best snow
record and the longest ski season (December fifteenth through May fifteenth) of all Bulgarian
ski resorts. During the last couple of years, this resort has been using its massive investment
to create new hotels and resort facilities. A brand new resort area with super luxury hotels and
holiday apartments is being developed, which also makes Bansko the resort with the best
hotels.

Sofia is the capital and the largest city in Bulgaria. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot
of Mount Vitosha. Prehistoric settlements were excavated in the center of the present city,
near the royal palace. Many of the major universities of Bulgaria are concentrated in Sofia. It
is also a center for media, cultural events, and modern theaters, and it is the home of research
institutes, sporting events, orchestras, and museums. The increasing number of contemporary
art events, festivals, and the like is making Sofia a very attractive destination.

The Black Sea resorts are one of Bulgaria's best options for a vacation. The Black Sea beach
resorts of Bulgaria can be divided into two groups according to their location: northern resorts
and southern resorts. The southern resorts have slightly higher temperatures compared to the
northern ones. Bulgaria offers a budget alternative to more expensive European resorts, with
many beautiful cities combining old archaeological sites, traditional craft villages,
contemporary entertainment attractions, and first-class hotels.

Economics

IV. Bulgaria is the world's largest exporter of...

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1. Wine

2. Fuel

3. Rose extract

Correct Answer: 3 (but also 1)

Trick question! In 1990 Bulgaria was the world's largest exporter of attar (or extract) of roses,
used in making perfume. Bulgaria is now one of the world's leading exporters of rose oil,
producing more than half of the world's output. The oil is traditionally used for the highest-
grade perfumes in the world, but it is also used in the pharmaceutical industry and as an
ingredient in some foods. The main buyers are France and the United States.

Although Bulgaria's export of wine is not the world's largest, by the mid-1990s, Bulgaria
became the world's second largest exporter of bottled wines and the fifth largest exporter
overall, after Italy, France, Spain, and Germany. More than eighty percent of the country's
production is exported.

Perspective Check

Bulgaria's electronics, IT, and services outsourcing are the sectors of the Bulgarian economy
that harbor the greatest growth potential, and there are other sectors that possess substantial
potential for growth.

MYTH Buster!

The biggest myth is that the country of Bulgaria has no good potential when it comes to the
development of the economy. In fact, the economy of Bulgaria is rapidly growing, and it is also
considered one of the fastest growing economies.

Here we bust some common myths:

1. Food

Bulgarians do eat yogurt every day, but they do not have the same customs for eating it as
other nations. Actually, yogurt is used for cooking or as an addition to already cooked meal. It
can be the main ingredient of a salad, a topping of a dish, or part of the dessert.

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2. Culture

Bulgarians do shake their heads for "yes" and "no" in the opposite way of the rest of the world.
Still, many young people and people who are used to visitors from foreign countries do know
that fact and will not confuse you by nodding their heads in an extraordinary way.

3. Society

Bulgarian society is such a blend of Bulgarians, with their mixed ethnic origins of the tribes
that created the country combined with the Turkish and Roma groups. However, they all
consider themselves Bulgarians and follow specific Bulgarian cultural traditions.

4. Roma

The Roma in Bulgaria are the country's second largest minority and third largest ethnic group
after Bulgarians and Turks. Bulgaria is the European country with the highest percentage of
Roma. Bulgaria participates in international initiatives to improve the socio-economic status
and social inclusion of the Roma.

5. Language

And last but not least, Bulgarians speak Bulgarian, their unique Slavic language.

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