Population  7,640,238;  Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4%

The history of Sofia, Bulgaria's capital and largest city, spans thousands of years from antiquity to modern times, in which the city has always been a commercial, industrial, cultural and economic centre of its region and the Balkans.  After World War II and during the socialist government of the country atheism was the official doctrine, so it is considered that today one fifth of Bulgarian population are atheists.