STARA ZAGORA - Geography and history
A corner of Northern Thrace
The region, with the city of Stara Zagora as its administrative centre, is situated in the central part of South Bulgaria. It has an area of 5 151 km2 or 4.6% of the total national territory. It is divided into 11 municipalities, which are diverse in terms of area, population size and social and economic development. These municipalities have 205 settlements, including 10 cities, the largest of which are Stara Zagora, Kazanlik, and Chirpan.
The population of the region is 366 636 inhabitants (2002 figures), which represents 4.7% of the national total, and makes it the 5th largest region. In 2002, the population density at 71 inhabitants per km2 was in line with the national average, while the urban population accounts for 67.8% of the total.
The region is surrounded on all sides by internal regions and has no external borders, while roads of national and international significance cross through it.
The traces of life over many centuries can be found here in Thracian settlements and tomb vaults (the Kazanlik Tomb vault), remains of fortresses and necropolises.
The region extends over the Stara Zagora plain, parts of Sredna Gora, the southern slopes of the Balkan mountain range and the Kazanlik Valley, making the region's landscape and climate quite diverse. One-third of the region is covered by mountains and forest. Summers are hot and winters cold. The precipitation rate in flat areas is insufficient.
The major river artery is the river Tundja and its tributaries, while there are mineral springs at Pavel Banya, Yagoda, Ovoshtnik and Starozagorski Mineralni Bani.
The mineral resources comprise deposits of lignite, brown and black coal, barytes and gypsum. Of these, the deposits of lignite coal at the Eastern Maritsa coal basin are of the highest economic value because of their use for heat and power generation.
Good development prospects
The region possesses the biggest deposits of lignite coal in this country, as well as having high-capacity energy facilities, a number of well-developed industrial sectors and intensive agriculture. Its labour force is skilled, there is research and development potential and a good infrastructure.
Another significant asset of the region is the energy industry which is one of its leading economic sectors. The Maritsa-Iztok energy complex is the second biggest energy generation centre in the Republic of Bulgaria (after the Kozloduy nuclear power plant), and it produces about 38% of the country's electricity.
Machine tool engineering, hydraulics, and robotic engineering are other industries of economic importance to Stara Zagora Region.
Future trends for regional development are related to the impact of restructuring the economy and the social infrastructure. The region has two large industrial centres in Stara Zagora and Kazanlik as well as a smaller industrial complex at Maglij, all of which are significant in terms of national planning.
However, the process of restructuring has a number of unfavourable consequences, such as the termination of certain production lines, and companies are going into liquidation. All these lead to a drop in income from gainful employment and to a number of job losses. The smaller municipalities are hardest hit by these changes.
Environmental problems ensuing from open coal mining mean that the region is one of the so-called "environmental hot spots" in the country.
One of the most developed regions nationally
In addition to being a well-populated region, the demographic characteristics of Stara Zagora Region indicate that it is one of only slightly negative natural growth, with both the share of under 25s (28% in 2002) and over 65s (18%) comparable to the national average. Still for 2002, infant mortality, the birth and death rate are all on average, with respectively 13.2 per thousand live births, 8.5 per thousand inhabitants and 14.5 per thousand inhabitants.
Industry plays a leading role in the economy of Stara Zagora Region, contributing 51.4% to the regional value added (in 2001), which is the highest share among all the Bulgarian regions. Agriculture has a share of 11.0% in this regional GVA, while industry and services registers respectively 51.4% and 37.5%. The major sectors are coal mining, at the Maritsa-Iztok complex in the municipalities of Radnevo and Galabovo, and processing industries such as energy generation, and machine tool engineering. The main industrial centres are the cities of Stara Zagora, (machine tool engineering, chemical industry), Kazanlik (textiles), Galabovo (energy generation), and Chirpan (food and beverages production).
With arable land accounting for 35.1% of the region's area (in 2002), and a good agro-climate and soil, agriculture is based on cereals, wheat and perennial crops (vines, orchards, oil and medical plants). Cotton and oil-bearing roses are specific crops grown in this region.
In terms of the characteristics of its labour market Stara Zagora Region stands out as particularly well off as the number employed per 1 000 inhabitants in working age (between 15 and 65) at 414 persons (in 2002) is substantially above the national average of 403. The unemployment rate at 10.9% (in 2002) is below the national average. The industry and services sectors employ 38% each of the working population, a figure which is higher than in most other regions for industry.
The Thracian University and a division of the Institute of Space Research of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences are also situated in Stara Zagora. During the 2002/2003 school year, there were 3 813 students in colleges and universities, out of which 79% were at University or equivalent higher schools. Furthermore, 722 teachers were registered, representing 18% of all the teachers registered in the South Central region.
Important transport routes here include the E 773 and E 85 A-Class roads and the Sofia-Varna, Sofia-Plovdiv-Bourgas, and Rousse-Podkova railroads. There were 788 kilometres of roads in the region (4.1% of the national average), representing a road density of 153 kilometres/1 000 square kilometre (2002 figures). Telephone penetration is close to the national average. At the end of 2002, the number of telephone posts (including the installed direct, party-line and supplementary telephone apparatus to the settlements' telephone exchanges) was 140 226 of which 87% for households.
With one medical doctor looking after 362 inhabitants as against 396 inhabitants nationally, and 11.1 hospital beds per 1 000 inhabitants, these are both better than the national average. At the first of January 2003, there were 1 413 physicians, out of which 19% were all-practical, 264 dentists as well as 2 395 people with intermediate level of medical education. Taken together, this represented 22% of the staff of the South Central region.
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