The Bulgaria is a country located in the south-east of the Europe. It is bordered by the Romania in north (608 km of border), the Serbia (318 km) and the République of Macedonia (148 km) in the west, the Greece (494 km) and the Turkey (240 km) in the south and the Black Sea in the east. The major part of its septentrional border with the Romania is delimited by the the Danube until Silistra. The surface of the country is of 110  550 km ² (a little larger than the Iceland). Although reduced enough size, Bulgaria enjoys a large variety of landscapes. Even in restricted geographical areas one finds often superimposed flat, plate, hill, mountain, valley of boxed river, basin and throat. The geographical center of Bulgaria is located at Uzana.

Topography

The main feature of Bulgaria east its division in bands of mountains and East-West directed plains. North in the South follow one another the Danubian Plateau, the massive of Balkans (Stara planina), the Plaine Power station of Thrace and the massive of Rhodopes. The part Is, close to the Black Sea, makes up of hills which gain gradually in height while going towards the West. The Western part of the country is only made up of mountains.

More of two thirds of the countries, made up of plains plates and hills, are located at an altitude lower than 600 meters. The plains (less than 200 meters of altitude) represent 31  % of the surface of the country, plates (between 200 and 600 meters) 41  % of surface, mountains of weak rise (between 600 and 1  000 meters) 10  %, average mountains (between 1  000 and 1  500 meters) 10  % and high mountains (more 1  500 meters) 3  %. The average altitude of Bulgaria east of 470 meters.

The Danubian Plateau extends from the western borders to the Black Sea. It includes/understands a zone delimited in North by the Danube and the South by the solid mass of Balkans. The plate is bordered of cliffs along the Danube and stops along a band of mountains of an altitude from 750 to 900 meters. The plate is a fertile zone, traversed hills; it is the attic of the country.

The South of the plate stops with the foot of the Grand Balkan (Stara planina), considered as belonging to the Massif of Carpathes. The solid mass of Carpathes draws an S lying: running towards the East as a Czech Republic and Slovakia and the Northern part of Romania, it turns to the South in the middle of continuous Romania then towards the West or it is known under the name of the Alps carpathiennes. The solid mass turns again to the East on the level of the Iron Doors, a throat on the Danube located at the border between Romania and Serbia. At this place it becomes Stara Planina of Bulgaria.

The solid mass of Stara Planina begins with the valley from Timok in Serbia and runs towards the South to the basin of Sofia in the Western Center of Bulgaria. It takes then a direction Is to the Black Sea. The solid mass makes 600 km length for a width ranging between 30 and 50 km. More the high summits are in the Center of Bulgaria with the Peak Botev which culminates with 2  376 Mr. the chain continues then towards the East with less low tops to cliffs of the Black Sea. In practically all Bulgaria, the solid mass of Balkans defines the limit of division of water between the basin of the Danube and that which drains water towards the Aegean Sea. Certain small rivers in the East flow directly in the Black Sea. The solid mass of Sredna Gora is a 160 km length narrow chain and 1  600 meters in height which runs of Is in West parallel to the solid mass of Balkans. The valley of the Pinks located between these two solid masses is known for its rose oil used in perfumery and liquors.

The Southern slopes of the solid mass of Balkans and Sredna Gora lead to the flat of Thrace and the basin of Sofia. Roughly from triangular form, the plain of Thrace begins in the east from the mountains dominating Sofia and goes towards the East while widening to the Black Sea. It includes the valley of Maritasa and the grounds low which go from the river to the Black Sea. Like the Danubian plate, the plain of Thrace is partly undulating. The majority of the grounds are however cultivable.

The largest basin of Bulgaria is the Bassin of Sofia . Broad 24 km and length of 96 km, the basin is occupied by the capital of Bulgaria and the area bordering. The road which follows the valleys and basins from Belgrade to Istanbul (in the past Constantinople) and which pass by the Basin of Sofia has a historical importance which goes up at the time Roman and who contributed to the strategic role of the peninsula of Balkans. More the big cities of Bulgaria are located on this road. In a paradoxical way, although many mountains return the villages and the relatively inaccessible towns of Bulgaria, Bulgaria was regularly threatened of invasions because of this road passing by Sofia deprived of natural obstacles.

Relatively high mountains occupy the zone located between the Basin of Sofia, the Plain of Thrace and the border with Greece in the South: mountains of Vistosha in the south of Sofia, the Massive of Rila further in the South and the massive of Pirin in the Western South from Bulgaria. These mountains constitute the landscapes more seizing of Bulgaria and all the Péninsule of Balkans. The solid mass of Rila culminates with the Mont Musala (2  925 meters) more high summit of the countries balkans. A dozen other tops in the same solid mass culminate with more 2  600 meters. More the high mountains are characterized by rock tops and lakes located at the top of the shrubby limit. Less low tops are covered with Alpine meadows which give to the chain an indication of green landscape. The chain of Pirin is characterized by tops and rock slopes. Its more high summit is the mount Vihren, the second plus high mountain of Bulgaria. More in the West the vast solid mass of Rhodopes is.

