Gorno Kraishte ( bg, Горно Краище) is a village in the municipality of Belitsa, in

Blagoevgrad Province Blagoevgrad Province ( bg, област Благоевград, ''oblast Blagoevgrad'' or Благоевградска област, ''Blagoevgradska oblast''), also known as Pirin Macedonia or Bulgarian Macedonia ( bg, Пиринска Маке� ...

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 Macedon ...

. It is located approximately 6 kilometers south of Belitsa and 90 kilometers southeast from

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 ha ...

. As of 2010 it had a population of 1176 people.http://www.grao.bg/tna/tab04.txt The population is

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

pomak Pomaks ( bg, Помаци, Pomatsi; el, Πομάκοι, Pomáki; tr, Pomaklar) are Bulgarian-speaking Muslims inhabiting northwestern Turkey, Bulgaria and northeastern Greece. The c. 220,000 strong ethno-confessional minority in Bulgaria is ...

origin.

Geography and climate

The terrain is mountainous and hilly, covering parts of Western Rila and

Rhodope Mountains The Rhodopes (; bg, Родопи, ; el, Ροδόπη, ''Rodopi''; tr, Rodoplar) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria, with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in ...

and the valley in the upper reaches of the

Mesta River Nestos ( ), Mesta ( ), or formerly the Mesta Karasu in Turkish (Karasu meaning "black river"), is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. It rises in the Rila Mountains and flows into the Aegean Sea near the island of Thasos. It plunges down towering ...

. The average altitude is 850 meters. The climate is transitional continental with an average annual temperature is 8 °C. Winters are cold, with an average January temperature of just -2 °C. The snow cover lasts about 150 days a year, with increasing altitude and increasing the number of days with snow cover. Summer is short and cool with average temperatures in July around 18 °C. The three majestic mountains, among which it is located - Rila, Pirin and the Rhodope have a unique history and folklore. Gorno Kraishte has two road links, to

Razlog Razlog ( bg, Разлог ) is a town and ski resort in Razlog Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. It is situated in the Razlog Valley and was first mentioned during the reign of Byzantine emperor Basil II. The municipali ...

and Belovo and a narrow gauge railway link - Belitsa station. The village has a primary school "Peyo Yavorov" and a post office. Electricity is provided by aerial wires. There is a central water supply.

References

Villages in Blagoevgrad Province {{Blagoevgrad-geo-stub