Novi Pazar (Bulgarian: Нови пазар, "new marketplace") is a town in Shumen Province, northeastern Bulgaria, located in a hollow between the Shumen, Ludogorie and Provadiya plateaus, on the banks of the Kriva Reka ("twisting river"). It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Novi Pazar Municipality. As of December 2009, the town had a population of 12,673.
43°30′N 26°45′E / 43.500°N 26.750°E
The Ludogorie (Bulgarian: Лудогорие) or Deliorman (Делиорман; Turkish: Deli Orman, lit. 'mad forest' and Bulgarian: lud - "mad", "crazy" and gora - "forest"), is a region in northeastern Bulgaria stretching over the plateau of the same name. Major cities in the region are Targovishte, Razgrad, Dulovo, Novi Pazar, Pliska, Preslav, and Isperih. Part of the Danubian Plain, the region is hilly in the east, reaching up to 485.70 metres (1,593.5 ft) in height near the village of Samuil, but merges with the plains of Dobruja and the Danube to the north, with the lowest point near Yuper (39.14 m (128.4 ft)). The region is bordered to the west by the Provadiya River and the Beli Lom; to the east it transitions into the Dobruja plateau. The region has a significant ethnic Turkish minority.
Novi Pazar Municipality (Bulgarian: Община Нови пазар) is a municipality (obshtina) in Shumen Province, Northeastern Bulgaria, located between Ludogorie and Provadia Plateau, not far from South Dobrudzha geographical region. It is named after its administrative centre - the town of Novi Pazar.
The municipality embraces a territory of 318 km (123 sq mi) with a population of 18,476 inhabitants, as of December 2009. The southernmost part of the area is crossed by the eastern operating section of Hemus motorway which is planned to connect the port of Varna with the country capital – Sofia.