poor quality. Uranium has been discovered in several
deposits near Sofia and is being extracted from one or more of them.
Gold occurs in a number of locations but in small quantities.

Of the fuels, coal is by far the most abundant and most important to the
economy. The search for oil and natural gas resources was intensive in
the early post-World War II years, and what were hoped to be valuable
fields were discovered in the early 1960s. Production, however, reached
a peak in the latter part of that decade. If it becomes economic to
exploit them, there are oil-bearing shales west of Sofia and in the
northwestern region of the country. The extent of these shales appears
to be limited, but their potential is believed to be considerably
greater than that of the oil-bearing formations where the crude product
is extracted by pumping.

Other minerals extracted include salt, kaolin, chalk, talc, asbestos,
gypsum, mica, fluorite, quartzite, antimony, lime, sandstone, slate, and
pyrites. The pyrites are plentiful and produce exportable quantities of
sulfur and sulfur products. Fuel resources tend to be concentrated in
basins and on lower lands; most other resources, both metal and
nonmetal, are more frequently found in the Rodopi, the western Stara
Planina, and in the other western highlands.

Mineral waters are locally considered to be an important resource. The
country boasts some 500 mineral springs, about one-half of which are
warm or hot. Their mineral content varies, as does the concentration of
the chemicals. The stronger of those considered medicinal are used for
drinking only. The milder are used for drinking and bathing. Sofia has
active hot springs that have been in use and have attracted people to
the area for centuries. Its first settlement was built around such a
spring.

BOUNDARIES AND POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS

Boundaries

Bulgaria has had nearly a century of modern independence, during which
its borders have invariably been imposed upon it by others. This has
been the case partly because the Balkan Peninsula was for many years a
pawn in the balance-of-power politics of the more powerful European
nations and also because Bulgaria has been on the losing side in three
of its four major wars. It even fared badly at the peace table after the
only war in which it emerged victorious (see ch. 2).

In spite of these circumstances, the country has boundaries that have
many natural physical characteristics and that