Nova Zagora is a town located in the southeastern plains of
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
in
Sliven ProvinceSliven Province is a province in southeastern Bulgaria, named after its administrative and industrial centre - the city of Sliven. It embraces a territory of 3,544.1 km² that is divided into 4 municipalities, with a total population, as of December 2009, of 204,887...
. It is the administrative centre of Nova Zagora Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 23,625 inhabitants , while the entire municipality (including surrounding villages) has a population of 45,111.
The first traces of life in the region date back thousands of years. Many archeological sites are located in the region, showing settlements dating back to the Stone Age and the Stone-Copper age (Eneolithic). The most prominent archeological site is in the nearby village of Karanovo. The
Nova Zagora Historical Museum has many historically significant artifacts dating back to this era.
The region is very fertile, growing a wide range of produce including grapes, sunflowers and cereals. The municipality has a manufacturing base including machine tools producer ZMM Ltd., agriculture equipment maker Perla Ltd., and textile manufacturer Miroglio Ltd.
Nova Zagora is located on the main
SofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
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PlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
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Burgas-History:During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Debeltum was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called Pyrgos was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower...
railroad, as well as the Trakia Highway that runs from Sofia to Burgas. It is 35 km east of
Stara ZagoraStara Zagora is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria, and a nationally important economic center. Located in Southern Bulgaria, it is the administrative capital of the homonymous Stara Zagora Province...
and 30 km west of
SlivenSliven is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality. It is a relatively large town with 89,848 inhabitants, as of February 2011....
. The
Nova Zagora Municipality is part of the Sliven administrative district.
Nova Zagora has Roma (Gypsy) and
TurkishTurkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
minority. Official estimates indicate that approximately 12 percent of the population is from these ethnic minorities, while unofficial estimates are higher. The town suffers from high levels of unemployment (estimated at 23 percent), and the population has been declining.
The climate is mild, with the average winter temperature at 1.2 degrees Celsius, and the average August temperature of 23.5 degrees.
The town has a variety of sports facilities, including tennis, a soccer and athletics stadium, karate and there is also a football (soccer) team called
Zagorets Nova ZagoraOFC Zagorets is a Bulgarian football club from the town of Nova Zagora, currently playing in the Bulgarian South-East V AFG, the third division of Bulgarian football.- Current squad :As of October 20, 2011...
.