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Geo-economic regions

In the Strumica Valley there are several regions with specific geographic and economic features. The first one, economically richest, covers the foot of the valley east of the city of Strumica. It is intersected by the Strumica River and its tributaries Turija and Vodoca. In this region, on the road to the Macedonian-Bulgarian border, are the settlements Bosilovo, Murtino, Dabile, Monospitovo, Turnovo, Gradsko Baldovci, Sacevo, Robovo, Ednokukevo, Borievo, Sekirnik, Radovo, and Zubovo, and on the north and west are the villages Dobrejci, Vasilevo, Piperevo, Prosenikovo, Saraj, Petralinci, Staro Baldovci, Gradosorci, Angelci, Banica, Vodoca, and Veljusa.

The second region by economic importance is the Podbelasica or Podgor region, where there are a number of settlements in the foot of the Belasica mountain. This region is rich with water and lush vegetation, among which the chestnut and walnut forests particularly stand out. Starting from Strumica towards the east, the villages Kuklis, Svidovica, Bansko, Gabrovo, Kolesino, Borisovo, Mokrievo, Mokrino, Smolare, Drazevo, and Staro Konjarevo are situated.

The third region in the Strumica basin consists of the villages situated in the foot of the Ograzden mountain. This region, unlike the Podbelasica one, is considerably drier and hillier. From east to west, the settlements Nivicino, Dobrasinci, Nova Maala, Visoka Maala, Canaklija, Gecerlija, Hamzali, Drvos, Ilovica, Stuka, Susica, Samoilovo, Novo Selo, and Novo Konjarevo, as well as Bajkovo, Badilen, Barbarevo, and Stinik, are situated in this region.

On the left and right hand side of the Strumica-Radovis highway are the villages Vladevci, Susevo, Edrenikovo, Dukatino, Radicevo, and Sedlarci.

A separate region lays in the south and west from Strumica, along the Strumica-Valandovo highway, where the villages Tri Vodi, Rabrovo, Belotino, Varvarica, Tribicino, Ric, Popcevo, Kosturino, Ormanli, Memesli, and Dorlombos, where the population mainly deals with livestock breeding and less with agriculture.

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Seismology

Seismologically, the Strumica region is situated between two seismically dangerous zones in the Balkans, i.e. between the Vardar seismological zone and the Struma seismological zone. These epicentral areas have constant impact on the land in the Strumica region, especially on the eastern, northern, and north-western plain, and, so far, the maximum intensity of the earthquakes in this region has been 8 degrees according to the Mercally scale.

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Soil

There are several types of soil composition in the Strumica region. The skeletal soils are found in the mountainous part (in the peripheral parts of the Valley), then come the diluvial deposits and saline soils, while in the lowland and central part of the valley are the alluvial deposits. They cover about 11,520 hectares and being the most fertile, they represent one of the main factors for the developed agriculture in the region.

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Climate

In the Strumica Valley, the Mediterranean climate, whose penetration from the Aegean Sea is obstructed by Mt. Belasica, fuses with the Continental climate, whose influence is significantly reduced by the Ograzden and Plackovica mountains. The climate in this region is characterized by mild winters, long and dry summers, and high daily average temperatures. The winter temperatures may fall to -20 degrees Celsius and the summer temperatures can rise to 40° C. Spring and autumn are very pleasant but extremely short. The annual average rainfalls reach around 600 l/sq.m. and have a Mediterranean regime, i.e. maximum in November and December and minimum in August and September.

There are about 230 sunny days annually, i.e. an average of 2,377 hours per year. On average, at most 20 days are foggy. Winds blow from all directions, of which the most important to note is the one from the north-west, mostly in July, and the south-west in the spring, while the so-called Severec (the north wind) and the south wind are quite rare.

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Land

The favorable climate and quality soil represent the gratest economic potential of the Strumica region. Although, from time to time, there are changes in the sowing implementation with greater or smaller presence, and even rejection, of some farming crops, the region is one of the most active agricultural areas in the Balkans. Hence, until the 1970s, it was the greatest producer of cereals and industrial crops, mainly poppy, cotton, tobacco, sesame, sugar, beet, etc. However, with the construction of the artificial lakes Turija and Vodoca and the irrigation systems, the sowing implementations rapidly changed in favor of the more profitable, early, medium and late field crops, both for fresh consumption and for processing in the industrial plants.

