Anton (Bulgarian: Антон, pronounced [ɐnˈtɔn]) is a village in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is the administrative centre of Anton Municipality, which lies in the easternmost part of Sofia Province. Anton is situated in the Zlatitsa–Pirdop Valley, 80 kilometres east of the capital Sofia. The village is the only place in the eponymous municipality, which has an area of 76 square kilometres and includes the Vartopa area, part of the Central Balkan National Park. Anton's old name was Ladzhene (Лъджене).

Anton
Антон
Anton is located in Bulgaria
Anton
Anton
Location of Anton
Coordinates: 42°45′N 24°17′E / 42.750°N 24.283°E / 42.750; 24.283
Country Bulgaria
Province (Oblast)Sofia
Government
 • MayorStoyan Garchev
Elevation
807 m (2,648 ft)
Population
 (2008)[1]
 • Total1,631
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal Code
2089
Area code07186

A notable sight in the area is the Elenska Basilica, a partially preserved imposing Late Roman or early Byzantine (5th-6th century) Christian basilica.

Demography edit

Ethnicity edit

According to the 2011 Bulgarian census, 87.99% of the population of Anton are Bulgarians, 2.31% are Gypsies, 0.18% are Turks and 0.5% were others. Some 9% of the population did not declare their ethnicity.

Anton is one of the few settlements in Bulgaria where the Aromanians live.[1][2] The Aromanian minority of this country is small, composed of around 2,000 to 3,000 people nationwide.[1]

Religion edit

According to the latest Bulgarian census of 2011, the religious composition, among those who answered the optional question on religious identification, was the following:

Religious composition of Anton Municipality [3]
Orthodox Christianity
81.1%
Catholicism
0.0%
Protestantism
0.0%
Islam
0.3%
No religion
2.1%
Prefer not to answer, others and indefinable
16.5%

References edit

  1. ^ a b Constantin, Marin (2014). "The ethno-cultural belongingness of Aromanians, Vlachs, Catholics, and Lipovans/Old Believers in Romania and Bulgaria (1990–2012)" (PDF). Revista Română de Sociologie. 25 (3–4): 255–285.
  2. ^ Kyurkchiev, Nikolai (2006). "The Aromânians: an ethnos and language with a 2000-year history". International Journal of the Sociology of Language. 2006 (179): 115–129. doi:10.1515/IJSL.2006.029. S2CID 144939846.
  3. ^ "Religious composition of Bulgaria 2011". pop-stat.mashke.org.