This is a list of rivers in Bulgaria, organised geographically, taken clockwise from the westernmost tributaries of the Danube drainage. Tributaries are listed down the page in a downstream direction, i.e. the first tributary listed is closest to the source, and tributaries of tributaries are treated similarly. The main stem (or principal) river of a catchment is labelled as (MS), right-bank tributaries are indicated by (R), left-bank tributaries by (L). Note that in general usage, the 'right or left bank of a river' refers to the right or left hand bank, as seen when looking downstream. The list encompasses most of the main rivers of Bulgaria. It includes rivers shared with other countries. There is also a list of rivers over 50 km. The Bulgarian word for river, река (transliteration reka) is often a part of the river names in the country.
Overview There are 540 rivers in Bulgaria. The longest river in Bulgaria is the Danube (2,888 km), which spans most of the country's northern border for a length of 470 km. The longest one to run through the country (and also the deepest) is the Maritsa (480 km), while the longest river that runs solely in Bulgaria is the Iskar (368 km).
The density of rivers is highest in the mountain areas and lowest in Dobrudzha, the Danubian Plain and the Upper Thracian Plain. There are two catchment basins: the Black Sea (57% of the territory and 42% of the rivers) and the Aegean Sea (43% of the territory and 58% of the rivers) basins. The territory of Bulgaria is 110,994 km2, of which 63,270 km2 fall within the Black Sea catchment bason, divided between the Danube (49,950 km2) and Black Sea Coast drainage (13,320 km2), and 47,730 km2 fall within the Aegean Sea basin, divided between the Maritsa (34,166 km2), Mesta (2,767 km2) and Struma (10,797 km2) drainage.
The Balkan Mountains divide Bulgaria into two nearly equal drainage systems. The larger system drains northward to the Black Sea, mainly by way of the Danube. This system includes the entire Danubian Plain and a stretch of land running 48–80 km inland from the coastline in the south. The Danube gets slightly more than 4% of its total volume from its Bulgarian tributaries. As it flows along the northern border, the Danube averages 1.6 to 2.4 km in width. The river's highest water levels usually occur during the May floods; it is frozen over an average of 40 days per year. The longest river located entirely in Bulgarian territory, the Iskar, with a length of 368 km and a catchment area of 8,640 km2, is the only Bulgarian Danubian tributary that does not rise in the Balkan Mountains. Instead, the Iskar has its origin in the Rila Mountains. It passes through Sofia's eastern suburbs and crosses the Balkan Mountains through a spectacular 65 km–long gorge. Other important tributaries of the Danube include the rivers Lom, Ogosta, Vit, Osam and Yantra. The longest river flowing directly to the Black Sea is the Kamchiya (254 km), while other rivers from north to south include the Batova, Dvoynitsa, Aheloy, Sredetska reka, Ropotamo, Veleka, Rezovo, etc.
The Aegean Sea catchment basin drains the Thracian Plain and most of the higher lands to the south and southwest. Several major rivers flow directly to the Aegean Sea. Many of their tributaries fall swiftly from the mountains and have cut deep, scenic gorges. The 480 km–long Maritsa (of them 321 km in Bulgaria) and its tributaries drain all of the western Thracian Plain, most of Sredna Gora, the southern slopes of the Balkan Mountains, and the northern slopes of the eastern Rhodopes. After it leaves Bulgaria, the Maritsa forms most of the Greco-Turkish border. Maritsa's major tributaries are the Tundzha, Arda, Topolnitsa, Vacha, Stryama, etc. The other Bulgarian rivers flowing directly to the Aegean are the Struma and the Mesta.
Black Sea Drainage
