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Aegean Pass
The Aegean Pass (, ''Belomorski prohod'') or Elidzhe (Елидже) is a mountain pass between the central and eastern Rhodope Mountains. It connects Smolyan Province in south central Bulgaria with Xanthi regional unit of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace in northeastern Greece. As one of three passes between the Rhodope highlands and the Aegean coast of Western Thrace, it links the upper valleys of the Chepinska reka to the north and the Kompsatos to the south. The highest point of the pass is at above sea level on the Bulgarian-Greek border. Until the end of World War II, the Aegean Pass was actively used for commerce. It was closed in 1944, as Bulgaria and Greece ended up on different sides of the Iron Curtain. In the 2020s, the roads from Rudozem and Dimario on either side of the pass were rebuilt to a modern standard and a new border checkpoint was established. In December 2024, plans were announced to reopen the Aegean Pass for vehicular traffic without border controls via th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
II-86 Road (Bulgaria)
Republican Road II-86 () is a 2nd class road in Bulgaria, running in general direction north–south through the territory of Plovdiv Province, Plovdiv and Smolyan Provinces. Its length is 147.4 km. Route description The road starts in the Upper Thracian Plain at Km 220.8 of the first class I-8 road (Bulgaria), I-8 road west of the city of Plovdiv and immediately crosses the river Maritsa, heading initially south and then east, serving for 14 km as a ring road of Plovdiv. It then turns southeast in an upgraded 10 km four-lane stretch to the town of Asenovgrad, where it intersects with the second class II-58 road (Bulgaria), II-58 road. After the town, the road enters the Rhodope Mountains through the valley of the river Chepelare (river), Chepelarska reka, passing near Asen's Fortress and Bachkovo Monastery, and following the valley for 59.3 km through the villages of Bachkovo, Narechenski Bani and Hvoyna, as well as through the town of Chepelare. At t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xanthi
Xanthi is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi regional unit of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Amphitheatrically built on the foot of Rhodope mountain chain, the city is divided by the Kosynthos River, into the west part, where the old and the modern town are located, and the east part that boasts a rich natural environment. The "Old Town of Xanthi" is known throughout Greece for its distinctive architecture, combining many Byzantine Greek churches with neoclassical mansions of Greek merchants from the 18th and 19th centuries and Ottoman-Era mosques. Other landmarks in Xanthi include the Archaeological Museum of Abdera and the Greek Folk Art Museum. Xanthi is famous throughout Greece (especially Macedonia and Thrace) for its annual spring carnival (Greek: καρναβάλι) which has a significant role in the city's economy. Over 40 cultural associations from around Greece participate in the carnival program. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mountain Passes Of Greece
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher than a hill, typically rising at least above the surrounding land. A few mountains are isolated summits, but most occur in mountain ranges. Mountains are formed through tectonic forces, erosion, or volcanism, which act on time scales of up to tens of millions of years. Once mountain building ceases, mountains are slowly leveled through the action of weathering, through slumping and other forms of mass wasting, as well as through erosion by rivers and glaciers. High elevations on mountains produce colder climates than at sea level at similar latitude. These colder climates strongly affect the ecosystems of mountains: different elevations have different plants and animals. Because of the less hospitable terrain and climate, mountains te ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Landforms Of Smolyan Province
A landform is a land feature on the solid surface of the Earth or other planetary body. They may be natural or may be anthropogenic (caused or influenced by human activity). Landforms together make up a given terrain, and their arrangement in the landscape is known as topography. Landforms include hills, mountains, canyons, and valleys, as well as shoreline features such as bays, peninsulas, and seas, including submerged features such as mid-ocean ridges, volcanoes, and the great oceanic basins. Physical characteristics Landforms are categorized by characteristic physical attributes such as elevation, slope, orientation, structure stratification, rock exposure, and soil type. Gross physical features or landforms include intuitive elements such as berms, cliffs, hills, mounds, peninsulas, ridges, rivers, valleys, volcanoes, and numerous other structural and size-scaled (e.g. ponds vs. lakes, hills vs. mountains) elements including various kinds of inland and oceanic waterbodi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pamporovo
