{{Infobox river | name = Provadiyska reka<br />Провадийска река | image = Provadiyska-reka.jpg | image_caption = The Provadiyska reka | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 8 | source1_location = Ludogorie Plateau, north of Shumen, Bulgaria | source1_coordinates= {{coord|43|29|08|N|26|48|35|E|region:BG}} | mouth_location = Lake Beloslav, ultimately the Black Sea | mouth_coordinates = {{coord|43|10|59|N|27|39|34|E|region:BG|display=inline,title}} | subdivision_type1 = Country | subdivision_name1 = Bulgaria | length_km = 119 | source1_elevation = {{convert|480|m|abbr=on}} | discharge1_avg = | basin_size_km2 = 2,132 }}

The '''Provadiya''' or the '''Provadiyska reka''' ({{langx|bg|Провадийска река}}) is a 119&nbsp;km long river in northeastern Bulgaria, named after the town of Provadia.<ref name="Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria 391">{{harvnb|Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria|1980|p=391}}</ref>

== Geography == [[File:Venchan.jpg|thumb|left|The Provadiyska reka valley at Venchan]] The Provadiyska reka takes its source under the name Kamenitsa from a karst spring at an altitude of 119&nbsp;km at the outskirts of the village of Boyan in the Samuilovo Heights of the Ludogorie region. It flows southeast through the region of Ovche Pole in a wide valley, which narrows and becomes canyon-like between the towns of Kaspichan and Provadia, running between the Provadia Plateau to the southwest, the Stana Plateau to the north and the Dobrinsko Plateau to the east. Downstream from the town of Provadia the river forms a large arch bulging south, then turns north and finally northeast, before emptying in Lake Beloslav some 2.6 km northeast of the village of Razdelna. The lake is connected to Lake Varna, which is itself linked with the Black Sea via a navigable channel.<ref name="Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria 391"/>

Its drainage basin covers a territory of 2,132&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> and borders the drainage systems of the Kanagyol, the Suha reka and the Batova reka to the north and the Kamchiya to the south. Among its tributaries is the river Devnya.<ref name="Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria 391"/><ref>{{harvnb|Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria|1980|p=164}}</ref>

The Provadiyska reka has a rain–snow feed. High water is in February–March and low water is in August–September. The average annual discharge is 2.4&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>/s at the village of Sindel.<ref name="Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria 391"/>

== Fauna == The Provadiyska reka contains several rare fish species, including Dnieper chub, sunbleak, Romanian barbel, three-spined stickleback, Caucasian dwarf goby, longtail dwarf goby, etc.<ref>{{cite journal | author1 = Freyhof, J. | author2 = Kottelat, M. | name-list-style = amp | year = 2008 | title = ''Knipowitschia longecaudata'' | journal = The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species | volume = 2008 | page = e.T135509A4135081 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T135509A4135081.en | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite iucn |author=NatureServe. |year=2019 |title=Gasterosteus aculeatus |article-number=e.T8951A58295405 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T8951A58295405.en |access-date=3 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite iucn |author=Freyhof, J. |author2=Kottelat, M. |date=2008 |title=''Knipowitschia caucasica'' |volume=2008 |article-number=e.T11030A3240732 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T11030A3240732.en |access-date=3 April 2025}}</ref> The first two may have been expatriated from the river.<ref>{{harvnb|Red Book of Bulgaria, Volume II|2015|pp=216, 309}}</ref> It is also the northern limit of the Bulgarian minnow.<ref>{{cite iucn |author=Freyhof, J. |author-link=Jörg Freyhof |year=2024 |title=''Phoxinus strandjae'' |article-number=e.T135585A137283279 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T135585A137283279.en |access-date=3 April 2025}}</ref>

== Settlements and economy == The Provadiyska reka flows in Shumen and Varna Provinces. There are two towns and 11 villages along its course: Edinakovtsi, Dobri Voynikovo, Hitrino, Kamenyak and Kaspichan (town) in Shumen Province, and Venchan, Zlatina, Provadia (town), Barzitsa, Yunak, Sindel, Trastikovo and Razdelna in Varna Province. Its waters are utilized for irrigation and industrial supply for the major Varna-Devnya Industrial Complex.<ref name="Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria 391"/>

Its valley is an important transport route, fully traversed by a section of railway line No. 9 Ruse–Varna served by the Bulgarian State Railways. There two roads along its valley, an 8.9&nbsp;km stretch of the third class III-208 road Vetrino–Dalgopol–Aytos between Zlatina and Provadia, and a 12.8&nbsp;km section of the third class III-904 road Staro Oryahovo–Dolni Chiflik–Provadia follows it between Barzitsa and Provadia.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.api.bg/bg/1607347252.html |title=A Map of the Republican Road Network of Bulgaria|website=Official Site of the Road Infrastructure Agency|access-date=3 April 2025}}</ref>

== Citations == {{Reflist|25em}}

== References == {{commons category|Provadiyska reka}} * {{cite book | ref={{harvid|Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria|1980}} | title = Географски речник на България | trans-title = Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria | last1 = Мичев (Michev) | first1 = Николай (Nikolay) | last2 = Михайлов (Mihaylov) | first2 = Цветко (Tsvetko) | last3 = Вапцаров (Vaptsarov) | first3 = Иван (Ivan) | last4 = Кираджиев (Kiradzhiev) | first4 = Светлин (Svetlin) | chapter = | year = 1980 | language = Bulgarian | publisher = Наука и култура (Nauka i kultura) | location = София (Sofia) | isbn = }} * {{cite book | ref={{harvid|Red Book of Bulgaria, Volume II|2015}} | title = Red Book of Bulgaria, Volume II | trans-title = | last1 = Golemanski | first1 = Vasil | last2 = Peev | first2 = Dimitar | last3 = Chipev | first3 = Nesho | last4 = Beron | first4 = Petar | last5 = Biserkov | first5 = Valko | chapter = | year = 2015 | language = Bulgarian | publisher = Bulgarian Academy of Sciences | location = Sofia | isbn = 978-954-9746-19-8 }}

Category:Rivers of Bulgaria Category:Rivers of Varna Province Category:Rivers of Shumen Province Category:Tributaries of the Black Sea