Bulgarian Black Sea Coast
Encyclopedia
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
Coast covers the entire eastern bound of Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
stretching from the Romanian Black Sea resorts
Romanian Black Sea resorts
The Romanian Black Sea resorts stretches from Danube Delta in north down to the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast in south, along 275 km of coastline....
in the north to European Turkey in the south, along 378 km of coastline. White and golden sandy beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es occupy approximately 130 km of the 378 km long coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
. The region is an important center of tourism during the summer season (May–October), drawing millions of foreign and local tourists alike and constituting one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. Prior to 1989 the Bulgarian Black Sea coast was internationally known as the Red Riviera. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
, however, its nickname has been changed to the Bulgarian Riviera.
The Bulgarian Black Sea Coast has a humid subtropical climate
Humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
(Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfa), with considerable maritime
Oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
and continental
Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....
influences. The area's average air temperature in the summer is about 28°C, with the average water temperature at 26°C. There are more than 240 hours of sunshine
Sunlight
Sunlight, in the broad sense, is the total frequency spectrum of electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is filtered through the Earth's atmosphere, and solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon.When the direct solar radiation is not blocked...
in May and September and more than 300 hours in July and August.
The Balkan Mountains
Balkan Mountains
The Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea...
cross the country reaching to the edge of the Black Sea at Cape Emine
Cape Emine
Cape Emine is a headland located at the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is located 49 miles south of Varna, 34 miles north of Burgas and 9 miles south of Obzor. It forms the tip of Stara Planina. Cape Emine is said to be Bulgaria's stormiest cape....
, dividing the coastline into a southern and northern part. Parts of Bulgaria's northern Black Sea Coast feature rocky
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
headlands
Headlands and bays
Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment.- Geology and geography :Headlands and bays are often found on the same coastline. A bay is surrounded by land on three sides, whereas a headland is surrounded by water on three sides. Headlands are characterized by high,...
where the sea abuts cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
s up to 70 metres in height. The southern coast is known for its wide sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
y beaches.
The two largest cities and main seaports on the Bulgarian Riviera are Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
(third largest in the country) and Burgas
Burgas
-History:During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Debeltum was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called Pyrgos was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower...
(fourth largest in the country). Varna is located on the northern part of the coast and Burgas is located on the southern coast. The two cities' international airports, Varna Airport
Varna Airport
-Seasonal Charter flights:-Passenger statistic:-See also:* List of airports in Bulgaria* List of airlines of Bulgaria* List of the busiest airports in Europe by passenger traffic-External links:* *...
and Burgas Airport
Burgas Airport
Burgas International Airport , is the airport of Burgas , Bulgaria.In 2009, the airport handled 1,683,786 passengers. In 2010, it handled 1,872,618 passengers, a 11.2% increase compared to 2009.-Future plans and expansion:...
, are the main hubs servicing the region. In addition, the A1
Trakiya motorway
The Trakia motorway or Thrace motorway, designated A1, is a motorway currently in construction in Bulgaria. It is planned to connect the capital of Sofia with Burgas on the Black Sea through Plovdiv and with Kalotina on the Serbian border. The motorway is named after the historical region of...
and A2
Hemus motorway
The Hemus motorway or Haemus motorway , designated A2, is a motorway currently under construction in Bulgaria. Its planned length is 433 km, of which 129 km are in operation , divided into two sections — Sofia-Yablanitsa and Varna-Shumen...
motorways, currently in construction, would make the trip from the capital Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
to the coast substantially easier and faster, while the A3
Cherno More motorway
The Cherno More motorway or the Black Sea motorway is a Bulgarian motorway planned to link the major coastal cities of Varna and Burgas, passing along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is part of the Pan-European corridor VIII and is to be 103 km long when finished...
is planned to connect Varna and Burgas.
Principal towns
- VarnaVarnaVarna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
- BurgasBurgas-History:During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Debeltum was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called Pyrgos was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower...
- PomoriePomoriePomorie is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, located on a narrow rocky peninsula in Burgas Bay on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is situated in Burgas Province, 20 km away from the city of Burgas and 18 km from the Sunny Beach resort. The ultrasaline lagoon...
- BalchikBalchikBalchik is a Black Sea coastal town and seaside resort in the Southern Dobruja area of northeastern Bulgaria. It is located in Dobrich Oblast and is 42 km northeast of Varna...
- NesebarNesebarNesebar is an ancient town and one of the major seaside resorts on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, located in Burgas Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Nesebar Municipality...
