SLIVEN - Geography and history
Between the Balkan mountains and the river Tundja
The city of Sliven is the administrative centre of the region bearing the same name, which is situated in the south-eastern part of Bulgaria. This region has an area of 3 544 km2 (3.2% of the national territory). It borders the regions of Targovishte and Shumen to the north, Bourgas region to the east, Yambol to the south and Stara Zagora and Veliko Tarnovo to the west. The region comprises 4 municipalities, covering a total of 120 settlements, including 4 cities and 116 villages. The population of the region is 215 443 inhabitants (at 1st of January 2003), which is equal to 2.7% of the total population of Bulgaria. The population density is 61 inhabitants per km2 (at the end of 2002), which is clearly under the national average (71 inhabitants per km2). With two-thirds of the population living in urban areas, this is almost equal to the national average.
The relief is quite diverse, extending over part of the Central and Eastern Balkan mountain ranges, the Sliven and Tvardishka valleys, parts of Sarnena Sredna Gora, the Upper Thracian lowland and the valley of the river Tundja.
After being inhabited by Thracian tribes, this area was conquered by the Romans after the 1st century A.D. During the Ottoman era Sliven and its surrounds used to be an important military, trade and manufacturing centre. The very first textile factory using a steam engine in Bulgaria was founded in Sliven in 1834.
The climate in the northern part of the region is moderately continental with some hints of a mountainous influence. The areas in the lowlands and those with an undulating relief have a transient continental climate. The rivers Tundja, Luda Kamchiya, Tich, and Stara Reka flow through the region. There are mineral springs near Sliven and Nova Zagora. Deposits of brown coal, as well as of raw materials for building construction have been discovered locally.
Grave shortage of investment
A high concentration of textile production is one of the region's main advantages. The main employers in the region are manufacturers of woollen goods, including the production of carpets and rugs. In addition, favourable agro-climatic and soil conditions continue to benefit developments in agriculture.
Nevertheless, a major regional problem is the lack of a skilled and educated labour force. Furthermore, the unemployment rate has grown as a consequence of the ongoing restructuring in industry and agriculture. The unemployment rate is particularly grave among the gypsy population in the municipalities of Kotel and Sliven.
The presence of numerous historical and architectural monuments from the Renaissance in the cities of Sliven and Kotel and the villages of Zheravna, Gradets and Medven and elsewhere should help the development of cultural based tourism to the region.
Another problem here is the grave shortage of foreign investment, which is a barrier to both the upgrading of the local economy and to decreasing the unemployment level. The volume of per capita foreign investment is negligible and is the lowest figure in the whole country.
Worrying unemployment level
The demographic situation in Sliven contrasts with the overall picture in the country. While the death rate (13.6 per 1 000 inhabitants in 2002) is lower than the national average, the birth rate (11.3 per 1 000 inhabitants) is the highest figure nationally. A problem of particular concern is that the highest infant mortality rate in the country has been recorded here (32 per 1 000 live births in 2002). A peculiarity of the ethnic structure of the population is the highest share of gypsies nationally, accounting for 7.7% of the total. Overall, the age structure is progressive, the share of under 25s being 32%, while those over 65 account for 15% of the total.
The activity rate is 45.7% (2002 figures), while the unemployment level, of 24.4% in 2002, is high compared to the national average, and is even higher among the gypsy population. This reflects on the number of those employed per 1 000 inhabitants in working age (between 15 and 65), which was 476 people in 2000 compared to 535 nationally.
The energy sector is represented by one thermal power plant in the city of Sliven, however the region depends mainly on the national grid. The main industrial branches developed locally are the woollen and cotton textile industry, machine tool engineering and metal processing, food and beverages production, timber logging and woodworking.
Arable land accounts for 21.9% of the area (in 2002). The main crops are cereals and oil-bearing crops, viticulture and fruit-growing. Sheep and cattle breeding is well developed on the basis of the availability of vast mountain pasture land.
The length of regional roads is 550 km (in 2002), with road a density of 155 km per thousand km2, which is above the national figure. The most important routes traversing the area are the Sofia-Sliven-Bourgas and Sofia-Plovdiv-Stara Zagora-Bourgas roads. The Sofia-Karlovo-Bourgas, Sofia-Plovdiv-Bourgas and Nova Zagora-Maritsa railway lines cross the region.
All settlements are connected to an electric supply and to a water supply. 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 67 597 of which 88% for households.
With a total of 120 schools, the region is well covered in this area. During the 2002/2003 school year, there were 1 020 students in colleges and universities, out of which 68% were at University or equivalent higher schools. Furthermore, 220 teachers were registered, representing 21% of all the teachers registered in the South-East region.
Medical services are provided by 1 regional and several district hospitals, while cures can be taken at the Sliven Mineral Spa and at Korten. The beds per 1000 inhabitants at 5.5 are substantially lower than the national average of 7.1. At the first of January 2003, there were 549 physicians, out of which 26% were all-practical, 132 dentists as well as 955 people with intermediate level of medical education. Taken together, this represented 27% of the staff of the South-East region.
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