Stara Zagora District

an administrative-territorial unit in central Bulgaria. Area, 4,900 sq km. Population, 390,000 (1973). The administrative center is the city of Stara Zagora.

The northern and central parts of Stara Zagora District are mountainous, and the south is a level plain. The economy is both industrial and agrarian. Between 1952 and 1972 industrial output increased by a factor of 13; about three-quarters of the growth was in heavy industry. Several industries are of national importance. The coal industry is centered in the Eastern Maritsa Coal Basin. The electric power industry is represented by the 500-megawatt (MW) Pervaia Komsomol’skaia Steam Power Plant and the 600-MW Maritsa-Vostok-2 Steam Power Plant; the 1-gigawatt Maritsa-Vostok-3 Steam Power Plant has been under construction since 1976. Also of national importance are the chemical industry and machine building, concentrated in the cities of Stara Zagora, Kazanluk, and Chirpan. Stara Zagora District also produces electrical-porcelain goods (Nikolaevo), textiles (Kazanluk and Stara Zagora), and food and condiments. A cement industry is growing rapidly.

Stara Zagora is an important agricultural region. It is noted for wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, sunflowers, and cotton. Essential-oil crops, such as roses, lavender, and mint, are grown on plantations in the Kazanluk Basin. Grapes, tomatoes, and peppers are also grown. More than one-third of the cultivated land is irrigated. Cattle, sheep, and swine are raised. Stara Zagora District is noted for its mineral springs.