- KavarnaKavarnaKavarna is a Black Sea coastal town and seaside resort in the Dobruja region of northeastern Bulgaria. It lies 64 km northeast of Varna and 49 km from Dobrich on the international road E87. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 11,397 inhabitants. A little yacht port, a...
- SozopolSozopolSozopol is an ancient seaside town located 35 km south of Burgas on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. Today it is one of the major seaside resorts in the country, known for the Apollonia art and film festival that is named after one of the town's ancient names.The busiest times of the year...
- TsarevoTsarevoTsarevo is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, an administrative centre of the homonymous Municipality of Tsarevo in Burgas Province. It lies on a cove 70 km southeast of Burgas, on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast at the eastern foot of Strandzha mountain...
Major resorts and attractions
- DurankulakDurankulakDurankulak is a village in northeastern Bulgaria, part of Shabla Municipality, Dobrich Province. Located in the historical region of Southern Dobruja, Durankulak is the north-easternmost inhabited place in Bulgaria and the northernmost village of the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, although the village...
- Krapets
- ShablaShablaShabla is a town and seaside resort in northeastern Bulgaria, administrative centre of the homonymous municipality part of Dobrich Province. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 3,586 inhabitants...
- TyulenovoTyulenovoTyulenovo is a village and seaside resort on the north Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, part of Shabla Municipality, Dobrich Province. "Tyulen" means seal in Bulgarian, but seals hadn't been seen in the area since the 1980s...
- Kamen BryagKamen BryagKamen Bryag is a village in northeastern Bulgaria.It is located in Kavarna Municipality, Dobrich Province, on the Black Sea coast. The population was 76 in 2009.Yailata National Archaeological Reserve is located two kilometers south of the village....
- Yaylata
- RusalkaRusalka, BulgariaRusalka is a seaside resort on the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast located in Dobrich Province, northeastern Bulgaria . It is located in a nature reserve in a bay 90 km northeast of Varna and 23 km from Shabla, surrounded by oak forests.The whole resort is an all-inclusive area of 600...
- Bulgarevo
- KavarnaKavarnaKavarna is a Black Sea coastal town and seaside resort in the Dobruja region of northeastern Bulgaria. It lies 64 km northeast of Varna and 49 km from Dobrich on the international road E87. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 11,397 inhabitants. A little yacht port, a...
- BozhuretsBozhuretsBozhurets is a coastal village and seaside resort on the north Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, part of Dobrich Province. It is located between the sea towns Balchik and Kavarna, with a distance of 56 km to Varna International Airport....
- Beglik TashBeglik tashBeglik Tash is a Thracian rock sanctuary situated on the southern Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, a few kilometers north of the city of Primorsko....
- TopolaTopolaTopola is a town and municipality situated in the Šumadija region of Serbia. It was the place where Karađorđe, a Serbian revolutionary, was chosen as the leader of the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire in 1804. The local St...
- Tuzlata
- AlbenaAlbenaAlbena is a major Black Sea resort in northeastern Bulgaria, situated 12 km from Balchik and 30 km from Varna. Albena is served by the international airport of Varna....
- KranevoKranevoKranevo is a coastal village on the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, part of Balchik Municipality, Dobrich Province. It is located in the historical region of Southern Dobruja. Between 1913 and 1940 it was part of Romania, being its southernmost settlement. An important lighthouse is installed...
- Golden SandsGolden SandsGolden Sands is a major seaside resort town on the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, adjacent to a national park of the same name in the municipality of Varna....
- Holiday Club Riviera
- ChaikaChaikaA Chaika , which means gull, is a luxury automobile from the Soviet Union made by GAZ. The vehicle is one step down from the ZIL limousine.- Specifications and history :Chaika production consisted of two generations...
- KabakumKabakumKabakum is a village in Dikili district of İzmir Province, Turkey. It is at the north of Dikili. Distance to Dikili is and to Aegean coast is The population of the village is 1415 as of 2010....
- Sunny Day (Kokodiva)
- Constantine and Helena
- Galata
- Fichoza
- Kamchia (resort)
- Kamchia (biosphere reserve)Kamchia (biosphere reserve)The Kamchia Biosphere Reserve, is a biosphere reserve on the northern coastline of Bulgaria, comprising the floodplain at the mouth of the Kamchia River...
- ShkorpilovtsiShkorpilovtsiShkorpilovtsi is a small village and sea resort in Dolni Chiflik Municipality on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, located only 100 m away from one of the most beautiful beaches on the Moesian Black Sea Coast...
