well into the central part of the country, where Botev Peak,
its highest point, rises to about 7,800 feet. The range is still
apparent until its rocky cliffs fall into the Black Sea. Over most of
its length, its ridge is the divide between drainage to the Danube River
and to the Aegean Sea. In the east small areas drain directly to the
Black Sea.

Sometimes considered a part of the foothills of the Stara Planina, but
separated from the main range by a long geological trench that contains
the Valley of Roses, is the Sredna Gora (Middle Forest). The Sredna Gora
is a ridge running almost precisely east to west, about 100 miles long.
Its elevations run to only a little more than 5,000 feet, but it is
narrow and achieves an impression of greater height.

The southern slopes of the Stara Planina and the Sredna Gora give way to
the Thracian Plain. The plain is roughly triangular in shape,
originating at a point east of the mountains that ring the Sofia Basin
and broadening as it proceeds eastward to the Black Sea. It
encompasses the Maritsa River basin and the lowlands that extend from it
to the Black Sea. As is the case with the Danubian plateau, a great deal
of this area is not a plain in strict terms. Most of its terrain is
moderate enough to allow cultivation, but there are variations greater
than those of a typical plain.

[Illustration: _Figure 2. Topography of Bulgaria_]

The Rodopi occupies the area between the Thracian Plain and the Greek
border. This range is commonly described as including the Rila mountain
range south of Sophia and the Pirin range in the southwestern corner of
the country. As such, the Rodopi is the most outstanding topographic
feature, not only of the country, but also of the entire Balkan
Peninsula. The Rila contains Mount Musala--called Mount Stalin for a few
years--whose 9,500-foot peak is the highest in the Balkans. About a
dozen other peaks in the Rila are over 9,000 feet. They feature a few
bare rocks and remote lakes above the tree line, but the lower peaks are
covered with Alpine meadows, and the general aspect of the range is one
of green beauty.

The Vitosha range is an outlier of the Rila. A symmetrical, 7,500-foot
high, isolated peak in the range is a landmark on the outskirts of
Sofia. Snow covers its conical summit most of the year, and its steep
sides are forested.

The Pirin is characterized by rocky peaks and stony slopes. An
impression of the landscape is provided by a lo