Kardzhali

Kardzhali (Bulgarian: Кърджали, Turkish: Kırcaali; sometimes spelt Kardzali or Kurdzhali) is a town in the Eastern Rhodopes in Bulgaria, centre of Kardzhali Municipality and Kardzhali Province. The noted Kardzhali Dam is located nearby.

Name

Named after the 14th-century Ottoman conqueror Kırca Ali, from the Turkish name Kirca and the Arabic name Ali, derived from an Arabic root which means "high" or "Elevated".

Geography

Kardzhali is located in the low eastern part of Rhodope Mountains, on both banks of the river Arda between the Kardzhali Reservoir to the west and the Studen Kladenets Reservoir to the east. The town is 260 km (162 mi) southeast of Sofia. It has a crossroad position from Thrace to the Aegean Sea — part of European transportation route 9, via the Makaza mountain pass.

Climate

Kardzhali has a Humid subtropical climate (Cfa) according to the (Köppen Climate Classification). It is mainly dry all year round with the wettest month being December with just ten days of rainfall. The city has hot summers and cold winters.

Kardzhali Province

Coordinates: 41°39′N 25°22′E / 41.650°N 25.367°E / 41.650; 25.367

Kardzhali Province (Bulgarian: Област Кърджали, Oblast Kardzhali) is a province of southern Bulgaria, neighbouring Greece with the Greek regional units of Xanthi, Rhodope and Evros to the south and east. Kardzhali Province area is 3209.1 km². Its main city is Kardzhali.

History

The territory of Kardzhali province was acquired by Bulgaria during the First Balkan War in 1912. In 1913 the region was organized as the district (окръг, okrag in Bulgarian) of Mestanli. This district was part of Stara Zagora province from 1934 until 1949, then it was transferred to the newly formed Haskovo district. In 1959 Kardzhali became the center of a new district with similar borders to the current province. Between 1987 and 1999, the region was part of Haskovo Province, after which it was restored, now as a province and with slightly changed borders.

Municipalities

The Kardzhali province (област, oblast) contains seven 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 as of 2009.