About Sofia
Sofia is the capital and the largest city of Bulgaria. It is the 13th largest city in the European Union with population of 1,204,685 people as of the 2011 Census, which constitutes 16.4% of the population of Bulgaria. The city is located in the central part of West Bulgaria, in Sofia Valley, and surrounded by Vitosha Mountain to the south, Lyulin Mountain to the west and the Balkan Mountains to the north. It occupies an area of 492 square kilometres, and its average elevation is approximately 550 metres. This ranks it fourth among the European capitals with highest elevation. It was built on the fourth terraces of Iskar River and its tributaries Perlovska and Vladayska (Eleshnitsa). There are mineral springs in its central urban area and in the residential districts Ovcha kupel, Knyazhevo, Gorna banya and Pancharevo. Sofia has moderate continental climate.