Sofia Province
Encyclopedia
Sofia Province is a province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...

 (oblast
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...

) of Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , 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...

. The province does not include Sofia
Sofia
Sofia 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...

 in its territories, but Sofia however remains its administrative center. The province borders on the provinces of Pernik
Pernik Province
-Religion:Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:-Ethnic groups:Ethnic groups in the province according to 2001 census:145 642 Bulgarians ,3 035 Roma  and 1155 others and unspecified .-Economy:...

, Kyustendil
Kyustendil Province
-Religion:Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:-Language:Mother tongues in the province according to 2001 census:* 153,242 Bulgarian * 7,929 Roma  * 1363 others and unspecified -Ethnic groups:...

, Blagoevgrad
Blagoevgrad Province
Blagoevgrad Province , also known as Pirin Macedonia , is a province of southwestern Bulgaria. It borders four other Bulgarian provinces to the north and east, Greece to the south, and the Republic of Macedonia to the west. The province has 14 municipalities with 12 towns...

, Pazardzhik
Pazardzhik Province
Pazardzhik Province is a province in Southern Bulgaria, named after its administrative and industrial centre - the town of Pazardzhik. It embraces a territory of 4,456.9 km² that is divided into 11 municipalities with a total population of 290,614 inhabitants, as of December 2009.-History:The...

, Plovdiv
Plovdiv Province
Plovdiv Province is a province in central southern Bulgaria. It comprises 18 municipalities on a territory of 5,972.9 km² with a total population, as of December 2009, of 701,684 inhabitants...

, Lovech
Lovech Province
Lovech Province is one of the 28 provinces of Bulgaria, lying at the northern centre of the country. It is named after its main city - Lovech. As of December 2009, the population of the area is 151,153.-Municipalities:...

, Vratsa
Vratsa Province
Vratsa Province , former name Vratsa okrug) is a Bulgarian province located in the northwestern part of the country, between Danube river in the north and Stara Planina mountain in the south. It is named after its main town - Vratsa...

, Montana
Montana Province
Montana Province is a province in northwestern Bulgaria, bordering Serbia in the southwest and Romania in the north. It spreads its area between the Danube river and Balkan mountain. As of February 2011, the province has a population of 148,098 inhabitants, on territory of 3,635.5 km²...

 and "Sofia
Sofia
Sofia 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...

-Capital" (which is in a separate oblast, see Sofia Administration), to the northwest there is border with Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

.

The province has a territory of 7 059 km² and has 254,996 inhabitants. The land is predominantly mountainous. To the north are the southern slopes of the Balkan Mountains
Balkan Mountains
The Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea...

 and to the south rises Rila
Rila
Rila is a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria and the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans, with its highest peak being Musala at 2,925 m...

 with the highest point in the peninsular Musala
Musala
Musala is the highest peak in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula, standing at 2,925 m . The summit of the Rila mountain in southwestern Bulgaria, Musala is the highest peak between the Alps and the Caucasus and the highest in Eastern Europe bar the Caucasus.Between 1949–1962 the peak was...

. There are also several smaller mountains and spacious valleys. One of the most important ski resorts in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , 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...

, Borovets
Borovets
Borovets , known as Chamkoria until the middle of the 20th century, is a popular Bulgarian mountain resort situated in Sofia Province, on the northern slopes of Rila, at an altitude of 1350 m...

, is located here close to Samokov
Samokov
Samokov is a town in Sofia Province in the southwest of Bulgaria. It is situated in a kettle between the mountains Rila and Vitosha, 55 kilometres from the capital Sofia...

.

Industry is well developed. Mining and ferrous metallurgy are the backbone of the economy with the largest copper refinery in South Eastern Europe in Pirdop
Pirdop
Pirdop is a town located in South-West Bulgaria of Sofia Province in the southeastern part of the Zlatitsa - Pirdop Valley at 670 m above sea level. It is surrounded by the Balkan Range to the north, Sredna Gora Mountain to the south, and Koznitsa and Galabets saddles to the east and west,...

 and important copper mines at Chelopech
Chelopech
Chelopech is a village in the western part of Bulgaria. It is the only village in the Chelopech Municipality, Sofia Province.- Geographical outline :...

 and Etropole
Etropole
Etropole is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is located close to the northern slopes of the Balkan Mountains in the valley of the Malki Iskar from Sofia.-History:...

. Machinery is well developed in Botevgrad
Botevgrad
Botevgrad ; pre-1866: Samundzhievo ), is a town in western Bulgaria. It is located in Sofia Province and is close to Pravets. Botevgrad is situated at a 47-km-distance from Sofia.-Geography:...

 (buses, car components, electronics), Pravets
Pravets
Pravets is a town in central western Bulgaria, located approximately 60 km from the capital Sofia.Pravets has a population of 4,512 people. Mountains surround it, which allows for a mild climate with rare winds. In the outskirts there is a small lake used for fishing and recreation...