Danube Drainage Danube (MS) (outside Bulgaria) Great Morava (R) (outside Bulgaria) South Morava (L) Nišava (R) Gaberska reka (L) Erma (L) (outside Bulgaria) Temštica (R) Visochitsa (R) Timok (R) Topolovets (R) Rabrovska reka (L) Deleynska reka (L) Voynishka reka (R) Vidbol (R) Archar (R) Salashka reka (R) Skomlya (R) Lom (R) Stakevska reka (L) Chuprenska reka (R) Nechinska bara (L) Tsibritsa (R) Tsibar (L) Dushilnitsa (L) Ogosta (R) Prevalska reka (L) Dalgodelska Ogosta (R) Zlatitsa (R) Barzia (R) Shugavitsa (R) Botunya (R) Ribine (R) Skat (R) Barzina (L) Iskar (R) Cherni Iskar (L) Beli Iskar (R) Musalenska Bistritsa (R) Palakaria (L) Shipochanitsa (R) Zheleznishka reka (L) Vitoshka Bistritsa (L) Perlovska (L) Boyanska reka (L) Vladaya (L) Lesnovska reka (R) Kakach (L) Blato (L) Batuliyska reka (R) Iskretska reka (L) Gabrovnitsa (R) Malki Iskar (R) Bebresh (L) Zlatna Panega (R) Gostilya (L) Vit (R) Cherni Vit (L) Beli Vit (R) Kalnik (R) Kamenitsa (R) Chernyalka (R) Tuchenitsa (R) Osam (R) Beli Osam (L) Cherni Osam (R) Komanska reka (L) Suha reka (L) Shavarna (L) Lomya (R) Barata (R) Yantra (R) Belitsa (R) Dryanovska reka (L) Stara reka (R) Golyama reka (R) Veselina (L) Zlatarishka reka (R) Rositsa (L) Vidima (L) Negovanka (R) Bohot (R) Eliyska reka (L) Studena (L) Rusenski Lom (R) Cherni Lom (L) Baniski Lom (L) Beli Lom (R) Hlebarovska reka (R) Malki Lom (R) Topchiyska reka (R) Tsaratsar (R) Senkovets (R) Kanagyol (R) Harsovska reka (R) Suha reka (R) Karamandere (L) Dobrichka reka (R)
Black Sea Coast Shablenska reka (Ms) Batova (Ms) Provadiya (Ms) Matnishka reka (R) Kriva reka (L) Devnya (L) Kamchiya (Ms) Golyama Kamchiya (L) Eleshnitsa (R) Vrana (L) Poroyna (L) Stara reka (L) Brestova reka (R) Luda Kamchiya (R) Kotlenska reka (L) Medvenska reka (L) Eleshnitsa (R) Dvoynitsa (Ms) Hadzhiyska reka (Ms) Aheloy (Ms) Aytoska reka (Ms) Chukarska reka (Ms) Rusokastrenska reka (Ms) Sredetska reka (Ms) Gospodarevska reka (L) Fakiyska reka (Ms) Izvorska reka (Ms) Ropotamo (Ms) Dyavolska reka (Ms) Karaagach (Ms) Veleka (Ms) Mladezhka reka (L) Rezovo (Ms)
Aegean Sea Drainage Maritsa (Ms) Ibar (R) Yadenitsa (R) Chepinska reka (R) Matnitsa (R) Topolnitsa (L) Bunovska reka (R) Mativir (R) Luda Yana (L) Stara reka (R) Vacha (R) Shirokolashka (R) Devinska reka (L) Gashnya (L) Potoka (L) Parvenetska reka (R) Pyasachnik (L) Chepelare (R) Yugovska reka (R) Sushitsa (R) Stryama (R) Byala reka (L) Srebra (L) Cherkezitsa (R) Brezovska reka (L) Omurovska reka (L) Mechka (R) Tekirska reka (L) Kayaliyka (R) Starata reka (L) Banska (R) Merichlerska reka (L) Martinka (L) Arpadere (L) Sazliyka (L) Blatnitsa (L) Ovcharitsa (L) Sokolitsa (L) Harmanliyska reka (R) Haskovska reka (L) Biserska reka (R) Golyama reka (L) Levchenska reka (L) Arda (R) Cherna (L) Malka Arda (L) Borovitsa (L) Varbitsa (R) Perperek (L) Krumovitsa (R) Aterenska reka (R) Tundzha (L) Tazha (L) Maglizhka reka (L) Asenovska reka (L) Mochuritsa (L) Popovska reka (L) Krushevska reka (R) Arapliyska reka (L) Boyalashka reka (R) Sinapovska reka (R) Kalnitsa (L) Luda reka (R) Byala Reka (L)
Mesta (Ms) Cherna Mesta (L) Byala Mesta (R) Iztok (R) Glazne (R) Banderitsa (L) Demyanitsa (R) Disilitsa (R) Retizhe (R) Kanina (L) Vishteritsa (R) Chechka Bistritsa (L) Dospat (L) Sarnena reka (L)
Struma (Ms) Konska reka (R) Arkata (L) Treklyanska reka (R) Dragovishtitsa (R) Sovolyanska Bistritsa (R) Eleshnitsa (R) Dzherman (L) Rilska River (L) Blagoevgradska Bistritsa (L) Gradevska reka (L) Vlahina reka (L) Lebnitsa (R) Sandanska Bistritsa (L) Strumeshnitsa (R) Melnishka reka (L) Pirinska Bistritsa (L)
List of rivers over 50 km No.Image River Length Length in Bulgaria Basin Annual flowMap1 Danube 2 Maritsa 3 Struma 4 Tundzha 5 Iskar 6 Osam 7 Yantra 8 Arda 9 Mesta 10 Kamchiya 11 Nišava 12 Timok 13 Luda Kamchiya 14 Vit 15 Rositsa 16 Topolnitsa 17 Beli Lom 18 Veleka 19 Sazliyka 20 Ogosta 21 Skat 22 Cherni Lom 23 Suha reka 24 Provadiyska reka 25 Strumeshnitsa 26 Vacha 27 Rezovska reka 28 Kanagyol 29 Stryama 30 Dospat 31 Tsaratsar 32 Luda reka 33 Varbitsa 34 Lom 35 Stara reka 36 Harmanliyska reka 37 Harsovska reka 38 Senkovets 39 Topchiyska reka 40 Tsibritsa 41 Fakiyska reka 42 Mochuritsa 43 Chepelarska reka 44 Malki Iskar 45 Chepinska reka 46 Golyama reka 47 Luda Yana 48 Erma 49 Pyasachnik 50 Ovcharitsa 51 Kalnitsa 52 Popovska reka 53 Visochitsa 54 Veselina 55 Dragovishtitsa 56 Byala reka 57 Gospodarevska reka 58 Dobrichka reka 59 Sredetska reka 60 Botunya 61 Vrana 62 Topolovets 63 Vidima 64 Karamandere 65 Lesnovska reka 66 Rusokastrenska reka 67 Vidbol 68 Mativir 69 Stara reka 70 Sokolitsa 71 Archar 72 Eleshnitsa 73 Dryanovska reka 74 Krumovitsa 75 Omurovska reka 76 Belitsa 77 Baniski Lom 78 Devinska reka 79 Malki Lom 80 Zlatarishka reka 81 Potoka 82 Martinka 83 Hadzhiyska reka 84 Voynishka reka 85 Blatnitsa 86 Pirinska Bistritsa 87 Brezovska reka 88 Dvoynitsa 89 Rilska River 90 Sovolyanska Bistritsa 91 Treklyanska reka 92 Rusenski Lom 93 Sinapovska reka 94 Zlatna Panega 95 Lebnitsa
See also Geography of Bulgaria Reservoirs and dams in Bulgaria
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