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Sofia Valley
The Sofia Valley (Bulgarian: Софийска котловина, romanized: Sofiyska kotlovina), or Sofia Field (Bulgarian: Софийско поле, romanized: Sofiysko pole), is situated in central western Bulgaria. It is the second of the succession of the eleven Sub-Balkan valleys in direction west–east and is the largest of them in area and population. It is named after the city of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Strategically situated on major crossroads in the center of the Balkan Peninsula, the valley is an important national and international economic, transportation and cultural hub.
The valley is enclosed between the Chepan, Mala Planina, Sofia Mountain and Murgash divisions of the Balkan Mountains to the north–northeast, the mountain ranges of Viskyar, Lyulin and Vitosha to the southwest, the Lozen Mountain division of the Sredna Gora mountain range to the south and the Vakarel Mountain and Belitsa Ridge of Sredna Gora to the southeast. To the west the watershed between the rivers Gaberska and Slivnishka, as well as the Aldomirovtsi Heights, form the boundary with the Burel Valley, while to the east the low Negushevski Ridge separates it from the small Saranska Valley.
Within those boundaries the valley spans a territory of 1,180 km2, making it the largest of the Sub-Balkan valleys. It reaches a length of 75 km in direction northwest–southeast, while the width varies between 5 and 20 km. The average altitude is 550 m. The valley has hilly foothills and a wide flat part, the Sofia Field, where there are several low elevations protruding from the lowlands, such as Lozenets, Reduta, Baba, etc. The foothills of the valley rise up to 700 m asl and are more pronounced west of the river Iskar.
The valley floor lies over Cenozoic pyroclastites and Pliocene sediments overlain by diluvial and alluvial fans. It is filled with Pliocene sands and clays overlain by thick fluvial deposits and is marshy in many places. The morphological formation of the Sofia Basin is related to the development of the Sofia graben structure, bounded to the north and south by faults. During the Pliocene and the Quaternary, it was subjected to differentiated negative movements, the course of the river Iskar was obstructed, and the entire valley was transformed into a large lake. The lake disappeared after the river later made its way through the Balkan Mountains via the Iskar Gorge and created its present riverbed. As a result of the lake's long existence, thick sediments reaching 200–800 m have accumulated on the bottom of the drained valley. The slopes flanking the valley from the north are composed of Paleozoic shales, as well as Triassic and Jurassic sandstones, limestones and conglomerates. The slopes to the south are mainly composed of Upper Cretaceous pyroclastites west of the Iskar and Triassic sandstones and conglomerates east of the river.
The Sofia Valley falls within the temperate continental climatic zone. The average annual temperature is 9–10 °C, with an average January temperature of around –2 °C and an average July temperature of around 20 °C. The mean annual rainfall is 550–560 mm. The valley is prone to frequent temperature inversions and Foehn winds.
It is drained by the river Iskar, which flows through the valley in direction south–north, as well as several of its tributaries, mostly left, including the Vitoshka Bistritsa, the Perlovska with its own tributaries the Boyanska reka and the Vladayska reka, the Kakach and the Blato, as well as the right tributary the Lesnovska reka. Due to the low rainfall and the flat topography, the river discharge is low. The Sofia Valley is rich in mineral springs, such as those at Knyazhevo, Gorna Banya, Pancharevo, Bankya, Sofia, etc. There are also many small lakes and marshes.
Administratively, the valley is part of Sofia and Sofia City Provinces. One of the most densely populated regions in Bulgaria, the valley includes the national capital Sofia, the towns of Slivnitsa, Kostinbrod, Bozhurishte, Bankya and Novi Iskar to the west, Elin Pelin and Buhovo to the east, as well as numerous villages.
Strategically located in the center of the Balkan Peninsula, the Sofia Valley is a major national and international transportation hub, as well as the center of the Bulgarian road, railway and airway networks. It is the starting point of the Hemus motorway leading northeast to Varna, the Trakiya motorway, leading southeast to Burgas, the Struma motorway heading southwest to Greece, and the Europe motorway northwest to Serbia.
