Everything about The Kamchiya totally explained
The
Kamchiya (also
Kamchia and
Kamčija,
Bulgarian: Камчия) 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's irrigated. The lower Kamchiya is navigable for smaller motor boats.
Honour
Kamchiya Glacier on
Livingston Island in the
South Shetland Islands,
Antarctica is named for Kamchiya River.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Kamchiya'.
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