Pamporovo (, ''pronunciation'': /pam'porovo/) is a popular ski resort in Smolyan Province, southern Bulgaria. It is set amongst Norway spruce forests and is primarily visited during the winter for skiing and snowboarding. It is also a popular tourist place in summer. The hub of Pamporovo comprises a number of hotels and bars. It is a family-friendly resort and suited for complete beginners and intermediates. Location The resort is set in the southern Rhodope Mountains at an altitude of 1620 meters above sea level. The highest peak in the area, Snezhanka Peak (Bulgarian: Снежанка) at 1928 m, is several hundred meters above the resort and hosts Snezhanka Tower. Pamporovo is around 260 km away from Sofia, 85 km south of Plovdiv, 15 km north of Smolyan, and 10 km south of Chepelare. Skiing The resort has 55 km of ski-runs and 38 km of cross-country skiing tracks served by 18 lifts with a total capacity of 13,000 persons per hour. Seven sno ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Open Border
An open border is a border that enables Freedom of movement, free movement of people and often of goods between jurisdictions with no restrictions on movement and is lacking a border control. A border may be an open border due to intentional legislation allowing free movement of people across the border (''de jure''), or a border may be an open border due to a lack of legal controls, a lack of adequate enforcement or adequate supervision of the border (''de facto''). An example of the former is the Schengen Agreement between most members of the European Economic Area (European Free Trade Area, EFTA and the European Union, EU). An example of the latter has been the Bangladesh-India border, border between Bangladesh and India, which is becoming controlled. The term "open borders" applies only to the flow of people, not the flow of goods and services, and only to borders between political jurisdictions, not to mere boundaries of privately owned property. Open borders are the norm fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Schengen Area
The Schengen Area ( , ) encompasses European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders. As an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) policy of the European Union (EU), it mostly functions as a single jurisdiction under a common visa policy for international travel purposes. The area is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement and the 1990 Schengen Convention, both signed in Schengen, Luxembourg. Of the 27 EU member states, 25 are members of the Schengen Area. Cyprus and Ireland are the only EU member states that are not part of the Schengen Area. Cyprus aims to become part of the Schengen Area by 2026. The country is committed by treaty to join in the future, but its participation has been complicated due to the occupation of Northern Cyprus by Turkey since 1974. Ireland maintains an opt-out and operates its own visa policy. In addition to the member states of the European Union, all member states o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rudozem
Rudozem ( ) is a town in southern Bulgaria, near the Greek border, located in the Rhodope Mountains, where the Elhovo and Chepino rivers flow into the Arda, and is part of Smolyan Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Rudozem Municipality. As of December 2009, the town had a population of 3,583. The name ''Rudozem'' is a compound word made up of Bulgarian ''ruda'' (руда) meaning "ore"; and the root ''zem'' (зем) meaning "land". It refers to the wealth of the area in mineral resources. Its former name is Palas. During the rule of the Ottoman Empire, it was part of the Ottoman İskeçe sanjak in Edirne vilayet between 1867 and 1912. Rudozem Heights on Fallières Coast in Antarctica is named after the town. Since 1 January 2025, Rudozem is linked to Xanthi in Greece via the Aegean Pass The Aegean Pass (, ''Belomorski prohod'') or Elidzhe (Елидже) is a mountain pass between the central and eastern Rhodope Mountains. It connects Smolyan Province ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhodope Mountains
The Rhodopes (; , ; , ''Rodopi''; ) 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 Greece. Golyam Perelik is its highest peak at . The mountain range gives its name to the terrestrial ecoregion Rodope montane mixed forests that belongs in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome and the Palearctic realm. The region is particularly notable for its karst areas with their deep river gorges, large caves and specific sculptured forms, such as the Trigrad Gorge. A significant part of Bulgaria's hydropower resources are located in the western areas of the range. There are a number of hydro-cascades and dams used for electricity production, irrigation, and as tourist destinations. Name and mythology The name of the Rhodope Mountains is of Thracian origin. Rhod-ope (Род-oпа) is interpreted as the first name of a river, meaning "rusty/reddish river", wher ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
