Elena Municipality ( bg, Община Елена) is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

('' obshtina'') in Veliko Tarnovo Province, Central-North

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

, located on the northern slopes of the central

Stara planina The Balkan mountain range (, , known locally also as Stara planina) is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The range is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border be ...

mountain in the area of the so-called Fore-Balkan. It is named after its administrative centre, the town of

Elena Elena may refer to: People * Elena (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name * Joan Ignasi Elena (born 1968), Catalan politician * Francine Elena (born 1986), British poet Geography * Elena (town), a town in Veliko ...

. It includes a territory of 671,39 km² with a population of 10,407 inhabitants, as of December 2009.Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Bulgarian provinces and municipalities in 2009
The area is best known for its Bulgarian National Revival atmosphere preserved in its main town. Chumerna peak (1536 meters above sea level) in the Elena-Tvarditsa range is the highest point in the province.

Geography

Elena Municipality is situated in the Elena Balkan, 215 kilometers West of Varna, 38 km South of

Veliko Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo ( bg, Велико Търново, Veliko Tărnovo, ; "Great Tarnovo") is a town in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. Often referred as the "''City of the Tsars''", Veliko Tarnovo ...

and 280 kilometers East of

's capital -

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

. The city of Elena is situated in the valley of the Elena river. The rivers Veselina, Elena, Miykovska, and Bebrovska spring from the area.

Flora

The flora and fauna are varied, with the most common trees being beech, oak, maple, linden, and hornbeams. Other trees often found in the area are elm, ash, cherries, pear, and sorrel.

Fauna

There is a large diversity of animals living in the area. Widespread deer, Red deer, and wild boar are the most common, followed by predators like foxes, jackals and less often wolves. Smaller animals are also quite common - rabbits, partridge, snipe, and doves.

Settlements

(towns are shown in bold):

Demography

The following table shows the change of the population during the last four decades.

Religion

According to the latest Bulgarian census of 2011, the religious composition, among those who answered the optional question on religious identification, was the following:

References

External links

Official website
{{Veliko Tarnovo Province Municipalities in Veliko Tarnovo Province