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List of rivers of Bulgaria

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This is a list of rivers in Bulgaria, organised geographically, taken clockwise from the westernmost tributaries of the Danube drainage. Tributaries are listed down the page in an downstream direction, i.e. the first tributary listed is closest to the source, and tributaries of tributaries are treated similarly. The main stem (or principal) river of a catchment is labelled as (MS), right-bank tributaries are indicated by (R), left-bank tributaries by (L). Note that in general usage, the 'right or left bank of a river' refers to the right or left hand bank, as seen when looking downstream. The list encompasses most of the main rivers of Bulgaria. It includes rivers shared with other countries. There is also a list of rivers over 50 km. The Bulgarian word for river, река (transliteration reka) is often a part of the river names in the country.

Map of rivers, drainage divide and main drainage basins in Bulgaria
  Danube  
  a1 Timok
  a2 Topolovets
  a3 Voynishka reka
  a4 Vidbol
  a5 Archar
  a6 Skomlya
  a7 Lom
  a8 Tsibritsa
  a9 Ogosta
  a10 Iskar
  a11 Vit
  a12 Osam
  a13 Barata
  a14 Yantra
  a15 Rusenski Lom
  a16 Topchiyska reka
  a17 Tsaratsar
  a18 Senkovets
  a19 Kanagyol
  a20 Suha reka
  a21 Nishava
 Black sea 
  b0 Shablenska reka
  b1 Batova reka
  b2 Provadiyska reka
  b3 Kamchiya
  b18 Fandakliyska reka
  b4 Dvoynitsa
  b5 Hadzhiyska reka
  b6 Aheloy
  b7 Aytoska reka
  b8 Chukarska reka
  b9 Rusokastrenska reka
  b10 Sredetska reka
  b11 Fakiyska reka
  b12 Izvorska reka
  b13 Ropotamo
  b14 Dyavolska reka
  b15 Kitenska reka
  b16 Veleka
  b17 Rezovska reka
Aegean sea
  c1 Struma
  c2 Mesta
  c3 Maritsa
  c4 Arda
  c5 Tundzha
  c6 Luda reka

Overview

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There are 540 rivers in Bulgaria.[1] The longest river in Bulgaria is the Danube (2,888 km), which spans most of the country's northern border for a length of 470 km. The longest one to run through the country (and also the deepest) is the Maritsa (480 km), while the longest river that runs solely in Bulgaria is the Iskar (368 km).[2]

The density of rivers is highest in the mountain areas and lowest in Dobrudzha, the Danubian Plain and the Upper Thracian Plain.[1] There are two catchment basins: the Black Sea (57% of the territory and 42% of the rivers) and the Aegean Sea (43% of the territory and 58% of the rivers) basins.[1][3] The territory of Bulgaria is 110,994 km2, of which 63,270 km2 fall within the Black Sea catchment bason, divided between the Danube (49,950 km2) and Black Sea Coast drainage (13,320 km2), and 47,730 km2 fall within the Aegean Sea basin, divided between the Maritsa (34,166 km2), Mesta (2,767 km2) and Struma (10,797 km2) drainage.

The Balkan Mountains divide Bulgaria into two nearly equal drainage systems. The larger system drains northward to the Black Sea, mainly by way of the Danube. This system includes the entire Danubian Plain and a stretch of land running 48–80 km inland from the coastline in the south. The Danube gets slightly more than 4% of its total volume from its Bulgarian tributaries. As it flows along the northern border, the Danube averages 1.6 to 2.4 km in width. The river's highest water levels usually occur during the May floods; it is frozen over an average of 40 days per year. The longest river located entirely in Bulgarian territory, the Iskar, with a length of 368 km and a catchment area of 8,640 km2, is the only Bulgarian Danubian tributary that does not rise in the Balkan Mountains. Instead, the Iskar has its origin in the Rila Mountains. It passes through Sofia's eastern suburbs and crosses the Balkan Mountains through a spectacular 65 km–long gorge.[1] Other important tributaries of the Danube include the rivers Lom, Ogosta, Vit, Osam and Yantra.[1][3] The longest river flowing directly to the Black Sea is the Kamchiya (254 km), while other rivers include the Batova, Provadiya, Aheloy, Ropotamo, Veleka and Rezovo.[4]

The Aegean Sea catchment basin drains the Thracian Plain and most of the higher lands to the south and southwest. Several major rivers flow directly to the Aegean Sea. Many of their tributaries fall swiftly from the mountains and have cut deep, scenic gorges. The 480 km–long Maritsa (of them 321 km in Bulgaria) and its tributaries drain all of the western Thracian Plain, all of Sredna Gora, the southern slopes of the Balkan Mountains, and the northern slopes of the eastern Rhodopes. After it leaves Bulgaria, the Maritsa forms most of the Greco-Turkish border.[4] Maritsa's major tributaries are the Tundzha, Arda, Topolnitsa, Vacha, etc. The other Bulgarian rivers flowing directly to the Aegean are the Struma and the Mesta.[3][4]

Black Sea Drainage

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Danube Drainage

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Black Sea Coast

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Aegean Sea Drainage

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See also

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e Donchev & Karakashev 2004, p. 68
  2. ^ Donchev & Karakashev 2004, pp. 68–70
  3. ^ a b c "Hydrology of Bulgaria". Topics of Geography of Bulgaria. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Donchev & Karakashev 2004, p. 69

References

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  • Мичев (Michev), Николай (Nikolay); Михайлов (Mihaylov), Цветко (Tsvetko); Вапцаров (Vaptsarov), Иван (Ivan); Кираджиев (Kiradzhiev), Светлин (Svetlin) (1980). Географски речник на България [Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria] (in Bulgarian). София (Sofia): Наука и култура (Nauka i kultura).
  • Дончев (Donchev), Дончо (Doncho); Каракашев (Karakashev), Христо (Hristo) (2004). Теми по физическа и социално-икономическа география на България (Topics on Physical and Social-Economic Geography of Bulgaria) (in Bulgarian). София (Sofia): Ciela. ISBN 954-649-717-7.
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