Sub-Balkan valleys in the context of "Karlovo Valley"

The Sofia Valley (Bulgarian: Софийска котловина, romanized: Sofiyska kotlovina), or Sofia Field (Bulgarian: Софийско поле, romanized: Sofiysko pole), is situated in central western Bulgaria. It is the second of the succession of the eleven Sub-Balkan valleys in direction west–east and is the largest of them in area and population. It is named after the city of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Strategically situated on major crossroads in the center of the Balkan Peninsula, the valley is an important national and international economic, transportation and cultural hub.

Southern Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Южна България, Yuzhna Balgariya) is the southern half of the territory of Bulgaria, located to the south of the main ridge of the Balkan Mountains which conventionally separates the country into a northern and a southern part. Besides the Balkan Mountains, Southern Bulgaria borders Serbia to the west, North Macedonia to the southwest, Greece to the south, Turkey to the southeast and the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast to the east.

Geographically, the terrain in Southern Bulgaria is much more varied than that of the north, with the Upper Thracian Plain stretching in the east, while the south and west are dominated by some of Bulgaria's highest mountains such as Rila, Pirin and the Rhodopes, as well as smaller and/or lower mountains and valleys in the west, such as Vitosha, Belasitsa, Osogovo, the Sofia Valley, the Sub-Balkan valleys and the Kraishte region. Southern Bulgaria covers an area of 62,414 square kilometres and has a population of 5,085,872 as of 2009 (63% of Bulgaria's entire population), with a population density of 81.5 people per km. The three largest cities are the national capital Sofia, the largest city in Thrace, Plovdiv, and the major Black Sea port of Burgas.

Vasil Levski (Bulgarian: Васил Левски, spelled in old Bulgarian orthography as Василъ Львскій, pronounced [vɐˈsiɫ ˈlɛfski]), born Vasil Ivanov Kunchev (Васил Иванов Кунчев; 18 July 1837 – 18 February 1873), was a Bulgarian revolutionary who is, today, a national hero of Bulgaria. Dubbed the Apostle of Freedom, Levski ideologised and strategised a revolutionary movement to liberate Bulgaria from Ottoman rule. Levski founded the Internal Revolutionary Organisation, and sought to foment a nationwide uprising through a network of secret regional committees.

Born in the Sub-Balkan town of Karlovo to middle-class parents, Levski became an Orthodox monk before emigrating to join the two Bulgarian Legions in Serbia and other Bulgarian revolutionary groups. Abroad, he acquired the nickname Levski ("Lionlike"). After working as a teacher in Bulgarian lands, he propagated his views and developed the concept of his Bulgaria-based revolutionary organisation, an innovative idea that superseded the foreign-based detachment strategy of the past. In Romania, Levski helped institute the Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee, composed of Bulgarian expatriates. During his tours of Bulgaria, Levski established a wide network of insurrectionary committees. Ottoman authorities, however, captured him at an inn near Lovech and executed him by hanging in Sofia.

Saranska Valley (Bulgarian: Саранска котловина) is situated in central western Bulgaria and is the third of the eleven Sub-Balkan valleys in direction west–east. It is named after the village of Sarantsi.

The valley is enclosed between the Murgash division of the Balkan Mountains to the north and the Sredna Gora mountain range to the south. To the west the Negushevski ridge separates it from the large Sofia Valley and to the east the Oporski ridge separates it from the small Kamarska Valley.

Kamarska Valley (Bulgarian: Камарска котловина) is situated in central western Bulgaria and is the fourth of the eleven Sub-Balkan valleys in direction west–east, and is also the smallest and the highest one among them.

The valley is enclosed between the Murgash and Etropole divisions of the Balkan Mountains to the north and the Sredna Gora mountain range to the south. To the west the Oporski ridge separates it from the Saranska Valley and to the east the Galabets ridge (925 m) separates it from the Zlatitsa–Pirdop Valley.

Zlatitsa–Pirdop Valley (Bulgarian: Златишко-Пирдопска котловина) is situated in central western Bulgaria and is the fifth of the eleven Sub-Balkan valleys in direction west–east. It is named after the two towns that lie within, Zlatitsa and Pirdop. The valley is an important hub of the Bulgarian copper and gold mining and processing industry. It contains numerous natural and architectural landmarks, including the ruins of the late Roman Elenska Basilica.

Kazanlak Valley (Bulgarian: Казанлъшка котловина) is situated in central Bulgaria. Named after the town of Kazanlak, its main settlement, it is the seventh of the eleven Sub-Balkan valleys in direction west–east. Together with the neighbouring Karlovo Valley, it forms part of the Rose Valley region. Due to the high concentration of ancient Thracian monuments, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site the Tomb of Kazanlak, it is also known as the Valley of the Thracian Rulers.

Tvarditsa Valley (Bulgarian: Твърдишка котловина) is situated in central Bulgaria. It is named after the town of Tvarditsa, its main settlement. It is the eighth of the eleven Sub-Balkan valleys in direction west–east.