Plovdiv (Bulgarian: Пловдив) is the second-largest city in Bulgaria with a population of 341,567 inhabitants as of 2015, while 544,628 live in its urban area. It is an important economic, transport, cultural, and educational center.
Plovdiv has evidence of habitation since the 6th millennium BC when the first Neolithic settlements were established. The city is continuously inhabited since 4000 BC ranking it among world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Plovdiv was known in the West for most of its recorded history by the name Philippopolis (Greek: Φιλιππούπολη; Turkish: Filibe; "Philip's Town") as Philip II of Macedon conquered it in the 4th century BC and gave his name to it. The city was originally a Thracian settlement, later being invaded by Persians, Greeks, Celts, Romans, Goths, Huns, Bulgarians, Slav-Vikings, Crusaders and Turks. On January 4th, 1878, Plovdiv was liberated from Ottoman rule by the Russian army. It remained within the borders of Bulgaria until July of the same year, when it became the capital of the autonomous Ottoman region of Eastern Rumelia. In 1885, Plovdiv and Eastern Rumelia joined Bulgaria.
Plovdiv is situated in a fertile region of south-central Bulgaria on the two banks of the Maritsa River. The city has historically developed on seven syenite hills, some of which are 820 feet (249.94 meters) high. Because of these hills, Plovdiv is often referred to in Bulgaria as "The City of the Seven Hills".
Plovdiv is host to cultural events such as the International Fair Plovdiv, the international theatrical festival "A stage on a crossroad", and the TV festival "The golden chest". There are many remains preserved from antiquity such as the ancient Plovdiv Roman theatre, Roman odeon, Roman aqueduct, Roman Stadium, the archaeological complex Eirene, and others.
The oldest American educational institution outside the United States was founded in Plovdiv in 1860, which was later moved to Sofia – today's American College of Sofia.
Geography[]
Plovdiv is on the banks of the Maritsa river, southeast of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. The city is in the southern part of the Plain of Plovdiv, an alluvial plain forming the western portion of the Upper Thracian Plain. The heights of Sredna Gora rise to the northwest, to the east are the Chirpan Heights, and the Rhodope mountains surround the plain from the south. The city had originally developed to the south of Maritsa, and expanded across the river only within the last 100 years. Modern Plovdiv covers an area of 39 square miles (101.01 km2), which is less than 0.1% of Bulgaria's total area. This makes Plovdiv the most densely populated city in the country with 3,769 inhabitants per km².
Inside the city proper are six syenite hills,. In the beginning of the 20th century, there used to be seven of them, but one (Markovo tepe) was destroyed. Three of them are called the Three Hills (Bulgarian: Трихълмие Trihalmie), the others are called the Hill of the Youth (Bulgarian: Младежки хълм, Mladezhki halm), the Hill of the Liberators (Bulgarian: Хълм на освободителите, Halm na osvoboditelite) and the Hill of Danov (Bulgarian: Данов хълм, Danov halm).
Climate[]
Plovdiv has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with considerable humid continental influences. There are four distinct seasons, with large temperature jumps between seasons being common.
Summer (mid May to late September) is hot, moderately dry, and sunny with a July and August maximum average of 31 °C (88 °F). Plovdiv sometimes experiences very hot days which are typical in the interior of the country. Summer nights are mild.
Autumn starts in late September; days are long and relatively warm in early autumn. The nights become chilly by September. The first frost occurs on average by November.
Winter is normally cold and snow is common. The average number of days with snow cover in Plovdiv is 33. The average depth of snow cover is 2 to 4 cm (1 to 2 in) and the maximum is normally 6 to 13 cm (2 to 5 in), but in some winters it can reach 70 cm (28 in) or more. Average January temperature is −0.4 °C (31 °F).
Spring arrives in March but that season is cooler than autumn. The frost season ends in March or in April at the latest. The days are mild and relatively warm in mid spring.
The average relative humidity is 73%, being highest in December, with 86%, and lowest in August, with 62%. The total precipitation is 540 mm (21.26 in) and is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest months of the year are May and June, with an average precipitation of 66.2 mm (2.61 in), while the driest month is August, with an average precipitation of 31 mm (1.22 in).
Gentle winds (0 to 5 m/s) are predominant in the city with wind speeds of up to 1 m/s, representing 95% of all winds during the year. Mists are common in the cooler months, especially along the banks of the Maritsa. On average there are 33 days with mist during the year.
Sister/Twin Cities[]
Columbia, America
Jeddah, Arabia
Loyang, People's Republic of China
Brno, Czechia- Kastoria, Greece
- Thessaloniki, Greece
- Rome, Italy
- Okayama, West Japan
- Petra, Jordan
- Daegu, Korea
- Kumanovo, Мacedonia
- Ohrid, Macedonia
- Suriago City, Philippines
- Poznań, Poland
- Košice, Slovakia
- Gyumri, Soviet Union
- Ivanovo, Soviet Union
- Kutasi, Soviet Union
- Leningrad, Soviet Union
- Bursa, Turkey
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Valencia, Venezuela
- Gornji Milanovac, Yugoslavia
- Leskovac, Yugoslavia
