Smolyan Province
Smolyan Province ( bg, Област Смолян, ''Oblast Smolyan''; former name Smolyan okrug) is a province in Southern-central Bulgaria, located in the Rhodope Mountains, neighbouring Greece to the south. It is named after its administrative ...
, southern-central
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 the administrative centre of the homonymous
Zlatograd Municipality
Zlatograd ( bg, Златоград, , ) is a town in Smolyan Province, southern-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Zlatograd Municipality. In December 2009, the town had a population of 7,110.Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - towns in 2009
It is located 60 km from the province centre of
Smolyan
Smolyan ( bg, Смолян) List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, is a town and ski resort in the south of Bulgaria near the border with Greece. It is the administrative and industrial centre of the homonymous Smolyan Province. The town is built ...
. The
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
border is 5 km from the town. The cross-border Zlatograd - Thermes (Greece) road was inaugurated on 15 January 2010.
History
During the rule of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, the area was a township of the Ottoman
Sanjak of Gümülcine
The Sanjak of Gümülcine ( Ottoman Turkish: ''Sancak-i Gümülcine'', el, Υποδιοίκησις Γκιουμουλτζίνας, bg, Гюмюрджински санджак) was a second-level province (''sanjak'') of the Ottoman Empire in Thr ...
in
Adrianople Vilayet
The Vilayet of Adrianople or Vilayet of Edirne ( ota, ولايت ادرنه; ''Vilâyet-i Edirne'') was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire.
This vilayet was split between Turkey and Greece in 1923, culminating i ...
between 1867 and 1912 known as Darıdere. The town still retains its characteristic Ottoman-era architecture, with numerous old buildings as well as two 19th-century Orthodox churches and a mosque.
Geography
Zlatograd is located in a valley between the eastern and central massif of the
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 ...
.
The municipality's climate is included in the transient-Mediterranean climate region.
Mineral resources include
lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
-
zinc
Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...
ore
Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 April 2 ...
.
The territory of the municipality is crossed by Varbitza river which is 98.1 km long and its catchment basin is 1202.8 km. Nedelinska and Kushlenska rivers are tributaries of Varbitza. There is a dam lake called "Zlatograd" with water capacity of 4,4.106 m . and a micro dam lake called "Hasidere" (0,4.106 m).
Forest covers an area of 144.60 km2. Species including beech,
hornbeam
Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Origin of names
The common English name ''hornbeam' ...
, oak, birch and cornel-tree are mostly spread among the broad-leaved forests. Prevailing coniferous trees are spruce, fir-tree, white and black pine.
Agriculture covers 25 km2 and the arable land is 12 km2. The cultures grown in the municipality are tobacco, potatoes, vegetables and strawberries (representatives of perennial plants).
There is a tailings pond called "Erma Reka" which is 8 km away from the town of Zlatograd and 5 km away from the village of
Erma Reka
Erma Reka () is a village in Zlatograd municipality, Smolyan Province, southern Bulgaria, near the border with Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the ...
. The municipality is rich in underground resources. In the surroundings of
Erma Reka
Erma Reka () is a village in Zlatograd municipality, Smolyan Province, southern Bulgaria, near the border with Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the ...
there is a geothermal deposit of hot mineral water.
Soils are maroon forest leached (97.59 km2); brown forest-dark (12 km2); brown forest-transient (83.37 km2); brown forest light (117.59 km2); alluvial-delluvial (0.59 km2); humus-carbonate (11.07 km2).
Demographics
The rate of unemployment is 32.64%, which is the highest since 1990. The active population is 8,063 of whom 50,97% are employed in the public sector and 49.03% in the private sector.
Honour
Zlatograd Rock
Zlatograd Rock (Zlatogradski Kamak \zla-to-'grad-ski 'ka-m&k\) is a rocky 240 m peak forming the eastern extremity of Bowles Ridge, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The peak overlooks Struma Glacier to the northwest ...
on
Livingston Island
Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of Antarctic islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first land discovered south of 60 ...
in the
South Shetland Islands
The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 195 ...
,
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
is named after Zlatograd.
Gallery
Image:20100213_Zlatograd_Bulgaria_1.jpg , Traditional architecture - Zlatograd.
Image:20100213_Zlatograd_Bulgaria_3.jpg , River - old town - Zlatograd.
Image:20100213_Zlatograd_Orthodox_Church.jpg , Orthodox church "
Saint George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...