Meet Vera from Bulgaria

By SOPHIA ROTHMAN, age 10

Name: Vera Stefanova Nacheva. Vera’s name means ‘belief’. In Greek mythology, Vera was one of the daughters of Sophia, the Goddess of Wisdom.
Age: 13
Lives in: Sofia, Bulgaria
Languages Spoken: Bulgarian, English and German
Parents’ Jobs: Her mother is a lawyer and her father is a political consultant.
Favorite Foods: Pizza and spaghetti
Favorite Subject in School: Physical Education (gym)
Favorite Activities: Walking the dog and riding a bicycle
How She Would Describe Herself: Kind, crazy, annoying and a good friend
What She Wants to Be When She Grows Up: An actress

Capital of Bulgaria: Sofia
Population: 7.7 million (One million Bulgarians are living abroad due to a lack of jobs at home.)
Languages spoken: There is one official language, Bulgarian. The Turkish minority that makes up 8.8% of the population speaks Turkish.
Religions: 76% Eastern Orthodox, 10% Muslim, 11.8% nonreligious, 2.2% other
Geography: Bulgaria is located in the Southeast corner of Europe on the Balkan Peninsula.
History: Slavic tribes from the Caucasus Mountains settled in the eastern part of the Roman Empire in the 5th Century. Bulgarians lived under Ottoman Empire control for 500 years until they were liberated by the Russians in 1878. Following World War II, Bulgaria had a communist government until political change led the country to transition into a parliamentary democracy in 1989. Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007.