Sliven Province
Encyclopedia
Sliven Province is a province
in southeastern Bulgaria
, named after its administrative and industrial centre - the city of Sliven
. It embraces a territory of 3,544.1 km² that is divided into 4 municipalities, with a total population, as of December 2009, of 204,887 inhabitants.
Sliven is the only Bulgarian town that has never changed its Slavonic name, though it is one of the oldest settlements in Europe. Here lived Thracians, Romans, Slavs, and Ancient Greeks. The first Roman settlement on this place - Tuida ( The 3rd century BC) was a famous trade centre. Sliven was mentioned as a big town for the first time in 1153 by the Arab traveller Idrisi.
According to the 2001 census, the province had a population of 218 474 inhabitants, of whom 163 188 were Bulgarians, 22 971 Turks, 26 777 Roma, etc.
As of the end of 2009, the population of the province, announced by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, numbered 204,887 of which are inhabitants aged over 60 years.
The following table represents the change of the population in the province after World War II
:
The ancient beech forest in the vicinity of the Kushbunar spring in the region of Karandila is quite picturesque.
The specific climate and lay conditions of the nature park determine the great diversity of flora and fauna. The plant species are more than 1000, about 900 of which are representative of high species.
The invertebrate animals are represented by 235 species – eight species of fish, nine species of amphibians, nineteen species of reptiles, 165 species of birds and 34 species of mammals.
The lay is of typical mountain type – steep and ravine slopes and at sea level between 290 and 1181 meters above the sea level. The north and northwest winds, the wind called bora, famous also as the wind of the town of Sliven and the night breeze are typical for the region. Through the park flow many rivers and their beds form numerous shoots, pools and waterfalls.
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
in southeastern 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...
, named after its administrative and industrial centre - the city of Sliven
Sliven
Sliven is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality. It is a relatively large town with 89,848 inhabitants, as of February 2011....
. It embraces a territory of 3,544.1 km² that is divided into 4 municipalities, with a total population, as of December 2009, of 204,887 inhabitants.
Municipalities
The Sliven province (oбласт, oblast) contains four municipalities . The following table shows the names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic, the main town or village (towns are shown in bold), and the population of each as of December 2009.| Municipality | Cyrillic | Pop. | Town/Village | Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kotel | Котел | 20,338 | Kotel Kotel, Bulgaria Kotel is a town in central Bulgaria, part of Sliven Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Kotel Municipality. As of december 2009, the town has a population of 6,232 inhabitants.... |
6,232 |
| Nova Zagora | Нова Загора | 41,959 | Nova Zagora Nova Zagora Nova Zagora is a town located in the southeastern plains of Bulgaria in Sliven Province. It is the administrative centre of Nova Zagora Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 23,625 inhabitants , while the entire municipality has a population of 45,111. The first traces... |
23,625 |
| Sliven | Сливен | 128,249 | Sliven Sliven Sliven is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality. It is a relatively large town with 89,848 inhabitants, as of February 2011.... |
93,781 |
| Tvarditsa | Твърдица | 14,341 | Tvarditsa Tvarditsa Tvarditsa is a town in Sliven Province, Southeastern Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Tvarditsa Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 5,669 inhabitants.... |
5,669 |
Main city
Sliven is situated at the foot of the unique rock massif "Sinite Kamani" (The Blue Rocks), very close to mineral springs. The town is famous for its clean fresh air, clean water sources, mild winter and cool summer.Sliven is the only Bulgarian town that has never changed its Slavonic name, though it is one of the oldest settlements in Europe. Here lived Thracians, Romans, Slavs, and Ancient Greeks. The first Roman settlement on this place - Tuida ( The 3rd century BC) was a famous trade centre. Sliven was mentioned as a big town for the first time in 1153 by the Arab traveller Idrisi.
Demography
As of the end of 2009, the population of the province, announced by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, numbered 204,887 of which are inhabitants aged over 60 years.
The following table represents the change of the population in the province after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
:
Religion
Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:| Census 2001 | ||
|---|---|---|
| religious adherence | population | % |
| Orthodox Christians | 178,721 | 81.80% |
| Muslim Muslim A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable... s |
21,668 | 9.92% |
| Roman Catholics | 251 | 0.11% |
| Protestants Protestantism Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the... |
5,071 | 2.33% |
| Other | 1,057 | 0.48% |
| Religion not mentioned | 11,706 | 5.36% |
| total | 218,474 | 100% |
Nature Park Sinite Kamani - The Blue Rocks
The Sinite Kamani Nature Park is famous for its nature landmarks. Halkata – the arc-shaped rock garland, possessing, according to the legends, magic force - is one of the symbols of the town of Sliven. The forms that the nature has sculptured in the cave Zmeevi dupki – Zmejat, Orelat and Vladishkija tron are amazing.The ancient beech forest in the vicinity of the Kushbunar spring in the region of Karandila is quite picturesque.
The specific climate and lay conditions of the nature park determine the great diversity of flora and fauna. The plant species are more than 1000, about 900 of which are representative of high species.
The invertebrate animals are represented by 235 species – eight species of fish, nine species of amphibians, nineteen species of reptiles, 165 species of birds and 34 species of mammals.
The lay is of typical mountain type – steep and ravine slopes and at sea level between 290 and 1181 meters above the sea level. The north and northwest winds, the wind called bora, famous also as the wind of the town of Sliven and the night breeze are typical for the region. Through the park flow many rivers and their beds form numerous shoots, pools and waterfalls.