Over half of
Bulgaria is made up of mountains. The Balkan Mountains cross
the country from the northwestern corner to the Black Sea and
the northern side of the Balkan Mountains slopes gradually to
form the northern Bulgarian plateau, which ends at the Danube
River. The central portion of the southern side of the range
is bordered by a series of narrow plains. The southern part of
the country has broad and irregular Rhodope Mountains, which
form the boundary with Greece. At the western end of these
mountains, in southwestern Bulgaria, are the Rila Mountains,
which rise to a maximum elevation of 9,596 ft at Musala, the
highest peak in the Balkans.
The climate of
Bulgaria is mainly continental in nature, with cold winters
and warm summers. The climate here is colder than other
European areas. Severe droughts, frosts, winds, and
hailstorms are a common feature. Dry summers, accompanied
with mild humid winters are experienced in the valley of
southwestern Rhodope Mountains.
Around 33
percent of Bulgaria comprises of forests made up of tall
tress, basically conifers that pass off as timbers. The
Balkan Mountains and their foothills support forests of
various trees. Some of the popular trees found here are
Conifer, Beech, and Oak. The fauna of Bulgaria consists of
bears, wolves, elks, foxes, and wildcats.