 (computers), Etropole
Etropole
Etropole is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is located close to the northern slopes of the Balkan Mountains in the valley of the Malki Iskar from Sofia.-History:...

, Samokov
Samokov
Samokov is a town in Sofia Province in the southwest of Bulgaria. It is situated in a kettle between the mountains Rila and Vitosha, 55 kilometres from the capital Sofia...

, Elin Pelin
Elin Pelin (town)
Elin Pelin , previously known as Novoseltsi , is a town in central western Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of Elin Pelin municipality, located in central Sofia Province...

, Ihtiman
Ihtiman
Ihtiman is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is located in the Ihtimanska Sredna Gora mountains and lies in a valley 48 km from Sofia and 95 km from Plovdiv, close to Trakiya motorway....

, Slivnitsa
Slivnitsa
Slivnitsa is a town in western Bulgaria, 22 km away from Sofia, lying on the main road connecting the capital with the Bulgarian-Serbian border...

, Godech
Godech
Godech is a small town located in the Sofia Province, of Bulgaria. The town is founded in a valley on the far west of Stara Planina, where the Nishava River passes. The settllment is about 20 km east of the Serbian border and has its highest peak Kom to the north. Godech is officially a...

. The centre of food and sugar industry is Svoge
Svoge
Svogue is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is located in the gorge of the Iskar River, at the place where the mountains Mala planina, Golema planina and Ponor meet, 40 km north of the capital Sofia....

. This is also the birthplace of bass/baritone opera singer and musician Boris Damianov.

Municipalities

The Sofia province (Област, oblast) contains 22 municipalities (singular: oбщина, obshtina - plural: Общини, obshtini). The following table shows the names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic, the main town (in bold) or village, and the population of each as of 2009.
Municipality Cyrillic Pop. Town/Village Pop.
Anton
Anton Municipality
Anton Municipality is located in Sofia Province, Bulgaria. The administrative centre is in Anton, Bulgaria-External links:*...

Антон 1,650 Anton
Anton, Bulgaria
Anton is a village in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is the administrative centre of Anton Municipality, which lies in the easternmost part of Sofia Province. Anton is situated in the Zlatitsa–Pirdop Valley, 80 kilometres east of the capital Sofia...

1,650
Botevgrad Ботевград 36,183 Botevgrad
Botevgrad
Botevgrad ; pre-1866: Samundzhievo ), is a town in western Bulgaria. It is located in Sofia Province and is close to Pravets. Botevgrad is situated at a 47-km-distance from Sofia.-Geography:...

23,694
Bozhurishte Божурище 6,735 Bozhurishte
Bozhurishte
Bozhurishte is a town in western Bulgaria. It is the administrative center of Bozhurishte Municipality in Sofia Province; close to Kostinbrod and the capital Sofia. The old airport of Sofia, now a military one, is near the town. Bozhurishte was first mentioned in 1750...

4,829
Chavdar Чавдар 1,252 Chavdar
Chavdar, Sofia Province
Chavdar is a village in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is the administrative centre of Chavdar municipality, which lies in the easternmost part of Sofia Province. Chavdar is situated in the Zlatitsa–Pirdop Valley, 80 kilometres east of the capital Sofia, at the foot of the...

1,252
Chelopech Челопеч 1,571 Chelopech
Chelopech
Chelopech is a village in the western part of Bulgaria. It is the only village in the Chelopech Municipality, Sofia Province.- Geographical outline :...

1,571
Dolna Banya Долна баня 4,917 Dolna Banya
Dolna banya
Dolna Banya, also Dolna Banja or Dolna Bania is a town located in Sofia Province in southwestern Bulgaria. 75 km from Sofia and Plovdiv, Dolna Banya is located by the north-eastern slopes of the Rila Mountains, 18 and 30 km respectively from the ski resorts of Borovets and Samokov...

4,917
Dragoman Драгоман 5,373 Dragoman
Dragoman, Bulgaria
Dragoman is a small town in the Sofia Province, western Bulgaria. The town is located very close to the border with Serbia. the population is 3,522.-Honour:Dragoman Glacier on Smith Island, South Shetland Islands is named after Dragoman....

3,541
Elin Pelin Елин Пелин 22,015 Elin Pelin
Elin Pelin (town)
Elin Pelin , previously known as Novoseltsi , is a town in central western Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of Elin Pelin municipality, located in central Sofia Province...

7,293
Etropole Етрополе 13,773 Etropole
Etropole
Etropole is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is located close to the northern slopes of the Balkan Mountains in the valley of the Malki Iskar from Sofia.-History:...

12,078
Godech Годеч 5,670 Godech
Godech
Godech is a small town located in the Sofia Province, of Bulgaria. The town is founded in a valley on the far west of Stara Planina, where the Nishava River passes. The settllment is about 20 km east of the Serbian border and has its highest peak Kom to the north. Godech is officially a...

