Ruy () or Ruj ( sr-Cyrl, Руј), is a mountain range in the

Kraishte Kraishte (, sometimes with a definite article Краището, ''Kraishteto'') or Krajište () is a geographical and historical region split between southwestern Bulgaria and southeastern Serbia, with a very small part in northeastern North ...

region on the border of western

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 ...

and southeastern

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. Its eponymous highest summit rises 1,706 meters above sea level. The mountain range is located west of Tran and formed the westernmost part of the Ruy-

Verila Verila ( ) is a mountain range in western Bulgaria with an altitude of 1,415 meters above sea level. It is part of the Ruy (mountain), Ruy–Verila mountain chain. Verila Glacier on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica ...

range. On a clear day may be observed the ranges of

Rila Rila (, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila–Rhodope Mountains, Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Musala at an e ...

and

Vitosha Vitosha ( ), the ancient ''Scomius'' or ''Scombrus'', is a mountain massif, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Vitosha is one of the symbols of Sofia and the closest site for hiking, alpinism and skiing. Convenient bus lines and ...

in Bulgaria and Veliki Strešer in Serbia.

Geography

From northwest to southeast, its length is about 12 km, and its width is up to 10 km. It covers of a territory of 86 km². To the northeast, east and southeast it reaches the valley of the river Erma, and to the south its slopes descend steeply to the Tran valley, also known as Znepole. To the north, northwest and west it extends to the valley of the river Blatanica (a left tributary of the Erma), and to the southwest through a saddle at an altitude of 1243 m, it is connected to Miloslavska planina. Ruy is a typical massive, block-type mountain bounded by steep, faulted slopes. Its ridge is flat, at about 1600–1700 m above sea level. Its highest point is the eponymous summit of Ruy (1705.6 m), located in its western part, on the Bulgarian-Serbian border, at border pyramid No. 210. It is formed of Proterozoic

gneiss Gneiss (pronounced ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. This rock is formed under p ...

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...

s and

amphibolite Amphibolite () is a metamorphic rock that contains amphibole, especially hornblende and actinolite, as well as plagioclase feldspar, but with little or no quartz. It is typically dark-colored and dense, with a weakly foliated or schistose ...

and of Paleozoic

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

s and

granodiorite Granodiorite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock similar to granite, but containing more plagioclase feldspar than orthoclase feldspar. The term banatite is sometimes used informally for various rocks ranging from gra ...

. There are small deposits of lead, silver and copper ores. The soils are cinnamon and light brown forest soils. It is covered with a mixed deciduous forest of

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

and

hornbeam Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the family Betulaceae. Its species occur across much of the temperateness, temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Common names The common English name ''hornbeam'' derives ...

, as well as extensive pastures at the highest altitudes. In the easternmost part of the mountain range is situated the Tran Gorge, an important natural landmark and one of the

100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria is a Bulgarian national Social movement, movement established in 1966 to promote tourism among Bulgaria's most significant cultural, historic, and natural landmarks. As part of this program, sites of cultural and his ...

Gallery

File:V.Ruj.jpg , Summit of Ruy, Bulgaria File:Ermavalley.JPG , View from Znepole, Bulgaria File:Tran Gorge 048.jpg , Tran Gorge, Bulgaria

Citations

References

* {{cite book , ref={{harvid, Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria, 1980 , title = Географски речник на България , trans-title = Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria , last1 = Мичев (Michev) , first1 = Николай (Nikolay) , last2 = Михайлов (Mihaylov) , first2 = Цветко (Tsvetko) , last3 = Вапцаров (Vaptsarov) , first3 = Иван (Ivan) , last4 = Кираджиев (Kiradzhiev) , first4 = Светлин (Svetlin) , chapter = , year = 1980 , language = Bulgarian , publisher = Наука и култура (Nauka i kultura) , location = София (Sofia) , isbn = Mountain ranges of Bulgaria Mountain ranges of Serbia Landforms of Pernik Province Bulgaria–Serbia border International mountains of Europe Rhodope mountain range