Elhovo ( bg, Елхово ) is a

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

n town in Yambol Province, located on the left bank of the Tundzha river, between Strandzha and Sakar mountains. Second largest city in the region after Jambol, the city is located at 36 km from border checkpoint Lesovo – Hamzabeyli on the Bulgarian – Turkish border. Elhovo is the administrative center of

Elhovo municipality Elhovo ( bg, Елхово ) is a Bulgarian town in Yambol Province, located on the left bank of the Tundzha river, between Strandzha and Sakar mountains. Second largest city in the region after Jambol, the city is located at 36 km from borde ...

, which includes 21 villages (municipalities). The city's population as of 15 December 2014, is 10424 inhabitants.http://www.grao.bg/tna/tab02.txt The town's name derives from the Bulgarian word for "

alder Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...

" and the placename suffix '' -ovo''. During the Ottoman rule it was known as , also meaning "alder".

Geography

Elhovo is located on the left bank of the

Tundzha River The Tundzha ( bg, Тунджа , tr, Tunca , el, Τόνζος ) is a river in Bulgaria and Turkey (known in antiquity as the Tonsus) and the most significant tributary of the Maritsa, emptying into it on Turkish territory near Edirne. The rive ...

in the southeastern part of the Thracian Valley (

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...

) between Strandzha mountain and

Sakar Mountain Sakar ( ; also ) is a mountain in southeastern Bulgaria, between the rivers Maritsa, Tundzha, Sokolitsa and Sazliyka and close to the borders with Greece and Turkey. The mountain's highest peak is Vishegrad at 856 m. Sakar is one of the riche ...

in the fertile field. 38 km from the town of

Yambol Yambol ( bg, Ямбол ) is a town in Southeastern Bulgaria and administrative centre of Yambol Province. It lies on both banks of the Tundzha river in the historical region of Thrace. It is occasionally spelled ''Jambol''. Yambol is the ad ...

, 100 km from the town of

Burgas Burgas ( bg, Бургас, ), sometimes transliterated as ''Bourgas'', is the second largest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast in the region of Northern Thrace and the fourth-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna, with a pop ...

and 339 km southeast of

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

. Settlement system Elhovo is located in the southeastern part of Yambol region. Covering part of the lowland and low mountain Tundzha region - an area of the middle valley of the river Tundzha, and part of the Dervent Heights. Central to this region is the field of Elhovo. Its flat surface extends on both sides of the river Tundzha which is flowing from the north. The average elevation is 100–150 m. In the peripheral parts the field gradually passes into the gentle slopes of the Manastira and the Dervent Heights. The flat terrain in northern gradually passes from low mountain - this includes part of the Dervent heights, which in the geographical appearance have much in common with the Strandzha (mountain). Probable boundary between them is flat saddle, from which starts the river Popovska. In their hills passes state border with Turkey. The settlement system included in the Dervent heights has an average elevation up to 450 meters. From their northern slopes the right inflows of the river Tundzha - river Popovska and river Arapliyska, collect their water. Elevation amplitude of topography of the area is very small, and soil erosion is slightly pronounced. In south, river Tundzha crosses the low mountain range, dividing Dervent heights from Sakar mountain. Among them, the river forms a long gorge. Steep valleys and numerous curves make it a picturesque and attractive place.

Notable people

* Aoiyama Kōsuke (born Daniel Ivanov) - sumo wrestler

Honour

Elhovo Gap on

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of Antarctic islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first land discovered south of 60 ...

in the

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 1 ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

is named after Elhovo.

References

External links

Elhovo municipality at Domino.bg
Towns in Bulgaria Populated places in Yambol Province {{Yambol-geo-stub