4,783
Gorna Malina Горна Малина 5,668 Gorna Malina
Gorna Malina
Gorna Malina is a village in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is the administrative centre of Gorna Malina municipality, which lies in the central eastern part of Sofia Province, 20-30 kilometres east of Sofia...

1,357
Ihtiman Ихтиман 18,903 Ihtiman
Ihtiman
Ihtiman is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is located in the Ihtimanska Sredna Gora mountains and lies in a valley 48 km from Sofia and 95 km from Plovdiv, close to Trakiya motorway....

14,571
Koprivshtitsa Копривщица 2,547 Koprivshtitsa
Koprivshtitsa
Koprivshtitsa is a historic town in Sofia Province, central Bulgaria, lying on the Topolnitsa River among the Sredna Gora mountains. It was one of the centres of the April Uprising in 1876 and is known for its authentic Bulgarian architecture and for its folk music festivals, making it a very...

2,547
Kostenets
Kostenets municipality
The Kostenets municipality is one of the 22 municipalities of the Sofia Province, Bulgaria. Its territory is 302 km² and has 14,154 inhabitants as of 2009. It encompasses the Valley of Gorna Banya, along the upper flow of the Maritsa river, surrounded by Rila to the south and Sredna Gora to the...

Костенец 14,154 Kostenets
Kostenets
Kostenets is a village in the Sofia Province southwestern Bulgaria, located in the Kostenets Municipality . As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 4,201...

7,762
Kostinbrod Костинброд 16,145 Kostinbrod
Kostinbrod
Kostinbrod is a town in western Bulgaria. It is located 15 km west of the capital city of Sofia. It is located on two important transport corridors: Lom — Sofia — Thessaloniki and Sofia — Belgrade...

11,523
Mirkovo Мирково 2,534 Mirkovo
Mirkovo
Mirkovo is a village in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is the administrative centre of Mirkovo municipality, which lies in the central eastern part of Sofia Province...

1,707
Pirdop Пирдоп 9,217 Pirdop
Pirdop
Pirdop is a town located in South-West Bulgaria of Sofia Province in the southeastern part of the Zlatitsa - Pirdop Valley at 670 m above sea level. It is surrounded by the Balkan Range to the north, Sredna Gora Mountain to the south, and Koznitsa and Galabets saddles to the east and west,...

8,361
Pravets Правец 7,919 Pravets
Pravets
Pravets is a town in central western Bulgaria, located approximately 60 km from the capital Sofia.Pravets has a population of 4,512 people. Mountains surround it, which allows for a mild climate with rare winds. In the outskirts there is a small lake used for fishing and recreation...

4,440
Samokov Самоков 41,544 Samokov
Samokov
Samokov is a town in Sofia Province in the southwest of Bulgaria. It is situated in a kettle between the mountains Rila and Vitosha, 55 kilometres from the capital Sofia...

30,085
Slivnitsa Сливница 9,511 Slivnitsa
Slivnitsa
Slivnitsa is a town in western Bulgaria, 22 km away from Sofia, lying on the main road connecting the capital with the Bulgarian-Serbian border...

7,790
Svoge Своге 22,557 Svoge
Svoge
Svogue is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is located in the gorge of the Iskar River, at the place where the mountains Mala planina, Golema planina and Ponor meet, 40 km north of the capital Sofia....

8,741
Zlatitsa Златица 6,274 Zlatitsa
Zlatitsa
Zlatitsa is a town in southern Bulgaria located in the Zlatitsa-Pirdop valley, between Stara Planina to the north and Sredna Gora to the south at 680 meters above the sea level. It is situated immediately south in the lap of the Zlatitsa -Teteven Mountain...

5,529

Demography

The following table represents the change of the population in the province after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

:
The province had a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 273 252 (also given as 273,240) according to a 2001 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, of which were male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...

 and were female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...

.

Religion

Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:
Census 2001
religious adherence population %
Orthodox Christians 261 996
Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

s
3 368
Roman Catholics 186
Protestants
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...

2 320
Other 1027
Religion not mentioned 4 343
total 273,240 100%

Ethnic groups

Ethnic groups in the province according to 2001 census:

253 536 Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...

 ,

16 748 Roma (Gypsy) 
and 2956 others and unspecified .

See also

  • Provinces of Bulgaria
    Provinces of Bulgaria
    Since 1999, Bulgaria has been divided into 28 provinces which correspond approximately to the 28 districts that existed before 1987. In 1987, during the Communist regime of Todor Zhivkov, the districts were consolidated into nine larger provinces , which survived until 1999.Each province is named...

  • Municipalities of Bulgaria
    Municipalities of Bulgaria
    The 28 provinces of Bulgaria are divided into 264 municipalities .-Blagoevgrad Province:# Bansko Municipality # Belitsa Municipality # Blagoevgrad Municipality...

  • List of cities and towns in Bulgaria
  • List of villages in Sofia Province
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