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ULGARIA, bul-găr'e-a, or bool-gä're-a, of independent kingdom Balkan Peninsula (q.v.), southeastern Europe. Bulgaria is bounded on the north by the Danube and Rumania; on the east by the Black Sea; on south by Greek Macedonia and Thrace; and on the west by Serbia. Before the Balkan Wars (q.v.) in 1912-13 the estimated area of the country was 24,380 square miles, and of South Bulgaria (formerly Eastern Rumelia) 13,700 square miles, total 38,080 square miles. According to the census of 1900 the total population was 3,744,283; in 1906, 4,028,260; in 1910, 4,337,516. By the Treaty of London (30 May 1913) Bulgaria had gained a large amount of territory from Turkey, but being discontented with her share, she turned against her former allies (29 June 1913) and was severely defeated in the second Balkan War and in consequence lost much of what she had won. Rumania intervened and acquired about 2,900 square miles of territory. Bulgaria finally secured only about 10,000 square miles from Turkey, while she lost nearly 3,000 square miles of her. Own territory to Rumania, with a population of about 273,000. Balkan statistics, however, should be accepted with considerable reserve, as it is rare to find any two authorities in agreement. The most recent figures obtainable give the kingdom of Bulgaria an area of 39,841 square miles, and a total population of 4,909,700, made up of Bulgarians, Turks, Rumanians, Greeks, Serbs, Gypsies, Jews, Russians, Germans and other nationalities. Before 1913 Bulgaria was divided into 12 districts, Saint Zagora, Bourgas, Vidin, Philippopolis, Varna, Rustchuk, Tirnovo, Choumen, Pléven, Sofia, Kustendil and Vratza. The capital is Sofia (q.v.), with a population of 154,431; other chief towns are Philippopolis, Varna, Rustchuk, Slivno, Shumla and Plevna.

Soil, Climate, Industry.- The surface of Old Bulgaria is a gradually sloping plain, broken by occasional mountains, which give rise to rapid tributaries of the Danube. The Balkan Mountains or Stara Planina are described under Balkan Peninsula and Balkan Mountains. There is little mining, although the mountains are rich in minerals, iron, gold, silver, manganese and copper. The soil is excellent and the slopes of the mountains are richly wooded. The climate is healthy, and the country enjoys the reputation of possessing more centenarians than any other in Europe. People stated to be 105 to 125 years of age are

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not uncommon, though it is not improbable that such remarkable longevity may be due rather to unreliable records and memories than to any virtues of climate. Over 70 per cent of the people are engaged in agriculture and most of them own freehold plots on which they pay a small land tax, while they enjoy free rights over communal grazing and timber lands. considerable quantity of grain, chiefly wheat, is exported; fruit and vegetables are raised in abundance; roses are largely cultivated for the production of the attar, which is exported to the value of $1,500,000 per annum. Wine is plentiful and cheap; silkworms are bred in some regions and tobacco forms an important crop. Stone quarries and government coal mines are in operation; domestic industries are chiefly carpets, hosiery, woolen and cotton goods and ribbons. The highways are still in a backward condition; most of the traffic is carried on by the rivers, and export trade by the Black Sea ports of Vara and Bourgas; passenger and merchant steamers run between Varna and Constantinople (150 miles). Rustchuk, Vidin and Sistova are the chief Danube ports. There is a railroad system of nearly 1,500 miles in the kingdom; Sofia is connected with the general European system, and several new lines are projected or are in course of construction, one to run from the Danube to the Egean Sea. The National Bank of Bulgaria (capital, $4,000,000) has over 60 branches; there is also a State Agricultural Bank, and a French, a German and an Austrian bank. On 1 April 1916 Bulgaria abolished the Julian calendar (old style), which is 13 days behind ours, and adopted the Gregorian calendar. Statistics of 1914 showed the Bulgarian revenue as $51,399,000; in 1915, $55,135,975; expenditure, 1914, $51,352,520; in 1915, $55,073,240; national debt, 1915, $231,496,540. Imports, 1914, $44,586,860; exports, 1914, $28,813,372.

Government.- Bulgaria is a constitutional monarchy. Legislative authority is vested in the Sobranje, a national assembly consisting of only one chamber, to which members are elected at the rate of one representative to every 20,000 of the population. The members are paid for their services; elections are held every four years unless the Sobranje is dissolved by the King before the expiration of its term. With certain exceptions, every man over 30 is eligible. For decisions concerning highly important matters of state the Sobranje is doubled by special election and resolved into a "Grand Sobranje." The cabinet is composed of

eight ministers appointed by the King; they hold the usual portfolios-premier, finance, war, etc.

Religion. The national religion of Bulgaria is the same as that of the orthodox Greek Church, but it is independent of that body. Over 75 per cent of the population belong to that faith; the remainder are Mohammedans, Jews, Roman Catholics, Protestants and Grego rian Armenians, whose ancestors seceded from the Greek Church in the 5th century. The University of Sofia is open to women as well as men; the state subsidizes education,.which is obligatory and free to those who cannot pay for it. There are also Greek, Turkish, American, Jewish, French, Armenian and German schools, and education is further promoted by free libraries, museums and technical schools.

