Sofia София |
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City | |||
1st row: Sofia skyline from the National Palace of Culture
2nd row: National Assembly Square (Monument to the Tsar Liberator, National Assembly, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral) 3rd row: Largo; National Palace of Culture 4th row: Saint Sofia Church; Statue of Saint Sofia; Tsarigradsko shose and Capital Fort |
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Nickname(s): Serdica, Sredetz (older names) | |||
Motto: Grows, but does not age (Расте, но не старее, Raste, no ne staree) |
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Sofia location within Europe | |||
Coordinates: 42°42′N 23°20′E / 42.70°N 23.33°ECoordinates: 42°42′N 23°20′E / 42.70°N 23.33°E | |||
Country | Bulgaria | ||
Province | Sofia City | ||
Cont. inhabited | since 7000 BC | ||
Neolithic settlement | 5500–6000 BC | ||
Thracian settlement | 1400 BC | ||
Government | |||
• Mayor | Yordanka Fandakova (GERB) | ||
Area | |||
• City | 492 km2 (190 sq mi) | ||
• Urban | 1,344 km2 (519 sq mi) | ||
• Metro | 10,532 km2 (4,066 sq mi) | ||
Elevation | 500–800 m (1,707–2,888 ft) | ||
Population (31 December 2015) | |||
• City | 1,260,120 | ||
• Urban | 1,543,377 | ||
• Metro | 1,681,666 | ||
Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
• Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
Postal code | 1000 | ||
Area code(s) | (+359) 02 | ||
GDP(nominal) | 2013 | ||
- Total | €32 billion | ||
- Per capita | €26,700 | ||
Car plates | C, CA, CB | ||
Website | www.sofia.bg |
Sofia (/ˈsoʊfiə/ or /ˈsɒfiə/ or /soʊˈfiːə/;) (Bulgarian: София, Sofiya,pronounced [ˈsɔfiə, ˈsɔfjə]) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. The city has a population of 1.26 million, while 1.68 million people live in its metropolitan area . The city is located at the foot of Vitosha Mountain in the western part of the country, within less than 50 kilometres (31 mi) drive from the Serbian border. Its location in the centre of the Balkan peninsula means that it is the midway between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea, whereas the Aegean Sea is the closest to it.
Sofia has been an area of human habitation since at least 7000 BC. Being Bulgaria's primate city, Sofia is a hometown of many of the major local universities, cultural institutions and commercial companies. Sofia is one of the top 10 best places for start-up business in the world, especially in IT technologies. Sofia is Europe's most affordable capital to visit as of 2013[update].