BURGAS

port and town, southeastern Bulgaria, on the Gulf of Burgas, an inlet of the Black Sea. Founded in the 17th century as a fishing village on the site of medieval Pyrgos, it developed after Bulgaria's liberation (1878), mainly with the arrival of the railway from Sofia (1890) and harbour improvements (1904). It now rivals Varna to the north as the nation's chief port, claiming much of Bulgaria's Black Sea trade. With the small neighbouring port of Sozopol, Burgas also handles most of the Bulgarian fish catch. Food processing (flour, sugar, and fish), engineering, and oil refining augment its port activities; copper, lignite, and salt are mined locally. Burgas, Nesebur, Pomorie, and Sozopol form part of the developing Black Sea Riviera. Pop. (1986 est.) 182,570.