Aytos Valley
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Aytos Valley | |
|---|---|
 A view of Aytos and the valley | |
 Interactive map of Aytos Valley | |
| Coordinates: 42°40′45″N 27°15′22″E / 42.67917°N 27.25611°E | |
| Location | Bulgaria |
| Area | |
| • Total | 108 km2 (42 sq mi) |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 24 km (15 mi) |
| • Width | 7 km (4.3 mi) |
Aytos Valley (Bulgarian: Айтоска котловина) is situated in eastern Bulgaria and is the easternmost and lowermost of the eleven Sub-Balkan valleys. It is named after its main settlement, the town of Aytos.
The valley lies between the Karnobat and Aytos divisions of the Balkan Mountains to the north and northeast respectively, and the Hisar Heights to the southwest. To the south it opens widely to the Burgas Plain and to the west a low saddle in the area of the village of Chernograd links it with the Karnobat Valley.[1][2]
The valley spans a territory of 108 km2. It reaches a length of 24 km from northwest to southeast; its width varies between 3 and 7 km, averaging at 4.5 km. The average altitude is 70–150 m, with inclination in southern direction.[1][2]
The bottom of the valley is filled with river sediments, and further north at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains — with alluvial cones. The southern reaches are partially marshy. It is drained by the Aytoska reka and its tributary the Alansko dere. The valley lies in the transitional zone between the temperate continental climatic zone and the continental Mediterranean zone, with an influence from the nearby Black Sea. The mean annual precipitation is 500–550 mm. The soils are alluvial in the river valleys, and cinnamon, smolnitsi and rendzina in the rest of the area.[1][2]