| Stara Zagora Oblast Област Стара Загора |
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| — Oblast (Province) — | |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Bulgaria |
| Oblast capital | Stara Zagora |
| Obshtinas (Communes) | Bratya, Chirpan, Gurkovo, Galabovo, Kazanlak, Maglizh, Nikolaevo, Opan, Pavel Banya, Radnevo, |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Yordan Nikolov |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5,151.1 km2 (1,988.9 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 327,576 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
| Vehicle registration | CT |
| Website | sz.government.bg |
Stara Zagora Olbast (province) (Bulgarian: Област Стара Загора oblast Stara Zagora, former name Stara Zagora okrug) is an oblast of south central Bulgaria. It is named after its administrative and industrial centre—the city of Stara Zagora—the sixth-biggest town in the country. The province embraces a territory of 5,151.1 km²[1] that is divided into 11 municipalities with a total population, as of December 2009, of 350,925 inhabitants.[2][3][4]
In the southeastern part of the province on the edge of Radnevo Obshtina there is a coal production facility. Between 1934 and 1949, the oblast included parts of the present Kardzhali Oblast.[5]
Obshtinas[]
Map of Stara Zagora Province
Stara Zagora Oblast (oбласт, oblast) contains 11 obshtinas (communes) (Bulgarian: singular: oбщина, obshtina - plural: oбщини, obshtini). The following table shows the names of each obshtina in English and Cyrillic, the main town or village (towns are shown in bold), and the population of each as of December 2009.
| Obshtina (Commune) | Cyrillic | Pop.[2][3][4] | Town/Village | Pop.[3][6][7][8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bratya | Братя Даскалови | 9,724 | Bratya Daskalovi | 750 |
| Chirpan | Чирпан | 23,470 | Chirpan | 16,355 |
| Gurkovo | Гурково | 5,273 | Gurkovo | 2,917 |
| Galabovo | Гълъбово | 14,269 | Galabovo | 8,404 |
| Kazanlak | Казанлък | 76,447 | Kazanlak | 49,506 |
| Maglizh | Мъглиж | 12,267 | Maglizh | 3,426 |
| Nikolaevo | Николаево | 4,840 | Nikolaevo | 2,872 |
| Opan | Опан | 3,501 | Opan | 466 |
| Pavel Banya | Павел баня | 14,703 | Pavel Banya | 2,918 |
| Radnevo | Раднево | 21,959 | Radnevo | 13,384 |
| Stara Zagora | Стара Загора | 164,472 | Stara Zagora | 140,456 |
Demography[]
Stara Zagora Oblast had a population of 370,665 (370,615 also given) according to a 2001 census, of which 48.9% were male and 51.1% were female.[9] As of the end of 2009, the population of the province, announced by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, numbered 350,925[2] of which 25.2% are inhabitants aged over 60 years.[10]
The following table represents the change of the population in the oblast after World War II:
| Stara Zagora Oblast | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1946 | 1956 | 1965 | 1975 | 1985 | 1992 | 2001 | 2005 | 2007 | 2009 | 2011 |
| Population | 306,181 | 322,252 | 359,486 | 394,607 | 410,905 | 397,337 | 370,665 | 361,146 | 356,984 | 350,925 | 327,576 |
| Sources: National Statistical Institute,[2] „Census 2001“,[3] „Census 2011“,[4] „pop-stat.mashke.org“,?? | |||||||||||
Religion[]
Religious adherence in the oblast according to 2001 census:[11]
| Census 2001 | ||
|---|---|---|
| religious adherence | population | % |
| Orthodox Christians | 329,628 | 88.94% |
| Muslims | 21,423 | 5.78% |
| Roman Catholics | 522 | 0.14% |
| Protestants | 4,094 | 1.10% |
| Other | 1558 | 0.42% |
| Religion not mentioned | 13,390 | 3.62% |
| total | 370,615 | 100% |
Main city[]
Stara Zagora is a cultural centre of particular significance for Bulgaria as it is an ancient Thracian, subsequently Greek, Roman and Byzantine metropolis. The oldest Neolithic remains were found in Stara Zagora. The famous film of BBC The History of Europe starts with the Neolithic museum in Stara Zagora. It shows the remains of the first homes of the people in Europe. Stara Zagora is one of the oldest cities in Europe.
In October 2004, Stara Zagora Oblast was awarded for having the best quality of life in Europe, together with Greater Zürich (Switzerland), and ahead of Andalucia (Spain), and Flanders (Belgium). The award was given by fDi Magazine, produced by the renowned Financial Times Group, for the region's low-cost, newly built accommodation and rich cultural heritage.
See also[]
- Oblasts of Bulgaria
- Obshtinas of Bulgaria
- List of villages in Stara Zagora Oblast
References[]
- ^ (English) Bulgarian Provinces area and population 1999 — National Center for Regional Development — page 90-91
- ^ a b c d (English) Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Bulgarian provinces and municipalities in 2009
- ^ a b c d (English) „WorldCityPopulation“
- ^ a b c „pop-stat.mashke.org“
- ^ http://www.visittobulgaria.com/visit/dir.asp?d=0-8-Ardino History of Ardino
- ^ (English) Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Bulgarian towns in 2009
- ^ „pop-stat.mashke.org“
- ^ (English) Bulgarian National Statistical Institute – Bulgarian villages under 1000 inhabitants – December 2009
- ^ (Bulgarian) Population to 01.03.2001 by Area and Sex from Bulgarian National Statistical Institute: Census 2001
- ^ (English) Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Population by age in 2009
- ^ (Bulgarian) Religious adherence in Bulgaria - census 2001
External links[]
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Lovech Oblast | Gabrovo Oblast | Veliko Tarnovo Oblast |
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| Plovdiv Oblast | 
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Sliven Oblast | ||
   Stara Zagora Oblast | ||||
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| Haskovo Oblast | Yambol Oblast |
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| This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Stara Zagora Oblast. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |