Madan, Bulgaria
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| Madan, Bulgaria | |
  Madan, Bulgaria
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country |  Bulgaria |
| Provinces (Oblast) |
Smolyan |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Valentin Gadzhev |
| Elevation | 851 m (2,792 ft) |
| Population (2005-09-13) | |
| - Total | 6,914 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| - Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
| Postal Code | 4900 |
| Area code(s) | 0308 |
Madan (Bulgarian: 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 due to the Ottoman invasion of the late 14th century. Eastern Orthodox Bulgarians are a minority that mostly settled in the region before the revolution of 1989 to work in the mines. It is, however, important to note that Madan was fully integrated in the first and second Bulgarian empires long before the arrival of the Ottomans to this part of the Balkans.
[edit] External links
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