Rakitovo ( ) is a town in the

Pazardzhik Province Pazardzhik Province ( ''Oblast Pazardzhik'', former name Pazardzhik okrug) is a province in Southern Bulgaria, named after its administrative and industrial centre: the city of Pazardzhik. The territory is that is divided into 12 municipaliti ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. the population was 8,952. It is located in the northern part of the Rhodopi mountains at 12 km to the east of

Velingrad Velingrad ( ) is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, located at the western end of Chepino Valley, part of the Rhodope Mountains. It is the administrative center of the homonymous Velingrad Municipality and one of the most po ...

and 7 km to the southwest of the Batak Reservoir. There is timber industry in the town. People from the region grow crops, lavender, potatoes and barley. Some

Aromanians The Aromanians () are an Ethnic groups in Europe, ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian language, Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Albania, south-western Bulgari ...

live in Rakitovo.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Rakitovo is twinned with: * Svetlograd, Russia

References

{{Coord, 41, 59, N, 24, 05, E, region:BG_type:city, display=title Towns in Bulgaria Cities and towns in the Rhodopes Populated places in Pazardzhik Province Aromanian settlements in Bulgaria