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Sofia Valley
The Sofia Valley (Bulgarian: Софийска котловина, romanized: Sofiyska kotlovina), or Sofia Field (Bulgarian: Софийско поле, romanized: Sofiysko pole), is situated in central western Bulgaria. It is the second of the succession of the eleven Sub-Balkan valleys in direction west–east and is the largest of them in area and population. It is named after the city of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Strategically situated on major crossroads in the center of the Balkan Peninsula, the valley is an important national and international economic, transportation and cultural hub.
The valley is enclosed between the Chepan, Mala Planina, Sofia Mountain and Murgash divisions of the Balkan Mountains to the north–northeast, the mountain ranges of Viskyar, Lyulin and Vitosha to the southwest, the Lozen Mountain division of the Sredna Gora mountain range to the south and the Vakarel Mountain and Belitsa Ridge of Sredna Gora to the southeast. To the west the watershed between the rivers Gaberska and Slivnishka, as well as the Aldomirovtsi Heights, form the boundary with the Burel Valley, while to the east the low Negushevski Ridge separates it from the small Saranska Valley.
Within those boundaries the valley spans a territory of 1,180 km2, making it the largest of the Sub-Balkan valleys. It reaches a length of 75 km in direction northwest–southeast, while the width varies between 5 and 20 km. The average altitude is 550 m. The valley has hilly foothills and a wide flat part, the Sofia Field, where there are several low elevations protruding from the lowlands, such as Lozenets, Reduta, Baba, etc. The foothills of the valley rise up to 700 m asl and are more pronounced west of the river Iskar.
The valley floor lies over Cenozoic pyroclastites and Pliocene sediments overlain by diluvial and alluvial fans. It is filled with Pliocene sands and clays overlain by thick fluvial deposits and is marshy in many places. The morphological formation of the Sofia Basin is related to the development of the Sofia graben structure, bounded to the north and south by faults. During the Pliocene and the Quaternary, it was subjected to differentiated negative movements, the course of the river Iskar was obstructed, and the entire valley was transformed into a large lake. The lake disappeared after the river later made its way through the Balkan Mountains via the Iskar Gorge and created its present riverbed. As a result of the lake's long existence, thick sediments reaching 200–800 m have accumulated on the bottom of the drained valley. The slopes flanking the valley from the north are composed of Paleozoic shales, as well as Triassic and Jurassic sandstones, limestones and conglomerates. The slopes to the south are mainly composed of Upper Cretaceous pyroclastites west of the Iskar and Triassic sandstones and conglomerates east of the river.
The Sofia Valley falls within the temperate continental climatic zone. The average annual temperature is 9–10 °C, with an average January temperature of around –2 °C and an average July temperature of around 20 °C. The mean annual rainfall is 550–560 mm. The valley is prone to frequent temperature inversions and Foehn winds.
It is drained by the river Iskar, which flows through the valley in direction south–north, as well as several of its tributaries, mostly left, including the Vitoshka Bistritsa, the Perlovska with its own tributaries the Boyanska reka and the Vladayska reka, the Kakach and the Blato, as well as the right tributary the Lesnovska reka. Due to the low rainfall and the flat topography, the river discharge is low. The Sofia Valley is rich in mineral springs, such as those at Knyazhevo, Gorna Banya, Pancharevo, Bankya, Sofia, etc. There are also many small lakes and marshes.
Administratively, the valley is part of Sofia and Sofia City Provinces. One of the most densely populated regions in Bulgaria, the valley includes the national capital Sofia, the towns of Slivnitsa, Kostinbrod, Bozhurishte, Bankya and Novi Iskar to the west, Elin Pelin and Buhovo to the east, as well as numerous villages.
Strategically located in the center of the Balkan Peninsula, the Sofia Valley is a major national and international transportation hub, as well as the center of the Bulgarian road, railway and airway networks. It is the starting point of the Hemus motorway leading northeast to Varna, the Trakiya motorway, leading southeast to Burgas, the Struma motorway heading southwest to Greece, and the Europe motorway northwest to Serbia.