Elena Municipality (Bulgarian: Община Елена) is a municipality (obshtina) in Veliko Tarnovo Province, Central-North Bulgaria, located on the northern slopes of the central Stara planina mountain in the area of the so-called Fore-Balkan. It is named after its administrative centre, the town of Elena. It includes a territory of 671.39 km2 (259.23 sq mi) with a population of 10,407 inhabitants, as of December 2009.[1]
The area is best known for its Bulgarian National Revival atmosphere preserved in its main town. Chumerna peak, 1,536 m (5,039 ft) above sea level, in the Elena-Tvarditsa range is the highest point in the province.
Geography
Elena Municipality is situated in the Elena Balkan, 215 kilometres (134 mi) West of Varna, 38 km (24 mi) South of Veliko Tarnovo and 280 km (170 mi) East of Bulgaria's capital - Sofia. The city of Elena is situated in the valley of the Elena river. The rivers Veselina, Elena, Miykovska, and Bebrovska spring from the area.
Flora
The flora and fauna are varied, with the most common trees being beech, oak, maple, linden, and hornbeams. Other trees often found in the area are elm, ash, cherries, pear, and sorrel.
Fauna
There is a large diversity of animals living in the area. Widespread deer, Red deer, and wild boar are the most common, followed by predators like foxes, jackals and less often wolves. Smaller animals are also quite common - rabbits, partridge, snipe, and doves.[2]
The following table shows the change of the population during the last four decades.
Elena Municipality
Year
1975
1985
1992
2001
2005
2007
2009
2011
Population
16,546
14,684
13,581
11,342
10,843
10,621
10,407
...
Sources: Census 2001,[6] Census 2011,[7] „pop-stat.mashke.org“,[8]
Religion
According to the latest Bulgarian census of 2011, the religious composition, among those who answered the optional question on religious identification, was the following:
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