An important part of Bulgaria is prone to the earth tremors. Two zones are particularly concerned:

• the North of the undulation of Bulgaria of North centered on the area of Gorna Oryahovitsa in the Northern Center of Bulgaria
• the Western crumpling of Rhodopes, a vast zone extending since the areas from Rila and Piron North until Plovdiv in the Southern Center from Bulgaria

Particularly important seisms take place along the diagonal which goes from Skopje in Republic of Macedonia until Razgrad in North East of Bulgaria and on the diagonal which goes from the Albania towards one the Southern third of Bulgaria while passing by Plovdiv. 16 major seisms struck Bulgaria between 1900 and 1966; the two last occurred with Strazhitsa on the fault line Skopje-Razgrad. These two seisms damaged 16  000 buildings, half of them in an important way. A village completely was destroyed, others damaged seriously. Many inhabitants still lived provisional shelters four years later.

Hydrographic network

The mountains of Balkans divide Bulgaria into 2 catchment areas. Most important in the Black Sea while making converge the majority of the rivers flows towards the the Danube. This basin included all the Danubian plate and a band of ground along the Black Sea of a width from 40 to 80 km. The second basin drains water of the plain of Thrace and the majority of the high grounds located at the West and the South of Bulgaria towards the Aegean Sea. Only the Danube is navigable; many rivers in Bulgaria have an important potential for the hydroelectric energy production.

All the rivers of Bulgaria except the Iskar result from the solid mass of Balkans. Iskar takes its source in the Solid mass of Rila and runs towards North while crossing by the suburbs Is of Sofia then through a valley in the mountains of Balkans for finally throwing itself in the Danube.

The Danube receives approximately 4  % of its water of the affluents of Bulgaria. The course of the Danube along the border of Bulgaria is broad from 1,6 to 2,4 km. The period of high waters is in June. The river is cold on average during 40 days per annum.

Several important rivers are thrown directly in the Aegean Sea. The majority of these rivers go down quickly from the mountains through deep and impressive throats. The Maritsa river with its affluents is most important by far; it drains water of the plain of Western Thrace like those of Sredna Gora, the Southern slope of the Solid mass of Balkans and the Northern slope of the Solid mass of Rhodopes. After having left Bulgaria, Maritsa delimits the border between the Greece and the Turkey. Struma and Mesta (which separates the solid mass from Pirin of the solid mass of Rhodopes) are the rivers most important after Maritsa to be thrown in the Aegean Sea after having crossed Greece.

Climate

Taking into account its low size, Bulgaria profits from a varied and complex climate. The country divides between a zone of continental Climat and a zone of Mediterranean Climat. The mountains and the valleys of Bulgaria block and make circulate the masses of air, creating important climatic contrasts between relatively close zones. The continental zone is most important because the continental masses of air circulate easily through the Danubian plain deprived of obstacles. The continental influence, more important during the winter, generates abundant snowfalls; the Mediterranean influence increases during the summer and produces a hot and dry time. The barrier consisted the solid mass of Balkans is made feel in all Bulgaria: on average the North of Bulgaria is colder of 1°C and receives 192 mm of precipitations moreover than the South. The influence of the Black Sea is reduced to the littoral band because its size does not enable him to play an important role in the regional climate.

The solid mass of Balkans constitutes the Southern border of the zone or the continental masses of air circulate freely. The solid mass of Rhodopes marks the Northern limit of the zone of Méditerranéen climate. The intermediate zone, which includes the plain of Thrace east under the influence of the two climatic systems. This combination produces a climate similar to that of the area of Corn Belt to the the United States with long summers and a strong moisture. The climate of the area is generally more rigorous than those of other areas of Europe located at the same latitude. Because of the existence of this intermediate climatic zone, the average temperatures and precipitations can vary much from one year to another.

Average precipitations in Bulgaria are of 630 mm per annum. Dobruja in North East, the littoral zone along the Black Sea, and part of the plain of Thrace receive less than 500 mm of precipitations. The remainder of the Plain of Thrace and the Danubian plate receive less than the average of the country. The plain of Thrace is prone to drynesses during the summer. The zones in altitude receive the most important precipitations, on average 2  540 mm per annum.

The many valleys scattered in the mountainous areas undergo inversions of temperature related to the stagnation of the masses of air. Sofia is in this situation but its altitude (approximately 530 m) makes it possible to moderate the temperature and moisture during the summer. Sofia is protected from the winds of North by the mountains which encircle the basin in which it is installed. The average temperature in Sofia east of -2°C in January and 21°C approximately in August. Precipitations in the capital are close to the national average; the climate is as a whole pleasant.

Close to the Black Sea, the climate is moderate but affected during the winter by winds and local storms violent one. Along the Danube the winter is extremely cold while the valleys having outlets towards the South along the borders with Greece and Turkey profit from a soft climate like the zones located along the coasts from the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean.

Figures

The highest point is the Peak Musala (2  925 meters).

Bulgaria has a coast on the Black Sea a 354 km length.

The grounds are divided between arable lands (43  %), natural meadows (2  %), meadows (14  %), forests (38  %) and others (3  %) (figures of 1999). Irrigated surface is of 12  370 km ² (1993).

See too

Random links:

Cannes festival 1981 | Griselles (Coast-in Or) | Idron-Lée-Ousse-Sendets | International airport of Large Moncton | Ceftazidime