- Karadere
- ByalaByala, Varna ProvinceByala is a small town and seaside resort in Eastern Bulgaria, located on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast in Varna Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Byala Municipality and lies in a semi-mountainous region in the easternmost branches of Stara Planina about 50 km south...
- ObzorObzorObzor is a small town and seaside resort on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. It is part of Nesebar municipality, Burgas Province.The Thracian and ancient Greek name of Obzor was Naulochos, a small port on the coast of Thrace, a colony of Mesembria. The ancient Romans named it Templum Iovis ;...
- IrakliIrakli (beach)Irakli is a seaside resort situated in the middle part of the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast south of Obzor. The nature reserve is under threat of being destroyed by illegal building activities.-External links:...
- Elenite
- Sveti VlasSveti VlasSveti Vlas is a town and seaside resort on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, located in Nesebar municipality, Burgas Province. As of July 2007, it has a population of 3,869....
- Sunny BeachSunny BeachSunny Beach is a major seaside resort on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, located approximately 35 km north of Burgas in Nessebar municipality, Burgas Province. It is the biggest and most popular holiday resort in Bulgaria, and is home to over 800 hotels with more than 300 000 beds. There are...
- RavdaRavdaRavda is a coastal village and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, situated in Nesebar municipality, Burgas Province. Ravda is a small seaside resort on the Black Sea, located 3 km from Nesebar and 5 km from Sunny Beach...
- PomoriePomoriePomorie is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, located on a narrow rocky peninsula in Burgas Bay on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is situated in Burgas Province, 20 km away from the city of Burgas and 18 km from the Sunny Beach resort. The ultrasaline lagoon...
- SarafovoSarafovoSarafovo is a neighbourhood of Burgas, which is the biggest city in South Eastern Bulgaria - a regional, tourist and trade center.Sarafovo is a beautiful calm quarter of Burgas, which is the fourth largest city in Bulgaria. The city has great infrastructure, an International airport and it is a...
- AtiyaAtiyaAtiya is a village in the municipality of Sozopol, in Burgas Province, in southeastern Bulgaria.-References:...
- ChernomoretsChernomoretsChernomorets is a town on the Black Sea coast of southeastern Bulgaria. Administratively part of Sozopol Municipality, Burgas Province, Chernomorets is a popular seaside resort....
- Kavatsite
- DyuniDyuniDyuni is a holiday town and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, 40 km south of the Bulgarian city of Burgas and 7 km from Sozopol...
- PrimorskoPrimorskoPrimorsko is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, part of Burgas Province. A well-known resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, it is located on a gore 52 km south of Burgas and has a beach strip of about 1 km². The average temperature is 27°C in July, often reaching...
- KitenKiten, BulgariaKiten is a seaside resort town on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, part of Burgas Province. It is situated on the small Urdoviza peninsula, near the mouth of the Kiten River, and has two beaches: Atliman and Urdoviza....
- LozenetsLozenetsLozenets may refer to:* Lozenets, Burgas Province, a village in Bulgaria* Lozenets, Dobrich Province, a village in Bulgaria* Lozenets, Yambol Province, a village in Bulgaria* Lozenets, Sofia, a municipality of Sofia, Bulgaria...
- TsarevoTsarevoTsarevo is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, an administrative centre of the homonymous Municipality of Tsarevo in Burgas Province. It lies on a cove 70 km southeast of Burgas, on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast at the eastern foot of Strandzha mountain...
- VarvaraVarvaraVarvara is a village in southeastern Bulgaria, located in the Tsarevo municipality of the Burgas Province. This seaside resort is situated on the Black Sea coast, between the towns of Tsarevo and Ahtopol, near the border with Turkey. It lies at and the mayor is Irina Petkova...
- SinemoretsSinemoretsSinemorets is a village and seaside resort on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, located in the very southeast of the country close to the border with Turkey, where the river Veleka flows into the sea. Sinemorets is part of Tsarevo municipality, Burgas Province, and has a population of 216...
- RezovoRezovoRezovo is a village and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, part of Tsarevo municipality, Burgas Province, in the coastal Strandzha geographical region. Lying at the mouth of the Rezovo River in the Black Sea, Rezovo is the southernmost point of the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and the...
Historic sites
- AheloyAheloyAheloy is a town and seaside resort in Burgas Province, eastern Bulgaria. it has 2,175 inhabitants. It is situated on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast between the major port of Burgas to the north and the bustling tourist centres Nessebur , Slunchev Bryag and Sveti Vlas to the south.One of the...
