Ruse Province (Bulgarian: Област Русе, romanized: Oblast Ruse), or Rusenska Oblast (Bulgarian: Русенска област, former name Ruse okrug) is a province in northern Bulgaria, named after its main city, Ruse, neighbouring Romania via the Danube. It is divided into eight municipalities with a total population, as of February 2011, of 235,252 inhabitants.[2][3][4]
Ruse Province Област Русе | |
|---|---|
 View of Cherven Fortress | |
 Flag | |
 Location of Ruse Province in Bulgaria | |
| Country | Bulgaria |
| Capital | Ruse |
| Municipalities | 8 |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Stefko Burdzhiev |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,803.4 km2 (1,082.4 sq mi) |
| Population (December 2022)[2] | |
| • Total | 189,623 |
| • Density | 68/km2 (180/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| License plate | P |
| Website | ruse.bg |
The Danube Bridge, one of only two bridges opened over the Danube, is located in the province. One of the versions of a folk song, inspired by the Ruse blood wedding, can be heard in the province.
Municipalities
The Ruse province (област, oblast) contains eight municipalities (община, obshtina; plural общини, obshtini). The following table shows the names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic, the main town (in bold) or village, and the population of each as of December 2009.
| Municipality | Cyrillic | Pop.[2][3][4] | Town/Village | Pop.[5][3][6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borovo | Борово | 6,699 | Borovo | 2,330 |
| Byala | Бяла | 14,962 | Byala | 9,015 |
| Vetovo | Ветово | 13,738 | Vetovo | 4,777 |
| Dve Mogili | Две могили | 10,341 | Dve Mogili | 4,342 |
| Ivanovo | Иваново | 10,339 | Ivanovo | 880 |
| Ruse | Русе | 175,210 | Ruse | 156,509 |
| Slivo Pole | Сливо поле | 11,635 | Slivo Pole | 3,169 |
| Tsenovo | Ценово | 6,220 | Tsenovo | 1,673 |
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 215,361 | — |
| 1956 | 236,117 | +9.6% |
| 1965 | 273,226 | +15.7% |
| 1975 | 305,722 | +11.9% |
| 1985 | 315,762 | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 290,800 | −7.9% |
| 2001 | 268,074 | −7.8% |
| 2011 | 235,252 | −12.2% |
| 2021 | 193,483 | −17.8% |
| Source: pop-stat.mashke.org[7] | ||
The Ruse province had a population of 266,213 (266,157 also given) according to a 2001 census, of which 48.7% were male and 51.3% were female.[8]
As of the end of 2009, the population of the province, announced by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, numbered 249,144[2] of which 25.8% are inhabitants aged over 60 years.[9]
Ethnic groups
Total population (2011 census): 235 252[10]
Ethnic groups (2011 census):[11]Identified themselves: 216,612 persons:
- Bulgarians: 176,413 (81,44%)
- Turks: 28,658 (13,23%)
- Romani: 8,615 (3,98%)
- Others and indefinable: 2,926 (1,35%)
Ethnic groups according to the 2001 census, when 266,157 people of the population of 266,213 of Rousse Province identified themselves (with percentage of total population):[12]
- Bulgarians: 213,408
- Turks: 37,050
- Romani: 9,703
Religion
Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:[13]
| Census 2001 | ||
|---|---|---|
| religious adherence | population | % |
| Orthodox Christians | 215,434 | 80.94% |
| Muslims | 41,997 | 15.78% |
| Roman Catholics | 567 | 0.21% |
| Protestants | 482 | 0.18% |
| Other | 1,596 | 0.60% |
| Religion not mentioned | 6,081 | 2.29% |
| total | 266,157 | 100% |