SOFIA, THE CAPITAL OF BULGARIA

Statistics

Elevation: 550 m
Population: 1,250,00 (city proper)
Motto: "Ever growing, Never Aging"
Day of Sofia: September 17

Location and Relief

Sofia is situated in western Bulgaria, at the foot of the mountain massif Vitosha. The large valley is surrounded by mountains on all sides. Three mountain passes lead to the city, which have been key roads since antiquity, connecting the Adriatic Sea and Central Europe with the Black and Aegean Seas. A number of low rivers cross the city.

History

The history of Sofia dates back to the 7th century BC, when Thracians established a settlement there. The city has had several names throughout its history. It got its present name in the 14th century after the name of St Sofia Church, which means Wisdom in Greek. Ruins of the old cities can be seen today. Over 250 historic landmarks and architectural monuments tell the story of this great city.

Sofia is the major centre of Bulgaria's economic life. The manufacturing sector of the economy, represented by over 800 large manufacturing plants, includes metal products (75% of the total output in the country), textiles, rubber and leather goods, printing (50% of output) and electronics (15% of output). Sofia is also the country's financial centre, home to Bulgarian National Bank, the Bulgarian Stock Exchange, as well as some of the country's largest commercial banks. Construction, trade and transport are other important sectors of the local economy. Increasingly Sofia is attracting attention as an outsourcing location for Western European and American multinationals. Sofia is also the headquarters for major Bulgarian and international companies operating in Bulgaria and Europe. Unemployment is rather low at less than 7% compared to the Bulgarian average of 11%.

With its well-developed infrastructure and strategic location, Sofia is an important centre for international railway and automobile routes. All major types of transport (except water transport) are represented in the city, which is home to 8 railway stations, the Centre for Flight Control and the Sofia Airport. Three Trans-European Transport Corridors cross the city:4, 8 and 10.

Public transport is well developed, reliable and important to the city's economy; it is provided by means of underground trains, buses, trams and trolley-buses.

With the extensive growth of private automobile ownership in the 1990s the number of cars registered in Sofia has exceeded 500,000 in the past five years. Imports and trade with automotive spare parts has significantly increased. Consequently the traffic (and air pollution) problems of the city have become more severe. Subway expansion plans are set to improve the situation when major routes are completed by 2008.
Sofia has very large combined heat and power (CHP) pants. Virtually the entire city (900,000 households and 5,900 companies) is centrally heated, using residual heat from electricity generation (3,000 MW) and gas- and oil-fired heating furnaces; total heat capacity is 4,640 MW. The heat distribution piping network is 900 km long and comprises 14,000 substations and 10,000 heated buildings.