Madan, Bulgaria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Province (oblast) |
Smolyan |
|---|---|
| Population | 6,914 (2005-09-13) |
| Altitude | 851 m |
| Postal code | 4900 |
| Area code | 0308 |
| Geographic coordinates |
41° 30' north, 24° 57' east |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2; UTC+3 in summer) |
| Mayor | Valentin Gadzhev |
Madan (Мадан) is a town with a population of 6,914, situated in the very south of Bulgaria in the Yellow Share of the Rhodope Mountains, in Smolyan Province.
[edit] Geography
Madan is a part of Ardino Ridge, sloping down to the northeast between the rivers Arda and Varbitsa. In the central part of the Yellow Share rise the peaks Buchovitsa (1404 m), Veternitsa (1372 m) and Petrovitsa (1309 m).
The end of the ridge is Alada Peak (1241 m). From all sides the Yellow Share is separated by mountain-spurs, whose segmentations gradually slope down and vanish into the valleys of the rivers. The river system of the region is presented by the basins of the upper reaches of some of the longer rivers – to the north the basin of the Arda River with the headers Elhovska and Chepinska Rivers.
[edit] History and population
Madan is an ancient ore-miners' settlement, the extraction of lead ore having begun around 5th-4th century BC.
The most part of the town's population consists of local Muslim Bulgarians. Eastern Orthodox Bulgarians are a minority that mostly settled in the region before the revolution of 1989 to work in the mines.
