Blagoevgrad Province

Pirin Macedonia or Bulgarian Macedonia (Bulgarian: Пиринска Македония; Българска Македония) (Pirinska Makedoniya or Bulgarska Makedoniya), which today is in southwestern Bulgaria, is the third-biggest part of the geographical region of Macedonia. This part coincides with the borders of Blagoevgrad Province, as well as the surrounding area of Barakovo from Kyustendil Province. After World War I, Strumica and the surrounding area were broken away from the region and were ceded to Yugoslavia.

It covers an area of about 6,798 km, which is 10.18% of the geographical region of Macedonia. One of the regional centers is Blagoevgrad. The region borders Kyustendil Province and Sofia Province to the north, Pazardzhik Province and Smolyan Province to the east, Greece to the south, and North Macedonia to the west. The population is estimated around 290,000 people.

Melnik (Bulgarian: Мелник [ˈmɛɫnik], Greek: Μελένικο, Meleniko) is a town in Blagoevgrad Province, Southwestern Bulgaria, in the Southwestern Pirin Mountains, about 440 m above sea level. The town is an architectural reserve and 96 of its buildings are cultural monuments. With a population of 385, it is the smallest town in Bulgaria, retaining its town status today for historical reasons. It is situated on the foothills of the Pirin mountain range and is overlooked by the Melnik Earth Pyramids.

Rupite (Bulgarian: Рупите, pronounced [ˈrupitɛ]) is a village which includes a small mountainous protected area in the southeastern part of Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria, 11 kilometers northeast of Petrich, Petrich Municipality, on the western bank of the Struma River. It is best known as the place where alleged Bulgarian clairvoyant Baba Vanga lived. The area is also associated with the crater of an extinct volcano, the hills of Kozhuh and Pchelina, and the warm thermal springs. The village has 1,124 inhabitants.

42°15′N 23°0′E / 42.250°N 23.000°E / 42.250; 23.000

Kyustendil Province (Bulgarian: Област Кюстендил, romanized: Oblast Kyustendil) is a province in southwestern Bulgaria, extending over an area of 3,084.3 km (1,190.9 sq mi) (constituting 2.7% of the total territory of the Republic of Bulgaria), and with a population of 106 131. It borders the provinces of Sofia, Pernik, and Blagoevgrad; to the west, its limits coincide with the state borders between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, and between Bulgaria and the Republic of Serbia. The administrative center of the Province is Kyustendil.

Blagoevgrad (Bulgarian: Благоевград [bɫɐˈɡɔɛvˌɡrat]) is а town in Southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Municipality and of Blagoevgrad Province. With a population of almost 70,000 inhabitants, it is the economic and cultural centre of Southwestern Bulgaria. It is located in the valley of the Struma River at the foot of the Rila Mountains, 101 kilometres (63 miles) south of Sofia, close to the border with North Macedonia.

Blagoevgrad features a pedestrian downtown, with preserved 19th-century architecture and numerous restaurants, cafés, coffee shops, and boutiques. It is home to two universities, the South-West University "Neofit Rilski" and the American University in Bulgaria. The town also hosts the "Sts. Cyril and Methodius National Humanitarian High School". The former Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki moved from Thessaloniki to Blagoevgrad (then Gorna Dzhumaya) in 1913.

42°40′N 23°40′E / 42.667°N 23.667°E / 42.667; 23.667

Sofia Province (Bulgarian: Софийска област, romanized: Sofiyska oblast) is a province (oblast) of Bulgaria. The province does not include Sofia in its territories, but Sofia remains the seat of its administration. The province borders on the provinces of Pernik, Kyustendil, Blagoevgrad, Pazardzhik, Plovdiv, Lovech, Vratsa, Montana, and "Sofia City Province" (which is in a separate oblast, see Sofia Administration), and borders with Serbia to the northwest.

Momina Klisura (Bulgarian: Момина клисура, meaning Maiden's Gorge) is a steep valley along the river Mesta in south-western Bulgaria, stretching about 25 km. Administratively, it is situated in the municipalities of Bansko and Gotse Delchev, Blagoevgrad Province. According to the legend, the gorge was named after a maiden, who fought the Ottoman Turks defending the fortress of Momina Kula and plunged into the abyss upon seeing that the stronghold was about to fall.

Klyuch (Bulgarian: Ключ, "key"; also transliterated Кључ, Ključ, Kliuch, Kljuch, etc., Medieval Greek: Κλειδίον, Kleidion, Latin: Clidium) is a village in south-westernmost Bulgaria, part of Petrich Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province. It lies 455 metres above sea level. As of 2005, it has a population of 1,113 and the mayor is Hristo Markov.

Klyuch lies at the northern foot of the Belasitsa mountains, south of the Strumeshnitsa River, in the geographic region of Podgorie. The climate is transitional Mediterranean, with a summer minimum and a winter maximum of precipitation.

The Melnik Earth Pyramids (Bulgarian: Мелнишки пирамиди) are rock formations, known as hoodoos, situated at the foothills of the Pirin mountain range in south-western Bulgaria. They span an area of 17 km near the town of Melnik, Blagoevgrad Province. Reaching a height of up to 100 m these sandstone pyramids are shaped in forms, resembling giant mushrooms, ancient towers and obelisks. They were formed primarily due to erosion from rainfall and bedrock wear. The Melnik Earth Pyramids are a geological phenomenon of global importance and were declared a natural landmark in 1960. The rock formations are home to rich flora and fauna heavily influenced by the Mediterranean climate. They are a tourist destination due to the natural environment of the area, the cultural sights of Melnik and the Rozhen Monastery.