# Veliko Tarnovo Province

43°19′N 25°33′E﻿ / ﻿43.317°N 25.550°E﻿ / 43.317; 25.550
Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgarian: Област Велико Търново, romanized: Oblast Veliko Tǎrnovo) is a province in the middle of the northern part of Bulgaria. Its capital city, Veliko Tarnovo, is of historical significance as it is known as the capital of the Bulgarian Empire. The province is divided into ten municipalities with a total population, as of December 2009, of 275,395.
Other towns in the province include Gorna Oryahovitsa, which is within 10 km (6.2 mi) of Veliko Tarnovo, Svishtov, set on Danube River and famous for its Tsenov Academy of Economics, and Suhindol, the hometown of Lovico — an internationally recognised label for fine wines and spirits. Another notable place is the village of Arbanasi, set between Veliko Tarnovo and Gorna Oryahovitsa. The combination of old style and modern architecture, as well as its churches and monasteries, present the spirit of Bulgaria. Real estate is among the most expensive in the country.

## Municipalities

The Veliko Tarnovo oblast contains 10 municipalities (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. |
| Elena | Елена | 10,407 | Elena | 5,665 |
| Gorna Oryahovitsa | Горна Оряховица | 48,695 | Gorna Oryahovitsa | 32,436 |
| Lyaskovets | Лясковец | 13,677 | Lyaskovets | 8,277 |
| Pavlikeni | Павликени | 26,342 | Pavlikeni | 11,151 |
| Polski Trambesh | Полски Тръмбеш | 15,309 | Polski Trambesh | 4,546 |
| Strazhitsa | Стражица | 14,742 | Strazhitsa | 5,170 |
| Suhindol | Сухиндол | 3,046 | Suhindol | 2,146 |
| Svishtov | Свищов | 49,817 | Svishtov | 35,923 |
| Veliko Tarnovo | Велико Търново | 88,724 | Veliko Tarnovo | 67,099 |
| Zlataritsa | Златарица | 4,636 | Zlataritsa | 2,558 |

## Demographics

The Veliko Tarnovo province had a population of 293,294 (293,172 also given) according to a 2001 census, of which 48.3% 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 275,395 of which 26% are inhabitants aged over 60 years.

### Ethnic groups

Ethnic groups in Veliko Tarnovo Province (2011 census) :
| Ethnic group | Ethnic group | Percentage | Percentage |
| Bulgarians | Bulgarians | 90.3% | 90.3% |
| Turks | Turks | 6.7% | 6.7% |
| Romani | Romani | 1.7% | 1.7% |
| others and indefinable | others and indefinable | 1.3% | 1.3% |
Total population (2011 census): 258 494
Ethnic groups (2011 census): Identified themselves: 233,992 persons:
* Bulgarians: 211 353 (90,32%)
* Turks: 15 709 (6,71%)
* Romani: 3 875 (1,65%)
* Others and indefinable: 3 055 (1,31%)
A further 25,000 persons in the Province did not declare their ethnic group at the 2011 census.

### Religion

Religions in Veliko Tarnovo Province (2011 census) :
| Religious group | Religious group | Percentage | Percentage |
| Orthodox Christian | Orthodox Christian | 62.16% | 62.16% |
| Muslim | Muslim | 4.6% | 4.6% |
| Roman Catholic Christian | Roman Catholic Christian | 1.26% | 1.26% |
| Protestant Christian | Protestant Christian | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| others and indefinable | others and indefinable | 31.41% | 31.41% |
Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:
Census 2001 :
| religious adherence | population | % |
| Orthodox Christians | 254,914 | 86.95% |
| Muslims | 26,085 | 8.90% |
| Roman Catholics | 3,111 | 1.06% |
| Protestants | 417 | 0.14% |
| Other | 1,141 | 0.39% |
| Religion not mentioned | 7,504 | 2.56% |
| total | 293,172 | 100% |

## Geography
### Climate

Climate data for Veliko Tarnovo - Gorna Oryahovitsa , Bulgaria (1960-1990) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 2.1 (35.8) | 5.7 (42.3) | 11.4 (52.5) | 18.6 (65.5) | 23.4 (74.1) | 27.0 (80.6) | 29.6 (85.3) | 29.8 (85.6) | 26.0 (78.8) | 19.4 (66.9) | 12.4 (54.3) | 5.1 (41.2) | 17.5 (63.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.3 (27.9) | 0.7 (33.3) | 5.5 (41.9) | 12.1 (53.8) | 17.2 (63.0) | 20.7 (69.3) | 22.9 (73.2) | 22.4 (72.3) | 18.1 (64.6) | 12.4 (54.3) | 6.9 (44.4) | 0.9 (33.6) | 11.5 (52.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −6.8 (19.8) | −4.3 (24.3) | −0.2 (31.6) | 5.3 (41.5) | 10.0 (50.0) | 13.5 (56.3) | 15.2 (59.4) | 14.5 (58.1) | 10.7 (51.3) | 6.1 (43.0) | 2.4 (36.3) | −3.1 (26.4) | 5.3 (41.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 48 (1.9) | 44 (1.7) | 43 (1.7) | 63 (2.5) | 88 (3.5) | 86 (3.4) | 65 (2.6) | 56 (2.2) | 41 (1.6) | 45 (1.8) | 51 (2.0) | 50 (2.0) | 680 (26.9) |
| Source: Stringmeteo.com ||||||||||||||