Information about Bourgas

Bourgas
The City of Bourgas is the biggest and the most important economic, administrative and cultural centre in the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast.  It is the second biggest Bulgarian Black Sea city after Varna and the fourth biggest in the country after Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna, having a population of over 200 000 people. It has a very advantageous geographic location, which has been greatly used nowadays.   The city is situated near the eponymous bay, which is deeply indented in the land and very convenient for navigation, as well as it is the biggest bay in the Bulgaria coastline.   The city neighbours the Atanasov Lake from the north, the Bourgas lake from the west, and the Mandren lake from south-west.  The altitude of the city is 2-27 meters. 

The city is the marine harbour of the South Bulgaria, including Sofia, and it is located at 385 km from the capital, at 267 km from Plovdiv and 133 km from Varna. 

The geographical location has been recognized from times immemorial and the archaeological excavations show that a fishing and commercial village used to exist there before Christ. Bourgas is the successor of the old Roman town Debeltus and the Byzantine fishing villages of Pirgos, Phoros, Poros and Straviako.  Bourgas received its present name in 1727.

Bourgas has a moderate continental climate. The immediate vicinity of Black Sea makes winter comparatively warm and mild, with slight snowfall. The average temperature is above 0 degrees C. Since the cold winds from the North are blocked by the eastern slopes of the Stara Planina Mountain, the temperature is by 1 to 3 degrees higher than the temperature in Varna.   The spring usually comes late and it continues longer than in the interior of the country. The summer is warm and long, without great heat due to the cool breeze, blowing from the sea in the afternoon and evening hours.  The sea water temperature is by 1 to 3 degrees higher than that in the northern Black Sea coast.  

In the meantime the Bourgas harbour has grown to be a contemporary harbour specialized in a wide range of directions, such as oil, coal, fertilizers, fish, metals, machinery.  60% of the marine circulation of goods of the country is realized through the harbour. Its wharfs hold over 80 places for ships. Bourgas became

Today Bourgas is the centre of one of the most economically important regions in Bulgaria. It is a significant economic centre, a big import and export centre and a renowned sea resort.

The city is a very important transportation junction with all kinds of transport. The harbour is connected to railway lines Sofia - Bourgas, Bourgas - Pomorie and to Varna - Shoumen via Karnobat. Several motorways meet in the city from different directions, from Sofia, Varna, and the towns in the southern Black Sea coast. 

A big airfield and an airport for internal and international flights have been built near Sarafovo District.  

Bourgas is also an important centre of sea tourism with lots of facilities and connections to resorts in the southern Black Sea coast, Slunchev Bryag /Sunny Beach/, Sozopol, Primorsko and others. The resort compound is enriched by the presence of Bourgas Spa /15 km away from the city/, which are one of the oldest Bulgarian balneological centres. 


Brief information about Bourgas:
Region: Bourgas
Population: 205,348 people
Main religion: Orthodox Christian
Airport: 1 km
Altitude: 30 m
Postal Code: 8000/8034
Telephone code: 056