Military Service.- Before the Great War of 1914-18 Bulgaria possessed a large and efficient army. It gave a good account of itself in the Serbian War of 1885, and a still better one in the Balkan Wars. Recruiting was by conscription; Moslems were exempt on payment of a tax of $100 each. Every other Bulgarian subject was liable to 26 years' service, and the army was consequently composed of many different races. Besides the pure-bred Bulgars, there were Turks, who could not pay the tax, Pomakes (settlers and nomads), Jews ("Spanioles and Poles), Serbs, Greeks, Rumanians, Armenians, Gypsies, Circassians, and naturalized Russians, Germans and Levantines. The army actually dates from January 1878. From 1389, when the Turks defeated the Slav allies, till 1878, the Bulgarians, as Christian subjects of Turkey, had been exempt from military service. The soldiers were well-treated, though hard-worked, and very particular attention was paid to their spiritual welfare. Should a regiment contain but one Jew and one Mohammedan, a rabbi and a dervish are provided. The barracks are comfortably built and equipped with appliances calculated to promote the health of the troops. Large mirrors and framed pictures adorn the walls; drunkenness is practically unknown, and little smoking is indulged in. The Bulgarian officer takes his profession seriously, working and studying hard with dogged pertinacity and living within his income. Under the terms imposed by the Treaty of Neuilly of 27 Nov. 1919, Bulgaria's military forces must not exceed 20,000 men. Mobilization measures are prohibited, and, in order to preclude the formation of a reserve, service in the ranks is for a minimum period of 12 years. In addition there is permitted a frontier guard of 3,000 men. The total of gendarmes, police, and forest guards must not exceed 10,000. La History. The Bulgarians were originally a Tartar nation, which in the 4th century settled on the Volga. The ruins of their former capital may still be seen in the neighborhood of Kazan. Their kingdom, which occupied a part of the Asiatic Sarmatia of the Greeks, was called Great Bulgaria, and is now comprehended in the Russian government of Orenburg. They afterward removed to the countries between the Bog and the Danube and called their territories Second Bulgaria. The first Bulgarian kingdom south of the Danube was founded in the latter half of the 7th century, but the Bulgarians who established it were comparatively few in num

ber, and after their adoption of Christianity in the 9th century they became completely mixed up with the Slavonic inhabitants, though the whole became known as Bulgarians. The greatest ruler of this kingdom was Symeon (888927), who subjugated the greater part of the peninsula and raised the Archbishop of Bulgarta to a position independent of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Under the son of Symeon this empire fell to pieces. The western half broke off and formed a separate kingdom, with Ochrida in Macedonia for its capital; and the eastern portion was subdued by the Byzantine Emperor, John Zimisces, who reincorporated it with the empire. The western Bulgarian kingdom existed only till about 1018, when it also was subdued by Basil II, "the slayer of the Bulgarians." Toward the end of the 12th century, however, the Bulgarians revolted and managed to establish a third kingdom between the Balkan range and the Danube, which, sometimes weak and sometimes powerful, continued to exist till the advent of the Turks. The last ruler of this kingdom was conquered by Bajazet I about 1390, and for nearly 500 years the Turks ruled supreme. In 1876, on account of the atrocities of the Turkish soldiers, an insurrection broke out. Russia took the part of Bulgaria against Turkey, and the war of 1877-78 followed. (See BATAK). By the first article of the Treaty of Berlin, 13 July 1878, the principality of Bulgaria was constituted, made tributary to Turkey and placed under the suzerainty of the Sultan. In 1879, Alexander of Battenberg, a German prince, was chosen sovereign of part of Bulgaria, the rest being made a separate province, called Eastern Rumelia, to prevent Bulgaria from becoming a strong state. In 1885 there was a revolution in Eastern Rumelia, which annexed itself to Bulgaria.

The annexation of Eastern Rumelia led to a quarrel with Russia; Tsar Alexander III withdrew all Russian officers who had been training the Bulgarian army and were still serving in it. King Milan of Serbia considered the moment ripe to realize the territorial aspirations of his country and declared war on Bulgaria, 14 Nov. 1885. (See SERBO-BULGARIAN WAR). After a short, sharp campaign the Serbians were defeated but saved from extinction by the intervention of Austria. Russian and Bulgarian conspirators abducted Prince Alexander and set up a government under Russian tutelage. A counter-revolution, headed by Stambuloff (q.v.), succeeded in restoring the Prince within a few days. Unfortunately Alexander made a false move when he telegraphed to the Tsar and offered to resign his crown into Russian hands. This step turned Bulgarian opinion against him; he was compelled to abdicate and leave the country on 9 Sept. 1886. For 11 months Bulgaria remained without a ruler, its affairs being managed by a regency under the leadership of Stambuloff. This statesman, an innkeeper's son, was a rude, violent man, of uncouth manners but sincere patriotism. He had been largely responsible for throwing off the Turkish yoke, and now fought strenuously to resist the aggression of Russia. The Russian candidate for the throne was rejected and Prince Valdemar of Denmark, to whom it was offered, refused the honor. Stambuloff sent a commission round the Euro