Vidin Province
Vidin Province
Област Видин | |
---|---|
Country | Bulgaria |
Capital | Vidin |
Municipalities | 11 |
Area | |
• Total | 3,032.9 km (1,171.0 sq mi) |
Population (2023) | |
• Total | 71,773 |
• Density | 24/km (61/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
License plate | BH |
Vidin Province (Bulgarian: Област Видин) is the northwesternmost province of Bulgaria. It borders Serbia to the west and Romania to the northeast, and its administrative centre is the city of Vidin on the Danube river. The area is divided into 11 municipalities. As of 2023, the province had a population of 72,754.
There are remains of many castles, including Baba Vida, one of the last Bulgarian strongholds during the Ottoman invasion and the Belogradchik fortress.
Municipalities
The Vidin Province contains 11 municipalities (singular: община, 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 of each as of December 2009.
Municipality | Cyrillic | Pop. | Town/Village | Pop. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Belogradchik | Белоградчик | 7,045 | Belogradchik | 5,334 |
Boynitsa | Бойница | 1,717 | Boynitsa | 595 |
Bregovo | Брегово | 6,168 | Bregovo | 2,592 |
Vidin | Видин | 66,126 | Vidin | 49,471 |
Gramada | Грамада | 2,384 | Gramada | 1,647 |
Dimovo | Димово | 7,175 | Dimovo | 1,211 |
Kula | Кула | 4,958 | Kula | 3,287 |
Makresh | Макреш | 1,938 | Makresh | 473 |
Novo Selo | Ново Село | 3,381 | Novo Selo | 1,144 |
Ruzhintsi | Ружинци | 4,890 | Ruzhintsi | 915 |
Chuprene | Чупрене | 2,285 | Chuprene | 576 |
Geography
The territory of the province includes the most western parts of the Danubian Plain and Stara Planina, while the Danube forms the border with Romania. The slopes of Stara Planina are covered with dense forests, lush meadows and boasts the majestic rock phenomena, the Belogradchik Rocks. There are around 80 caves situated close to the border with Serbia, the most famous being the Magura Cave, which known with its cave painting from 10,000 BC. There is also a lake in the proximity of the cave.
Demographics
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1946 | 194,007 | — |
1956 | 188,518 | −2.8% |
1965 | 179,429 | −4.8% |
1975 | 176,761 | −1.5% |
1985 | 166,680 | −5.7% |
1992 | 151,636 | −9.0% |
2001 | 130,074 | −14.2% |
2011 | 101,018 | −22.3% |
2021 | 75,408 | −25.4% |
Source: pop-stat.mashke.org |
The Vidin province had a population of 130,074 according to a 2001 census, of which 48.4% were male and 51.6% were female.
As of the end of 2009, the population of the province, announced by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, numbered 108,067 of which 32.6% are inhabitants aged over 60 years.
Vidin is the oldest province in Bulgaria, with 28.9% of its population 65 years or older at the end of 2016. There is a big difference between the percentage elderly living in urban and rural areas: in urban areas 21.1% of the population is 65 years or older while that percentage is 42.8% in rural areas. The percentage of children up to 15 years is 13.5% in urban areas and only 9.8% in rural areas.
Ethnic groups
Total population (2011 census): 101 018
Ethnic groups (2011 census): Identified themselves: 95 126 persons:
- Bulgarians: 86 802 (91,25%)
- Romani: 7 282 (7,66%)
- Others and indefinable: 1 042 ( 1,10 % )
Religion
Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:
Census 2001 | ||
---|---|---|
religious adherence | population | % |
Orthodox Christians | 125,063 | 96.15% |
Protestants | 397 | 0.31% |
Roman Catholics | 143 | 0.11% |
Muslims | 139 | 0.11% |
Other | 602 | 0.46% |
Religion not mentioned | 3,730 | 2.87% |
total | 130,074 | 100% |
Towns and villages
The place names in bold have the status of town (in Bulgarian: град, transliterated as grad). Other localities have the status of village (in Bulgarian: село, transliterated as selo). The names of localities are transliterated in Latin alphabet followed in parentheses by the original name in Bulgarian Cyrillic alphabet (which links to the corresponding Bulgarian Wikipedia article).
