|
 Geography
and population
Varna District is situated in the North-eastern part of Bulgaria. Its
territory amounts to 3,44% of the territory of the country. It is composed
of 12 municipalities with à total population of 465,012, which is 5,4% of
the whole population of the country
The population is concentrated in the city of Varna – 314,539 inhabitants.
The city of Varna is the third largest city in Bulgaria and the largest city
in the north-eastern region. It is situated on the Black Sea, extending into
the Bay of Varna. The city was built on a large, even 18 meter high terrace
in the far north-western curve of the bay which juts out 7 km into the
mainland.
Telecommunications
Varna District has the highest rate of digitization of the telephone network
in Bulgaria (33%). Both Bulgarian mobile operators have offices in the city.
 Logistics-roads,
railroads, airports
Varna International Airport provides maintenance of airplanes, passenger and
cargo (over 10,000 tons per year) services. The duration of the flight to
Sofia is about 40 minutes with two regular flights a day.
Port of Varna is the largest port complex in Bulgaria. Its strategic
location makes it a gateway between Europe and the Middle East. It is
connected directly with Russia, Georgia and Ukraine by ferry and Ro-Ro
lines. Shipping companies operate regular lines to Istanbul, Athens and
other cities in the Western Mediterranean. By railway (Varna – Rousse) and
the corridor "Rhein-Main-Danube" the city is connected with Western Europe
The port integrates four connected parts: Port Varna - East, Port Varna -
West, Port Balchik and the port of the Thermoelectric Power Station. The
well-developed infrastructure is connected with Port Lesport and the ferry
complex as well. At Port Varna are available 20 ship terminals for general
cargo, oil and chemical products, timber, etc., 2 container handling
terminals for 20' and 40' containers and a passenger terminal. In November
2001 a modern facility for grain handling began operation. The port complex
has at its disposal 70,000 sq. m in-door and 400,000 sq. m open-air storage
area.
Current priority industry sectors
The economic profile of the Region includes: machine-building, shipbuilding,
chemical industry, sea and air transport, tourism, food processing and wine
industries. The industrial zones of Varna and Provadia are composed of over
100 enterprises, shipbuilding and repair, diesel engines, communications,
sea-navigation, medical and household goods, textile and ready-made clothes,
furniture and metallurgy. Food and wine industries produce over 50,000 tons
per year. Fruits and vegetable conserves, sugar, salt, beer, soft drinks,
fresh and processed meat and milk products are processed. Concentrated in
Devnya and Beloslav are large scale chemical industries. The plants produce
soda ash, cement, polyvinilchloride, fertilizers, detergents, washing and
cleaning products, glass and sanitary glass, household chemical products.
Port Varna is the second largest port (after Bourgas port) in Bulgaria. The
ferryboat Varna - Ilichovsk is a direct bridge to Ukraine.
Agriculture
Prevailing in the region are grains and fodder cultures, vineyards and
orchards. Main priorities are restoration of the vineyards (20 000 dka),
creation of orchards (20 000 dka), rehabilitation of the irrigation systems,
creation of small grain-depots, reconstruction of the stock-breeding farms,
establishment of stock-exchanges and Agrobusiness centre.
Schools/Universities/Job training
There are five universities in Varna which enrol about 30,600 students.
Business information and contact data
Economic Development Agency, Varna
9000 Varna
2, Shipka Str.
Tel/Fax:( +359 52) 606 274, :( +359 52) 606 275
Mobile: +359 887/934 526
e-mail:
vardevel@mail.orbitel.bg
http://veda-varna.hit.bg/
Executive Director: Ms. Dora Dimitrova
Union of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities /UBBSLA/
Tel. +359 52 602122
Fax: +359 52 602122
E-mail:
la-varna@mbox.digsys.bg
Municipality Varna
Tel. +35952 600616
Fax: +35952 605757
E-mail:
silvivanova@varna.bg
Varna Chamber of Commerce and Industry
9000 Varna
135, Primorsky Blvd.
Tel: (+ 359 52) 61 51 40; 23 90 18; 61 21 73
Fax: (+ 359 52) 61 21 46
E-mail:
office@vcci.bg
bozhilov@vcci.bg
tabakov@vcci.bg
htpp://
www.vcci.bg/
Communications-TV, radio, newspapers, internet providers
All of the country’s major Internet Service Providers are present in the
city. Unlimited Internet access of 33,6 Kbps over a cable network is
provided for $15 a month. Higher speed Internet connections (128 Kbps) over
DSL are also available with a monthly subscription fee of less than $100 for
1200 MB of traffic.
The competitive structure of the IT sector is due to the large number of
software and hardware firms. Software companies are specialized in
web-development, and ERP and financial software, complying with local
legislation. Because of the large number of IT students the city has the
potential to become an Offshore Development Centre for software. For the
time being however, foreign investors have not taken advantage of this
opportunity.
Another free market segment is hardware production – local demand is still
being satisfied predominantly through assembly of imported components.
Places to visit and tourist information
Varna Region is a land of ancient civilizations, established as a city in
the VI century BC. In the suburbs of Varna the oldest in the world gold
treasure has been found. It is exposed nowadays in the Archaeological Museum
in Varna.
Six national festivals are held in Varna. The sea resorts in the region are
among the world famous Bulgarian resorts. |