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Forests

The slopes of the mountains Ograzden, Belasica, Elenica, Pljackovica, and Plavus, which are encircling the Strumica Valley, are characterized by rich forests. The forests cover approximately 45,000 hectares, about half of the total area of the Strumica municipality. By their structure, the forests are deciduous: oak, beech, chestnut, and walnut, and conifer: black and white pine trees, fir, and other types of trees. The quality forests are between 1,000 and 1,500 meters above sea level, while those up to 500 meters are mainly degraded or brushes.

In spite of the fact that the Strumica region has not been sufficiently geologically explored, there are indications that it is rich with minerals. Some of the ore deposits are abundandly exploited, like the sodium feldspar on Mt. Ograzden and the calcium carbonate on Mt. Belasica. There are also indications that there is quartz on Ograzden and Belasica, marble limes on Belasica near Kosturino, iron and kaoline tuffs in the vicinity of Ilovica and Stuka, gold near the village of Susevo, and radioactive minerals on a number of localities on Mt. Belasica.

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Geology

From geological point of view, the region below Mt. Belasica is also interesting for the warm mineral water, emerging from numerous springs and of different temperature. Although the explorations of the ground geo-thermal water reserves are not yet completed, the spa Bansko is considered to be one of the oldest spa resorts. Its water, with a temperature between 47 and 72 degrees Celsius, is used for heating of the hotel facilities and of the greenhouses covering approximately 3 hectares and used for the cultivation of peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

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Irrigation

The artificial lakes and irrigation systems are of crucial importance for the development of intensive agriculture in the Strumica Valley. Once only a producer of cereals, cotton, poppy, sesame, and industrial crops, it became the greatest producer of early and industrial vegetables in our country.

The largest water reservoir in the region is the artificial lake Turija, ten kilometers north from Strumica, on Mt. Ograzden. The lake occupies an area of 1.8 sq. km. and a capacity of 50 million cube meters of water, while its maximum depth is 78 meters. Second by size is the artifical lake Vodoca, situated approximately six kilometers south from the city. It is the first artificial lake constructed in the area (1968) and covers a surface of 1.94 sq. km. with a capacity of 26 million cube meters and a maximum depth of 38.7 meters. Smaller reservoirs are the artificial lakes Novoselka, with a capacity of 403,000 cube meters, Causica, 187,000 cube meters, Ilovcanka, 260,000 cube meters, and the reservoir near the village of Mokrievo with a capacity of 26,000 cube meters.

Around 13,000 hectares are irrigated from these artificial lakes, and another 2,500 hectares from the regulated water currents on Mt. Belasica, while the remaining arable land is irrigated from the rivers that pass through the valley and from exploitation of the ground waters. Most of the water economy structures are managed by the Strumicki Sliv Water Economy Organization.

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Introduction
Strumica Geography
  · Geo-economic regions
  · Seismology
  · Soil
  · Climate
  · Land
  · Forests
  · Geology
  · Irrigation
Strumica History
  · Ancient Times
  · Medieval Times
  · Ottoman Rule
  · Balkan Wars
  · World Wars
Strumica Culture
  · Traditional Strumica Carnival
  · International Strumica Art Colony
  · The Cultural Center
  · The Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments and Natural Rarities and Museum
  · The Archive of Macedonia - Extension Service Strumica
Strumica Economy
  · Agriculture
  · Industry
  · Banks
  · Postal Services
  · Road Infrastructure
  · Transportation
  · Trade
 

A view of Strumica

Downtown Strumica

The fountain in the village of Robovo

The soil is good for industrial crops

The Strumica Valley

Platis foil agriculture in the Strumica Valley

Forrest wealth of the Ograzden Mountain

Sodium feldspar mine 'Ograzden'

Artificial lake and dam 'Turija'

A waterfall near the village of Smolare