Svilengrad

Svilengrad (Bulgarian: Свиленград; Greek: Σβίλενγκραντ; Ottoman Turkish: Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) is a town in Haskovo Province, south-central Bulgaria, situated at the tripoint of Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Svilengrad Municipality. Svilengrad lies on the Maritsa River in southeastern Bulgaria, close to the borders with both Greece and Turkey. The town is about 2 km (1.2 mi) north of the Greek border and 14 km (8.7 mi) northwest of the Turkish border. The Greek village of Ormenio lies to the south, while Edirne in Turkey is about 30 km to the east. The town’s position near two international borders has strongly influenced its development. The main road and railway routes between Bulgaria and Turkey pass through the area, and customs, freight transport and other border-related services are important to the local economy. The Kapitan Andreevo border crossing, southeast of Svilengrad, is one of the principal road crossings between Bulgaria and Turkey. Svilengrad occupies part of the broad valley of the Maritsa. The Sakar Mountains rise to the northeast, while the easternmost foothills of the Rhodope Mountains lie to the southwest. The surrounding lowlands have a relatively warm climate and are used for agriculture, including vineyards and fruit growing.