Mountains
Bulgaria is a mountainous country. There are 37 mountains
on the territory of Bulgaria, 36 of them situated in the
southern part. The mountain range of Stara Planina is the
border between Northern and Southern Bulgaria and it is
the the longest and the biggest in area. The second longest
mountain range in our country is Sredna Gora, but the most
impressive mountainous system is the Rila-Rhodope Massif,
including Rila, Pirin, the Rhodopes, Slavianka and Sturgach.
Two lower mountains are situated to the east of Rila-Rhodope
Massif - Sakar and Strandja. The highest, the biggest and
most famous of the Plana-Zaval Group is Vitosha Mountain
with Mount Cherni Vrah 2290 m. 7 low mountains are located
between the border with Serbia and The Rila Mountains. These
are Riu (the highest in the group-1706 m. above sea level),
Ezdimir, Strazha, Liubash, Cherna Gora, Golo Burdo and Verila.
The reserve "Ostritza" is situated in Golo Burdo
and it is rich in endemic vegetation kinds. In the south-west
corner of Bulgaria the Osogovo-Belasitza mountainous group
is situated including Osogovo Mountain and Belasitza which
are over 2000 meters high, Vlahina, Malashevska Mountain
and Ograjden. Belasitza is situated on the territories of
3 states Bulgaria, Greece and Macedonia. Bulgarian mountains
are subject to tourism and sports related activities. There
are very good ski-sports opportunities in four big ski-centers:
Borovets, Pamporovo, Aleko and Banskî. The smaller ski centers
of local importance are Semkovo, Panichishte, Rila Lakes,
Maliovitza, Petrohan, Kom, Strajata, Beklemeto, Pleven,
Uzana, Chumerna, Zdravetz, Biala Cherkva, Persenik, Yundola,
Tcigov chark. The center of Bulgarian mountaineering is
the peak of Maliovitza (2730m.) but also Vihren, Raiski
Skali, Lakatnik, Severniya Djendem, Karandila ,the gorge
on Erma. There are very good conditions for other sports
too-mountain marathon, mountain bike, delta and paragliding,
rafting and kayaking.
Lakes
The high-mountain lakes add to about 400 in number. The
most popular are the Seven Rila Lakes, Banderishki ezera,
Vasilashki, Kremenski , Samodivski , Gazeiski , Gorno Polejansko,
Popovoto, TevnotoThe gorge of the river Iskar is a natural
miracle carved out of the stone breasts of the Stara Planina.
It starts from the valley of Sofia and ends around the town
of Cherven Bryag. The mountains beauty, diversity and accessibility
during all seasons make them an object of desire for home
and international tourism.
Plains
The plains and the lowlands in the country cover large areas
to the north and the south of the Balkan Mountains. The
Danube Plain is the biggest, bordering Yugoslavia to the
west, the Dobrudja region and the Black Sea to the east,
the river Danube to the north and the Balkan Mountains to
the south. Many plateaus hills and valleys are characteristic
of landscape, as well as some wide rivers flowing through
it. Dobrudja is a rolling plan, situated in the north-eastern
corner of Bulgaria. It is also called "the granary
of Bulgaria" for the enormous quantities of wheat grown
there. The so called Rose Valley is located between the
long and narrow mountain chain of Sredna Gora and the Balkan
Mountains north of it. Besides the widespread crops, they
grow oil-yielding roses there. This is one of the privileges
of the unique Bulgarian climate. Another is the world-famous
Bulgarian yoghurt, made with the help of "bacillus
Bulgaricus" as a vital ingredient of the yeast. The
Thracian Lowland is the second biggest in the country starting
from mountains that surround Sofia to the west and reaching
the Black Sea to the east. It stretches between the Sredna
Gora to the north and Rila , Rhodope Mountains and Strandja
to the south. Crops typical for the southern longitudes
are grown there and sometimes there are gathered two harvests.
Many European travelers claim that Bulgaria is Eden on Earth.
There is everything in it: a sea, rivers and lakes in the
mountains and plains as well as hills, rocky and covered
with woods, mountains, plateaus and plains.