Sofia

Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is in 13th place by the number of inhabitants in the European Union. According to GRAO, the population at current address is 1,279,222 people, and at permanent address is 1,388,995 people (as of March 15, 2023).[2] According to the results of the census in 2011, the population of the city is 1,291,591,[3] which represents 17.5% of the population of Bulgaria. Sofia is located in the central part of Western Bulgaria, in the Sofia Valley and is surrounded by 5 mountains: Vitosha and Plana from the south, Sofia Mountain (part of the Stara Planina) from the north, Lyulin from the west, and Lozenska Planina (part of the Ikhtimanska Sredna Gora ) from the east. This makes it the fourth highest capital in Europe. It was built on the four terraces of the Iskar River and its tributaries: Perlovska and Vladajska (Eleshnica). There are mineral springs in the central part of the city, as well as in the districts of Ovcha Kupel, Kniazhevo, Gorna Banya and Pancharevo. The climate of Sofia is moderately continental.