Upper Thracian Plain

The Upper Thracian Plain ( _bg. Горнотракийска низина, "Gornotrakiyska nizina") constitutes the northern part of the historical region of Thrace. It is located in southern Bulgaria, between the Sredna Gora mountains to the north and west; the Rhodopes, Sakar and Strandzha to the south; and the Black Sea to the east. A fertile agricultural region, the Upper Thracian Plain proper has an area of 6,032 km² and an average elevation of 168 m.

The plain is part of North Thrace or Northern Thrace (Северна Тракия, "Severna Trakiya") (as opposed to Western Thrace and Eastern Thrace to the south), which refers to the whole of southern (sub-Balkan) Bulgaria east of the Mesta River and Sredna Gora (thus also including hilly or mountainous terrain).

The climate is transitional continental. The highest temperature recorded in Bulgaria occurred here: it was 45.2 °C at Sadovo in 1916. The precipitation is 550 mm a year. Important rivers are the Maritsa and its tributaries, the Tundzha, the Stryama, the Topolnitsa, and the Vacha.

Important cities include Plovdiv, Burgas, Stara Zagora, Pazardzhik, Asenovgrad, Haskovo, Yambol and Sliven.

References

* cite book
last = Collective
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 2002
title = Balgarska entsiklopediya A-YA
publisher = IK Trud
location = Sofia