Kamchiya

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Kamchiya (Камчия)
Kamchiya
Origin	Bulgaria
Mouth	Black Sea, 25 km south of Varna
Basin countries	Bulgaria
Length	244.5 km
Source elevation	710 m
Avg. discharge	from 1,136 m³/s at the village of Ticha to 26,287 m³/s at the mouth
Basin area	5,358 km²

The Kamchiya (also Kamchia and Kamčija, Bulgarian: Камчия, Greek: Panisos) is a 244.5 km long river in eastern Bulgaria, the longest river on the Balkan Peninsula to flow directly into the Black Sea. It starts from the confluence of two rivers springing from Eastern Stara Planina, Golyama Kamchiya (itself formed by the confluence of the rivers Ticha and Vrana) and Luda Kamchiya, flows eastward to the Black Sea and empties into it 25 km south of Varna.

In antiquity, the river was known as Panisos; later, Slavs gave it the name of Ticha. Its contemporary name is considered to be of Cuman origin. The Romans built the stronghold Erite on its bank. The Kamchia bassin played a notable role in the history of the First Bulgarian Empire. Much of the Medieval Bulgarian Navy from the 9th to the 14th century was built at the river mouth thanks to the quality timber of the area. In the 18th century, Lipovans settled along the lower banks.

Running down through Eastern Stara Planina, Kamchiya meanders through the Longoz or alluvial longose grove, a UNESCO-listed biosphere reserve protecting the primeval forest from intensive logging and drainage that had decimated it by mid-20th century. The river mouth forms a sand barrier and often overflows its banks to the valley. The old synclines of the river leave swampy areas called azmatsi. The reserve is 40 km long (stretching throughout the longose grove to the river mouth) and up to 5 km wide.

The area around the mouth is remarkable for its variety - frequently flooded, old growth forests of a riverine type, up to 450 m-wide beaches with up to 19 m-high, forested or grass-covered sand dunes, freshwater marshes and marshy remnants of old riverbeds, cutting deep into the forest. The unusual coexistence of ash, oak, elm, alder and maple trees sometimes rising up to 40-50 m with lianas climbing between the branches creates the impression of a tropical forest, a real tangle of woods. The summer snowflake (Leucojum aestivum) and several buttercup species (Scilla sp.), as well as ferns, grow in the delta. One can see otter, doe, deer, wild boar and wild cat, among 26 mammal species, sea hawks, eagles, and up to 200 other bird species, including 56 protected ones, and 25 fish species, among others.

The towns the river flows by include Veliki Preslav and Smyadovo in Shumen Province, Dalgopol and Dolni Chiflik in Varna Province. Ticha feeds dam lake Ticha and Luda Kamchiya feeds dam lakes Kamchiya and Tsonevo supplying water to Varna and Burgas. Lake Tsonevo is also a preferred fishing spot for much of Eastern Bulgaria. The Luda Kamchiya gorge cutting across Stara Planina provides the easternmost of the three railway routes between northern and southern Bulgaria. The river valley is fertile, lined with orchards and vegetable gardens; much of it is irrigated. The lower Kamchiya is navigable for smaller motor boats.