| Varbitsa Municipality | |
| Native Name: | Община Върбица |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Shumen |
| Subdivision Name2: | Varbitsa |
| Timezone: | EET |
| Utc Offset: | +2 |
| Timezone Dst: | EEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +3 |
| Coordinates: | 43°N 69°W |
| Area Total Km2: | 419.36 |
| Population As Of: | December 2009 |
| Population Total: | 10,492 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
Varbitsa Municipality (Bulgarian: Община Върбица) is a municipality (obshtina) in Shumen Province, Northeastern Bulgaria, located in the vicinity of the northern slopes of the Eastern Stara planina mountain to the area of the so-called Fore-Balkan. It is named after its administrative centre - the town of Varbitsa.
The municipality embraces a territory of with a population of 10,492 inhabitants, as of December 2009.[1] The area contains the Ticha Reservoir - one of the biggest in the country, developed along the Kamchiya river. It is the reservoir with the largest perimeter in Bulgaria.
Varbitsa Municipality includes the following 16 places (towns are shown in bold):
| Town/Village | Cyrillic | Population[2] [3] [4] (December 2009) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Varbitsa | Върбица | 3,585 | |
| Byala Reka | Бяла река | 1,162 | |
| Bozhurovo | Божурово | 243 | |
| Chernookovo | Чернооково | 547 | |
| Ivanovo | Иваново | 453 | |
| Konevo | Конево | 247 | |
| Kraygortsi | Крайгорци | 209 | |
| Kyolmen | Кьолмен | 84 | |
| Lovets | Ловец | 392 | |
| Malomir | Маломир | 510 | |
| Mengishevo | Менгишево | 449 | |
| Metodievo | Методиево | 393 | |
| Nova Byala Reka | Нова Бяла река | 520 | |
| Stanyantsi | Станянци | 546 | |
| Sushina | Сушина | 308 | |
| Tushovitsa | Тушовица | 844 | |
| Total | 10,492 |
The following table shows the change of the population during the last four decades.
According to the 2011 census, among those who answered the optional question on ethnic identification, the ethnic composition of the municipality was the following:
| Ethnic group | Population | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 919 | |||
| 5597 | |||
| 2434 | |||
| Other | 675 | ||
| Undeclared | 220 |
According to the latest Bulgarian census of 2011, the religious composition, among those who answered the optional question on religious identification, was the following: