Bulgaria is located in Southeast Europe, in the northeast part of the Balkan Peninsula. Its geographic location places the country on the crossroad between Europe, Asia and Africa. Bulgaria is a transport crossroad, affording access to Western Europe, the Near and the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. Bulgaria has many ports on Black Sea which provide connection with all other Black Sea countries and offer particularly excellent opportunities for the development of transport through the large bays that front Burgas and Varna. Another geographical advantage of Bulgaria is its connection with the 7th Pan-European transport corridor that leads to the Rhine River and the network of waterways that crisscross Western Europe.