The very mountain that gave its name to the whole peninsula, the Balkan, provides unique places for recreation. The official language is Bulgarian and uses only Cyrillic alphabet. To facilitate tourists, the road and direction signs in populated areas, resorts, railway stations and airports and along the main highways are also spelled in Roman letters. The main part of the population are Bulgarians. The official religion is Eastern Orthodox.
Bulgarian people say that Sofia is grows but never gets old.
It is a typical city which combines in one ancient and modern buildings and architecture. It is the biggest city in Bulgaria and its capital since 3rd of April 1879. Sofia has its name since 14th century when it was renamed after St. Sofia church. Today there are many archeological sites in Sofia, that display the city's diverse history - the castles gates and towers of Serdika, public buildings and streets thousands of years old. A large part of the the ancient city of Serdika is underneath important modern buildings.