Sliven Province (, former name Sliven okrug) is a province in southeastern Bulgaria, named after its administrative and industrial centre Sliven. It has a territory of Bulgarian Provinces area and population 1999 — National Center for Regional Development — page 90-91 that is divided into four municipalities, with a total population, as of December 2009, of 204,887.Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Bulgarian provinces and municipalities in 2009WorldCityPopulationpop-stat.mashke.org
Municipalities
The Sliven province contains four municipalities. 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.
Municipality Cyrillic Pop. Town/Village Pop. Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Bulgarian towns in 2009"pop-stat.mashke.org" Kotel Котел 20,338 Kotel 6,232 Nova Zagora Нова Загора 41,959 Nova Zagora 23,625 Sliven Сливен 128,249 Sliven 93,781 Tvarditsa Твърдица 14,341 Tvarditsa 5,669
Main city Sliven is situated in the Sliven Valley at the foothills of the unique rock massif "Sinite Kamani" (The Blue Rocks) in the Balkan Mountains, very close to mineral springs. The town is famous for its clean fresh air, clean water sources, mild winters and cool summers.
Sliven is thought to be one of the oldest settlements in Europe. Thracians, Romans, Slavs, and Ancient Greeks have all lived in the region. The first Roman settlement on this place, Tuida (3rd century BC), was a famous trade centre. Sliven was mentioned as a big town for the first time in 1153 by the Arab traveler Muhammad al-Idrisi.
Demographics As of the end of 2009, the population of the province, announced by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, numbered 204,887 of which are inhabitants over 60 years old. Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Population by age in 2009
Ethnic groups
Total population (2011 census): 197 473 Population on 01.02.2011 by provinces, municipalities, settlements and age; National Statistical Institute Ethnic groups (2011 census):Population by province, municipality, settlement and ethnic identification, by 01.02.2011; Bulgarian National Statistical Institute Identified themselves: 173 206 persons: Bulgarians: 132 697 (76.61%) Romani: 20 478 (11.82%) Turks: 16 784 (9.69%) Others and indefinable: 3 247 (1.87%)
A further 24,000 persons in Sliven Province did not declare their ethnic group at the 2011 census.
According to the 2001 census, the province had a population of 218 474 inhabitants, of whom 163 188 were Bulgarians, 26 777 Romani, 22 971 Turks, etc.
Religion Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census: Religious adherence in Bulgaria - census 2001 Census 2001 religious adherence population % Orthodox Christians 178,721 81.80% Muslims 21,6689.92% Protestants 5,071 2.33% Roman Catholics 2510.11% Other 1,057 0.48% Religion not mentioned 11,706 5.36% total 218,474 100%
Sinite Kamani Nature Park
The Sinite Kamani Nature Park is known for its nature landmarks. Halkata, the arc-shaped rock garland, is one of the symbols of the town of Sliven.
The vertebrate animals are represented by 235 species: eight species of fish, nine species of amphibians, nineteen species of reptiles, 165 species of birds and 34 species of mammals.
The lay is of typical mountain type, with steep and ravine slopes between 290 and 1181 metres above sea level. IThrough the park flow many rivers and their beds form numerous shoots, pools and waterfalls.
See also Provinces of Bulgaria List of villages in Sliven Province
References
External links Photos of Sliven Photo Reportages from Sliven