The Belogradchik municipality has one town (in bold) and 17 villages:
- Belogradchik (Белоградчик)
- Borovitsa (Боровица)
- Veshtitsa (Вещица)
- Varba (Върба)
- Granitovo (Гранитово)
- Granichak (Граничак)
- Dabravka (Дъбравка)
- Krachimir (Крачимир)
- Oshane (Ошане)
- Prauzhda (Праужда)
- Prolaznitsa (Пролазница)
- Rabisha (Рабиша)
- Rayanovtsi (Раяновци)
- Salash (Салаш)
- Slivovnik (Сливовник)
- Stakevtsi (Стакевци)
- Struindol (Струиндол)
- Chiflik (Чифлик)
The Boynitsa municipality has 9 villages:
The Bregovo municipality has one town (in bold) and 9 villages:
The Vidin municipality has two towns (in bold) and 33 villages:
- Akatsievo (Акациево)
- Antimovo (Антимово)
- Bela Rada (Бела Рада)
- Botevo (Ботево)
- Bukovets (Буковец)
- Vidin (Видин)
- Voinitsa (Войница)
- Vartop (Въртоп)
- Gaytantsi (Гайтанци)
- General Marinovo (Генерал Мариново)
- Gomotartsi (Гомотарци)
- Gradets (Градец)
- Dinkovitsa (Динковица)
- Dolni Boshnyak (Долни Бошняк)
- Druzhba (Дружба)
- Dunavtsi (Дунавци)
- Zheglitsa (Жеглица)
- Ivanovtsi (Ивановци)
- Inovo (Иново)
- Kalenik (Каленик)
- Kapitanovtsi (Капитановци)
- Koshava (Кошава)
- Kutovo (Кутово)
- Mayor Uzunovo (Майор Узуново)
- Novoseltsi (Новоселци)
- Peshakovo (Пешаково)
- Plakuder (Плакудер)
- Pokrayna (Покрайна)
- Ruptsi (Рупци)
- Tsar Simeonovo (Цар Симеоново)
- Sinagovtsi (Синаговци)
- Slana bara (Слана бара)
- Slanotran (Сланотрън)
- Tarnyane (Търняне)
The Gramada municipality has one town (in bold) and 7 villages:
The Dimovo municipality has one town (in bold) and 22 villages:
- Archar (Арчар)
- Bela (Бела)
- Vladichentsi (Владиченци)
- Vodnyantsi (Воднянци)
- Varbovchets (Върбовчец)
- Oreshets (Орешец)
- Dimovo (Димово)
- Dalgo pole (Дълго поле)
- Darzhanitsa (Държаница)
- Izvor (Извор)
- Karbintsi (Карбинци)
- Kladorub (Кладоруб)
- Kostichovtsi (Костичовци)
- Lagoshevtsi (Лагошевци)
- Mali Drenovets (Мали Дреновец)
- Medovnitsa (Медовница)
- Gara Oreshets (Гара Орешец)
- Ostrokaptsi (Острокапци)
- Septemvriytsi (Септемврийци)
- Smolya (Скомля)
- Shipot (Шипот)
- Yanyovets (Яньовец)
- Yarlovitsa (Ярловица)
The Kula municipality has one town (in bold) and 8 villages:
The Makresh municipality has 7 villages:
The Novo Selo municipality has 5 villages:
The Ruzhintsi municipality has 10 villages:
The Chuprene municipality has 9 villages:
See also
References
- ^ „pop-stat.mashke.org“
- ^ (in English) Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Bulgarian provinces and municipalities in 2009
- ^ (in English) „WorldCityPopulation“
- ^ (in English) Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Bulgarian towns in 2009
- ^ „pop-stat.mashke.org“
- ^ (in English) Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Bulgarian villages under 1000 inhabitants - December 2009
- ^ "Divisions of Bulgaria". 2024-04-03.
- ^ (in Bulgarian) Population to 01.03.2001 by Area and Sex from Bulgarian National Statistical Institute: Census 2001
- ^ (in English) Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Population by age in 2009 Archived 2012-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ (in Bulgarian) Population on 01.02.2011 by provinces, municipalities, settlements and age; National Statistical Institute
- ^ Population by province, municipality, settlement and ethnic identification, by 01.02.2011; Bulgarian National Statistical Institute (in Bulgarian)
- ^ (in Bulgarian) Religious adherence in Bulgaria - census 2001
- ^ Geonames Search Archived 2010-03-07 at the Wayback Machine at National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) - reference for location names