Mikhailovgrad District

an administrative division in northwestern Bulgaria. Area, 3,600 sq km. Population, 237,000 (1970). The administrative center is Mikhailovgrad. The northern, flat part of the district extends to the Danube. The southern, mountainous part contains deposits of complex and iron ores and marble. The economy is based on industry and agriculture. The district is one of Bulgaria’s most important agricultural regions, producing wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflowers, tomatoes, peppers, melons, grapes, strawberries, and raspberries. Cattle are raised throughout the district, and pigs in the north. The main branches of industry are mining (the Martinov Mining Combine, the Chiprov Mines, and ore-concentration factories), machine building, food processing (sugar, vegetable-oil extraction, flour milling, canning, and beer brewing), and woodworking. Plastic and marble products and abrasive tools (Berkovitsa) are also manufactured. A hydroelectric power plant on the Burziia River provides the district’s electrical energy.