Vratsa Province ( Oblast Vraca, former name Vraca okrug) is a Bulgarian province located in the northwestern part of the country, between Danube river in the north and Stara Planina mountain in the south. It is named after its main town - Vratsa. As of 2016, the province has a population of 170 367 inhabitants, on territory of .
Municipalities
The Vratsa Province contains ten municipalities (singular: 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 2016.
Demographics
The Vratsa province had a population of 243,036 according to a 2001 census, of which were male and were female. As of the end of 2009, the population of the province, announced by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, numbered 196,829 of which are inhabitants aged over 60 years.
The following table represents the change of the population in the province after World War II:
Ethnic groups
Total population (2011 census): 186 848
Ethnic groups (2011 census): Identified themselves: 163 035 persons: Bulgarians: 151 183 (92,73%) Romani: 10 082 (6,18%) Others and indefinable: 1 770 (1,09%) A further 23 000 persons in Vratsa Province did not declare their ethnic group at the 2011 census.
Religion
Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:
Infrastructure
Gas, water, electricity and telecommunications
The regional road system consists of of the republican road system. Predominating are the 4th class roads. Their maintenance and control are under the responsibilities of the municipalities. The rehabilitation of these roads is a priority of the regional policy. Mezdra is a key railway station connecting the major cities in Bulgaria. The passenger's transport is ensured by 116 buses and 26 trolleys. The telecommunication network consists of 4 regional post stations - Vratsa, Byala Slatina, Mezdra and Kozloduy, and 116 local post offices. They offer universal post services including express mail and international courier services EMS, SKYPAK and DHL. In the town of Vratsa there are branch offices of Mobiltel, Globul and Vivatel. The water supply system was envisaged to be improved and sewerage was mostly built, but there is a program for modernization all over the province, including the smaller villages. The nuclear power plant in Kozloduy, in the northern part of the province, is the major supplier of electricity in Bulgaria.
Roads, railroads and airports
The administrative capital of the province is Vratsa in the southern parts, about from Sofia. The distance to the major cities is as follows: Vratsa - Varna 414 km, Vratsa - Plovdiv 217 km; Vratsa - Pleven 108 km; Vratsa - Burgas 416 km. The international road E79 passes through the province. The major European port and ferry complex Oryahovo-Bechet, on the river Danube, is situated in Oryahovo municipality.
Workforce
The economically active population is 48,892, employed as follows: in the services sector - 27,685, in the industry - 19,020, in the agriculture - 2,187. The population has increased since the year 2000, and are mostly in private labour employment. The rate of unemployment is higher than the Bulgarian average, and the aim of the provincial policy is to implement programs to resolve this problem. The labour force distribution in the basic economic sectors is the following - in the industry - 38.9%, in the agriculture - 4.5% and in services - 56.6%. The decrease of the number and relative share of the employees in the public sector is matched by an increase in the private sector. The proportion of workforce in state and private sectors is 44.2% to 55.8%. The higher level of education stipulates a higher employment rate. In the province predominates the number of employees of secondary education. On the labour market, the number of specialists of higher education decreases in favour of those without education. The average salary level for the province is 297 levs.