
Rumelia (light green) and the Principality of Bulgaria (dark green)
Rumelia was an area in southeastern Europe's Balkans region that was administered by the Ottoman Empire from the late 14th century to 1908. The name "Rumelia" means "Land of the Romans" in Turkish, and the region was conquered by the Ottomans as the Second Bulgarian Empire disintegrated. Rumelia was decreased in size as the result of the independence of the Principality of Bulgaria in 1878, and the remaining "Eastern Rumelia" vilayet was absorbed into Bulgaria in 1908 after Bulgaria declared its independence.