- AhtopolAhtopolAhtopol is a town and seaside resort on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is located on a headland in the southeastern part of Burgas Province and is close to the border with European Turkey...
- BalchikBalchikBalchik is a Black Sea coastal town and seaside resort in the Southern Dobruja area of northeastern Bulgaria. It is located in Dobrich Oblast and is 42 km northeast of Varna...
- EuxinogradEuxinogradEuxinograd is a former late 19th-century Bulgarian royal summer palace and park on the Black Sea coast, north of downtown Varna. It is currently a governmental and presidential retreat hosting cabinet meetings in the summer and offering access for tourists to several villas and hotels...
- KaliakraKaliakraKaliakra is a long and narrow headland in the Southern Dobruja region of the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, located 12 km east of Kavarna and 60 km northeast of Varna. The coast is steep with vertical cliffs reaching 70 m down to the sea....
- NesebarNesebarNesebar is an ancient town and one of the major seaside resorts on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, located in Burgas Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Nesebar Municipality...
(UNESCO World Heritage Site) - SozopolSozopolSozopol is an ancient seaside town located 35 km south of Burgas on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. Today it is one of the major seaside resorts in the country, known for the Apollonia art and film festival that is named after one of the town's ancient names.The busiest times of the year...
Islands
- St. Anastasia IslandSt. Anastasia IslandSt. Anastasia Island is a Bulgarian islet in the Black Sea. It is located 1.5 km off the coast near Chernomorets, at 12 metres above sea level, and embraces a territory of 0.022 km². It is the only inhabited island off the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast.The island is supplied with...
- St. Cyricus IslandSt. Cyricus IslandSt. Cyricus Island , also known as St. Cyril Island or Sts. Quiricus and Julietta Island is a Bulgarian island in the Black Sea, situated 150 metres from Sozopol's Stolets peninsula. It has an area of about 0,08 square kilometres and a height of 15 metres. The island is connected to the continent...
- St. Ivan IslandSt. Ivan IslandSt. Ivan Island is the largest Bulgarian island in the Black Sea, with an area of . It lies off the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast near Sozopol, a town with rich history and a popular tourist place, and is separated by a strait several hundred metres long from the small neighbouring St. Peter Island....
- St. Peter ISlandSt. Peter Island, BulgariaSt. Peter Island is a small Bulgarian island in the Black Sea, with an area of 0,025 square kilometres and a height of 9 metres above sea level. Also known as Bird Island, it is located in the Bay of Sozopol, close to the St. Ivan and St. Cyricus Islands. As it was not mentioned in any sources...
- St. Thomas IslandSt. Thomas IslandSt. Thomas Island or Snake Island is a Bulgarian island in the Black Sea, 15 km south of Sozopol. It has an area of 0,012 square kilometres and is the only place in Bulgaria where wild cacti grow, brought from Bratislava, Slovakia and planted on the orders of Tsar Boris III in 1933. They...
Rivers
- AheloyAheloyAheloy is a town and seaside resort in Burgas Province, eastern Bulgaria. it has 2,175 inhabitants. It is situated on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast between the major port of Burgas to the north and the bustling tourist centres Nessebur , Slunchev Bryag and Sveti Vlas to the south.One of the...
- Batova
- Dvoynitsa
- Fakiyska
- Hadzhiyska
- KamchiyaKamchiyaThe Kamchiya is a 244.5 km long river in eastern Bulgaria, the longest river on the Balkan Peninsula to flow directly into the Black Sea...
- ProvadiyaProvadiya RiverThe Provadiya River is a river in northeastern Bulgaria. It is 119 km long and has a drainage basin of 2,132 km². The river takes its source from close to the village of Dobri Voynikovo in Shumen Province, flowing southeast and then making a sharp turn northeast to empty into Lake Devnya at Devnya...
- Rezovska
- RopotamoRopotamoThe Ropotamo is a relatively short river in southeastern Bulgaria. It takes its source from the Strandzha Mountains, running for to empty into the Black Sea between Dyuni and Primorsko....
- Shkorpilovska
- VelekaVelekaThe Veleka is a river in the very southeast of Bulgaria , as well as the very northeast of European Turkey. It is 147 km long, of which 123 km in Bulgaria and 25 km in Turkey, and takes it sources from a number of Karst springs in the Turkish part of the Strandzha mountain to flow...
See also
- RivieraRivieraRiviera is an Italian term originally from the Middle Ages for the coast of Liguria. The term is now more generally applied to any coastal area popular with tourists, particularly in warm areas...
, featuring links to articles on the many coastal strips around the world which are known as Riviera