| Rezovo River | |
|---|---|
 The Bulgarian–Turkish border at the Rezovo River mouth | |
 | |
| Native name | |
| Location | |
| Country | Bulgaria,Turkey |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Strandzha mountains,Turkey |
| • coordinates | 41°57′08″N27°16′12″E / 41.95222°N 27.27000°E /41.95222; 27.27000 |
| • elevation | 666 m (2,185 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Black Sea,Bulgaria–Turkey border |
• coordinates | 41°58′59″N28°1′46″E / 41.98306°N 28.02944°E /41.98306; 28.02944 |
| Length | 112 km (70 mi) |
| Basin size | 739 km2 (285 sq mi) |
TheRezovo (alsoRezovska reka,Rezvaya andRezve;Bulgarian:Резовска река[ˈrɛzofskɐrɛˈka];Turkish:Mutludere[mutˈludeɾe]) is a river in the extreme southeast ofBulgaria and northernmost part ofEuropean Turkey. Its length is 112 km, of which the uppermost 23 km are in Turkey and 89 km form theBulgaria–Turkey border.[1][2]
The name Rezovo is thought to have originated from the mythical king ofThraceRhesus.[3]
The source of the Rezovo is in the Turkish part of theStrandzha mountain range at an altitude of 666 m east of the town ofKofçaz under the name ofPaspalderesi, which is considered itsmain stem. It flows in southeastern direction until theArmağan Reservoir and then turns east until the confluence with the river Velika at an altitude of 291 m, which is considered the beginning of the river proper. The Rezovo then bends north and in 3 km reaches the Bulgaria–Turkey border at the mouth of its left tributary the Delievska reka some 8 km south of the town ofMalko Tarnovo. From there the river forms the frontier between the two countries, flowing in general eastern direction in a deep meandering valley covered with dense oak forests. It flows into theBlack Sea at the Bulgarian village ofRezovo. That location constitutes the southernmost point of theBulgarian Black Sea Coast and the northernmost point of the Turkish one.[1][4]
The Rezovo drainage basin covers a territory of 739 km2, of which 555 km2 are in Turkey, and 184 km2 in Bulgaria.[1][2] It borders the basins of theVeleka to the north; theMaritsa to the southwest along the crest of the Strandzha, and those of several small rivers flowing directly into the Black Sea to the south. The Rezovo has strong inter- and intra-annual variability. High water is in January–April; during that period the river receives 64% of its annual discharge. Low water is in late summer, with only 6% of the annual waterflow running in July–September. The climate istransitional Mediterranean under the influence of the three nearby seas, theBlack,Marmara andAegean Seas. Maximum rainfall is in November-December; the minimum is in August. Temperatures rarely fall below freezing in winter.[4]
The river flows through a sparsely populated region inKırklareli Province of Turkey andBurgas Province of Bulgaria. There are only three villages along its course, Geçitağzı andDereköy in the upper reaches in Turkey, and Rezovo at the mouth in Bulgaria'sTsarevo Municipality.[4]
The whole river basin within Bulgaria is part ofStrandzha Nature Park, the largest protected territory in the country, that includes theUzunbodzhak along the Rezovo's left banks, which is aUNESCO Biosphere Reserve.[3][5][6] Along with the neighbouring Veleka river basin to the north, it forms the Veleka–Rezovska wetland complex of national importance.[7] Due to its status as a border river, the Rezovo is still not fully studied.[3]
The river valley is covered with dense forests of Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis) and oaks, including the rare Strandzha oak (Quercus hartwissiana). The Mediterranean maquis shrublands are widespread on its rocky inclines and are the habitat of a number of reptiles, includingEuropean ratsnake,Montpellier snake andeastern slowworm.[3]
Faster and colder compared to the Veleka, the Rezovo River shares many similarities with the former in terms of the ichthyofauna, including local endemic fishes, such asPontic spined loach,Black Sea bleak,Bulgarian minnow,Thracian spirlin andBulgarian barbel,[8][9][10][11][12] as well as endangered species likeBlack Sea roach,Pontic shad andAzov shad.[13] Theriver trout is abundant; other common fish species includecommon carp,European chub,common gudgeon, etc.[3][4]
The border at the Rezovo's mouth was the subject of a minorterritorial dispute between Bulgaria and Turkey, which was settled in the 1990s. As a result of an agreement between the two countries of 6 May 1992 (ratified by Bulgaria in 1998), Bulgaria received a small land area of several square kilometres in the Rezovo Bay in return for water area in thecontinental shelf.[14]
Capital:Malko Tarnovo | ||
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