42°10′N 24°45′E / 42.167°N 24.750°E / 42.167; 24.750

Plovdiv Province Област Пловдив
Province
Red Wall Reserve
Flag
Location of Plovdiv Province in Bulgaria
Country	Bulgaria
Capital	Plovdiv
Municipalities	18
Government
• Governor	Zdravko Dimitrov
Area [1]
• Total	5,972.9 km2 (2,306.1 sq mi)
Population  (December 2022)[2]
• Total	631,516
• Density	110/km2 (270/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
License plate	PB
Website	pd.government.bg

Plovdiv Province (Bulgarian: Област Пловдив: Oblast Plovdiv, former name Plovdiv okrug) is a province in central southern Bulgaria. It comprises 18 municipalities (общини, obshtini, sing. общинa, obshtina) on a territory of 5,972.9 km² (2,306.1 sq mi)^[1] with a population, as of February 2011, of 683,027 inhabitants.^[2][3][4] The province is named after its administrative and industrial centre — the city of Plovdiv.

Geography

View of the Rhodopes near the village of Vrata in the south of the province

Plovdiv Province includes parts of the Upper Thracian Plain, the Rhodopes, Sredna Gora, the Sub-Balkan valleys and Stara Planina, including its highest peak, Botev (2,376m). The main rivers in the province are Maritsa, Stryama, Pyasachnik. There are numerous dams, the most important of which is Pyasachnik. Mineral springs are abundant; there are several major spa resorts — Hisarya, Narechen, Banya and minor spas at Klisura, Asenovgrad, Kuklen, Rosino, Krasnovo, Stoletovo and others. There are many natural landmarks, especially in the Central Balkan National Park, including the spectacular waterfall Raysko Praskalo, the highest in the Balkans.

Municipalities

Municipalities of Plovdiv province

Plovdiv Province (Област, oblast) contains 18 municipalities^[5] (singular: община, obshtina, plural: Общини, obshtini). 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.

Towns

The province's capital is the city of Plovdiv; other towns include Karlovo, Sopot, Klisura, Kalofer, Hisarya, Saedinenie, Rakovski, Brezovo, Stamboliyski, Krichim, Perushtitsa, Sadovo, Parvomay, Asenovgrad, Laki, Katunica, and Yiagodovo.

Demographics

Plovdiv Province had a population of 715,904 (715,816 also given) according to a 2001 census, of which 48.4% were male and 51.6% were female.^[10] As of the end of 2009, the population, announced by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, numbered 701,684^[2] of which 24.1% are over 60 years of age.^[11]

The following table represents the change of the population in the province after World War II:

Economy

Walls of the Hissarya fortress

The economy of the province is of great importance. The agricultural production is intensive and efficient with high levels of irrigation. The major crops are fruit (apples, plums, pears, cherries), grapes, melons and watermelons, vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, carrots, cabbage, potatoes), wheat, rice, barley and others. Industry is very well developed: ferrous metallurgy near Plovdiv; thriving electronics industry in Plovdiv, Saedinenie, Voivodinovo, Radinovo and other villages in the area; agricultural machinery (tractors) in Karlovo; weapon and military plants in Sopot, Karlovo, Plovdiv; chemical industry in Plovdiv, Asenovgrad; food industry is developed almost everywhere, most notably in Plovdiv and Asenovgrad (wines). Tourism is a growing industry with the rich cultural heritage of the province and the numerous mineral springs which are of international importance.

See also

• List of villages in Plovdiv Province

References