It occupies parts of the Upper Thracian Plain to the south of Plovdiv and the northernmost slopes of the central Rhodopi mountains. Its territory is 524.8 square kilometres (202.6 sq mi).
The backbone of the economy is agriculture which employs around 80% of the population. Amongst the most important crops are grapes with annual production of 15,000 tonnes.
Demography
Religion
According to the latest Bulgarian census of 2011, the religious composition, among those who answered the optional question on religious identification, was the following:
