Bulgarian Mountains :: Rila
Rila is the highest mountain in Bulgaria and on the whole Balkan Peninsula. It occupies the prestigious 6th place in the European “classification”, preceded by: Caucasus (Mt. Elbrus - 5642 m), the Alps (Mt. Mont Blanc - 4807 m), Sierra Nevada (Mt. Mulasen - 3482 m), the Pyrenees (Mt. Aneto - 3404 m) and the Etna volcano (3340 m).
Information
It is a central mountain for the peninsula and it is a main orographic and hydrographic junction. It is a composite part of the Rila - Rhodope Massif and occupies its north-western end.The oldest name of the mountain is Dounkas, given to it by the Thracians. It means a place with a lot of water. Thracian is its other name Roula, which was altered by the Slav to Rila. It is also related to the water abundance of the mountain (it means “water mountain”).
The key constructive element in the mountain is granite. There are also marble, crystalline schists and others here. The twofold glaciating of Rila played an important part in the formation of its relief. The multitude of cirques, the well outlined trog (glacial) valleys, the Alpine peaks and the glacial lakes are evidence for this.
The climate of Rila is determined by its geographical situation, on the border between the continental and the transitional Mediterranean climate and the microclimate - by the altitude zones and by the soil and vegetation cover. The lowest average monthly temperature was recorded during the month of February on the mount of Moussala - 11.6°C below zero. The absolute minimal temperature so far in Bulgaria was measured in the same place - 31.2°C below zero (during February). During the month of August the average temperature of the mount is 5.4°C and the absolute maximal temperature measured on Moussala is 18.7°C.
The winds in Rila blow predominantly from the west and the south-west. There are rarely north-western and north-eastern winds and they are more moderate, and the northern, southern and south-eastern winds do not play an essential role. The quantity of precipitation is significant, about 1200 mm fall on Moussala per year, about 80 per cent of them being snow. The snow cover on the parts of average altitude and the Alpine parts of the mountain often exceeds 2 metres. All these enumerated climatic factors create prerequisites, mostly in the Alpine parts of the mountain, for avalanches.
Rila has the following boundaries (clockwise): on the north - the Dzhubrena River, the Klisura Saddle and the Klisurchitsa River separate it from Verila Mountain. The Samokov Plain, the Bistritsa River, the Borovets Saddle, the Malka Slivnitsa, Slivnitsa and Maritsa Rivers (the Maritsa River up to Dolna Banya) separate it from Ihtiman Sredna Gora Mountain. Kostenets-Dolna Banya mountain valley, the Maritsa River up to its overfall with the Yadenitsa River separate Rila from the farthest south-eastern sprouts of Ihtiman Sredna Gora Mountain. On the east it borders on the Rhodopes through the Yadenitsa and Yundolska Rivers, the Yundola Saddle, Lyuta River, Avramov’s Saddle, the Dreshenets River and the Mesta River to Razlog mountain valley. On the south - Razlog mountain valley. It is separated from Pirin through the Rablevska River, Predel Saddle, and the rivers of Kulina, Elovitsa and Gradevska. On the west - the Valley of the Struma River from the overfall with the Gradevska River to the overfall with the Dzherman River. The valley of the Dzherman River from the overfall with the Struma River to the Dupnitsa Plain.Within the so outlined borders Rila occupies the area of 2396 square kilometres.
On the basis of its orographic structures and characteristics and morphographic features the mountain is divided into 4 main parts - Eastern, Middle, North-Western and South-Western. The following rivers serve as their borders - Cherni (Black) Iskar, Levi (Left) Iskar, Beli (White) Iskar, Rilska, Iliina, Belishka and Stankova as well as the ridge saddles - Kobilino Branishte, Kadiin Grob and Gorni Kuki. Each of the main parts, on its part, is subdivided into several subparts bearing the names of the highest or central peak.
Eastern Rila is the highest (absolutely) and the most spacious of the 4 main parts and it comprises 37% of the total area of the mountain. Eastern Rila on its part is divided into 7 subparts. Three of them - the Moussala, Maritsa and Kovashki are situated on the Moussala gorge and the remaining 4 - Slavov’s, Belmeken, Ibur and Mustachal on the Ibur main gorge. The two main gorges cross at the junction Mt. Marishki Chal, situated at the main watershed on the Balkan Peninsula, between the water catchment areas of the Iskar, Maritsa and Mesta Rivers. The 11 highest peaks of the mountain steeper in Eastern Rila headed by Mt. Moussala (2925.4 m).
