43°55′N 27°10′E / 43.917°N 27.167°E
Silistra Province Област Силистра | |
|---|---|
 Church in Iskra | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of in Bulgaria | |
| Country | Bulgaria |
| Capital | Silistra |
| Municipalities | 7 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,846.3 km2 (1,099.0 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 95,614 |
| • Density | 34/km2 (87/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| License plate | CC |
| Website | ss.government.bg |
Silistra Province (Bulgarian: Област Силистра, transliterated Oblast Silistra, former name Silistra okrug) is a province of Bulgaria, named after its main city - Silistra. It is divided into seven municipalities with a total population, as of December 2009, of 127,659.[2][3][4] The province is part of Southern Dobrudja, which was part of Romania until 1940.
Silistra Province is a traditionally agricultural province, mainly because of its fertile soil. The province is known for its pelicans and apricot brandy.
Besides the administrative centre, other municipalities are Alfatar, Dulovo, Glavinitsa, Kaynardzha, Sitovo, and Tutrakan.
Municipalities
The Silistra Province contains seven municipalities (Bulgarian: община, romanized: 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.[3][5][6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfatar | Алфатар | 3,324 | Alfatar | 1,714 |
| Glavinitsa | Главиница | 12,610 | Glavinitsa | 1,928 |
| Dulovo | Дулово | 28,860 | Dulovo | 6,621 |
| Kaynardzha | Кайнарджа | 5,250 | Kaynardzha | 783 |
| Silistra | Силистра | 54,885 | Silistra | 37,837 |
| Sitovo | Ситово | 5,810 | Sitovo | 847 |
| Tutrakan | Тутракан | 16,920 | Tutrakan | 9,476 |
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 152,287 | — |
| 1956 | 163,572 | +7.4% |
| 1965 | 170,442 | +4.2% |
| 1975 | 175,754 | +3.1% |
| 1985 | 174,122 | −0.9% |
| 1992 | 161,063 | −7.5% |
| 2001 | 142,000 | −11.8% |
| 2011 | 119,474 | −15.9% |
| 2021 | 97,770 | −18.2% |
| Source: pop-stat.mashke.org[7] | ||
The Silistra province had a population of 142,000 according to a 2001 census, of which 49.7% were male and 50.3% were female.[8]
As of the end of 2009, the population of the province, announced by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, numbered 127,659[2] of which 25.6% are inhabitants aged over 60 years.[9]
Ethnic groups
Total population (2011 census): 119 474[10]
Ethnic groups (2011 census):[11]Identified themselves: 111,590 persons:
- Bulgarians: 64,050 (57.40%)
- Turks: 40,272 (36.09%)
- Romani: 5,697 (5.11%)
- Others and indefinable: 1,571 (1.41%)
Religion
Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:[12]
| Census 2001 | ||
|---|---|---|
| religious adherence | population | % |
| Orthodox Christians | 83,969 | 59.13% |
| Muslims | 54,174 | 38.15% |
| Protestants | 303 | 0.21% |
| Roman Catholics | 196 | 0.14% |
| Other | 553 | 0.39% |
| Religion not mentioned | 2,805 | 1.98% |
| total | 142,000 | 100% |