Pernik District

an administrative and territorial unit in western Bulgaria. Area, 2,400 sq km. Population, 180,000 (1974). The city of Pernik is the district capital. The economy is based on heavy industry, and economic activity is concentrated primarily in the Pernik, Radomir, and Truŭn intermontane basins. The resources of the Pernik brown-coal basin made possible the development of heavy industry. The principal branches of heavy industry are coal mining, electric power production, ferrous metallurgy (the V. I. Lenin Steel Works in Pernik), and machine building (mining equipment, machine tools, and electrical equipment). They are centered in the cities of Pernik, Radomir, Truŭn, and Breznik. Other industries include food processing and the production of glass and cement. Within the national economy Pernik District is important for the production of coal, ferrous metals, cement, glass, and electric power. Agriculture is of local importance.