List of rivers of Bulgaria
![](http://up.wiki.x.io/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Bulgaria_map_drainage_divide_and_river_bassins.svg/600px-Bulgaria_map_drainage_divide_and_river_bassins.svg.png)
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
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.
Overview
[edit]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
[edit]Danube Drainage
[edit]- Danube (MS)
- (outside Bulgaria) Great Morava (R)
- (outside Bulgaria) South Morava (L)
- Nišava (R)
- Gaberska reka (L)
- Erma (L)
- (outside Bulgaria) Temštica (R)
- Visochitsa (R)
- Nišava (R)
- (outside Bulgaria) South Morava (L)
- Timok (R)
- Topolovets (R)
- Rabrovska reka (L)
- Deleynska reka (L)
- Voynishka reka (R)
- Vidbol (R)
- Archar (R)
- Salashka reka (R)
- Skomlya (R)
- Lom (R)
- Stakevska reka (L)
- Chuprenska reka (R)
- Nechinska bara (L)
- Stakevska reka (L)
- Tsibritsa (R)
- Tsibar (L)
- Dushilnitsa (L)
- Ogosta (R)
- Iskar (R)
- Cherni Iskar (L)
- Beli Iskar (R)
- Musalenska Bistritsa (R)
- Palakaria (L)
- Shipochanitsa (R)
- Zheleznishka reka (L)
- Vitoshka Bistritsa (L)
- Perlovska (L)
- Boyanska reka (L)
- Vladaya (L)
- Lesnovska reka (R)
- Kakach (L)
- Blato (L)
- Batuliyska reka (R)
- Iskretska reka (L)
- Gabrovnitsa (R)
- Malki Iskar (R)
- Bebresh (L)
- Zlatna Panega (R)
- Gostilya (L)
- Vit (R)
- Cherni Vit (L)
- Beli Vit (R)
- Kalnik (R)
- Kamenitsa (R)
- Chernyalka (R)
- Tuchenitsa (R)
- Osam (R)
- Beli Osam (L)
- Cherni Osam (R)
- Komanska reka (L)
- Suha reka (L)
- Shavarna (L)
- Lomya (R)
- Barata (R)
- Yantra (R)
- Belitsa (R)
- Dryanovska reka (L)
- Stara reka (R)
- Golyama reka (R)
- Veselina (L)
- Zlatarishka reka (R)
- Rositsa (L)
- Eliyska reka (L)
- Studena (L)
- Belitsa (R)
- Rusenski Lom (R)
- Cherni Lom (L)
- Baniski Lom (L)
- Beli Lom (R)
- Hlebarovska reka (R)
- Malki Lom (R)
- Cherni Lom (L)
- Topchiyska reka (R)
- Tsaratsar (R)
- Senkovets (R)
- Kanagyol (R)
- Harsovska reka (R)
- Suha reka (R)
- Karamandere (L)
- Dobrichka reka (R)
- (outside Bulgaria) Great Morava (R)
Black Sea Coast
[edit]- Shablenska reka (Ms)
- Batova (Ms)
- Provadiya (Ms)
- Matnishka reka (R)
- Kriva reka (L)
- Devnya (L)
- Kamchiya (Ms)
- Golyama Kamchiya (L)
- Eleshnitsa (R)
- Vrana (L)
- Poroyna (L)
- Stara reka (L)
- Brestova reka (R)
- Luda Kamchiya (R)
- Kotlenska reka (L)
- Medvenska reka (L)
- Eleshnitsa (R)
- Golyama Kamchiya (L)
- Dvoynitsa (Ms)
- Hadzhiyska reka (Ms)
- Aheloy (Ms)
- Aytoska reka (Ms)
- Chukarska reka (Ms)
- Rusokastrenska reka (Ms)
- Sredetska reka (Ms)
- Fakiyska reka (Ms)
- Izvorska reka (Ms)
- Ropotamo (Ms)
- Dyavolska reka (Ms)
- Karaagach (Ms)
- Veleka (Ms)
- Mladezhka reka (L)
- Rezovo (Ms)
Aegean Sea Drainage
[edit]- Maritsa (Ms)
- Ibar (R)
- Yadenitsa (R)
- Chepinska reka (R)
- Matnitsa (R)
- Topolnitsa (L)
- Bunovska reka (R)
- Mativir (R)
- Luda Yana (L)
- Stara reka (R)
- Vacha (R)
- Shirokolashka (R)
- Devinska reka (L)
- Gashnya (L)
- Potoka (L)
- Parvenetska reka (R)
- Pyasachnik (L)
- Chepelare (R)
- Yugovska reka (R)
- Sushitsa (R)
- Yugovska reka (R)
- Stryama (R)
- Byala reka (L)
- Srebra (L)
- Cherkezitsa (R)
- Brezovska reka (L)
- Omurovska reka (L)
- Mechka (R)
- Tekirska reka (L)
- Kayaliyka (R)
- Starata reka (L)
- Banska (R)
- Merichlerska reka (L)
- Martinka (L)
- Arpadere (L)
- Sazliyka (L)
- Blatnitsa (L)
- Ovcharitsa (L)
- Sokolitsa (L)
- Harmanliyska reka (R)
- Haskovska reka (L)
- Biserska reka (R)
- Golyama reka (L)
- Levchenska reka (L)
- Arda (R)
- Cherna (L)
- Malka Arda (L)
- Borovitsa (L)
- Varbitsa (R)
- Perperek (L)
- Krumovitsa (R)
- Aterenska reka (R)
- Tundzha (L)
- Tazha (L)
- Maglizhka reka (L)
- Asenovska reka (L)
- Mochuritsa (L)
- Popovska reka (L)
- Krushevska reka (R)
- Arapliyska reka (L)
- Boyalashka reka (R)
- Sinapovska reka (R)
- Kalnitsa (L)
- Luda reka (R)
- Byala Reka (L)
- Mesta (Ms)
- Cherna Mesta (L)
- Byala Mesta (R)
- Iztok (R)
- Glazne (R)
- Banderitsa (L)
- Demyanitsa (R)
- Glazne (R)
- Disilitsa (R)
- Retizhe (R)
- Kanina (L)
- Vishteritsa (R)
- Chechka Bistritsa (L)
- Dospat (L)
- Struma (Ms)
- Konska reka (R)
- Arkata (L)
- Treklyanska reka (R)
- Dragovishtitsa (R)
- Sovolyanska Bistritsa (R)
- Eleshnitsa (R)
- Dzherman (L)
- Rilska River (L)
- Blagoevgradska Bistritsa (L)
- Gradevska reka (L)
- Vlahina reka (L)
- Lebnitsa (R)
- Sandanska Bistritsa (L)
- Strumeshnitsa (R)
- Melnishka reka (L)
- Pirinska Bistritsa (L)
See also
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Donchev & Karakashev 2004, p. 68
- ^ Donchev & Karakashev 2004, pp. 68–70
- ^ a b c "Hydrology of Bulgaria". Topics of Geography of Bulgaria. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ a b c Donchev & Karakashev 2004, p. 69
References
[edit]- 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.