The river is most often noted for its 30 m-wide mouth that is home to an abundance of flora species, over 100 of which endangered in the country. The lower section of the river is a protected area since 1940 and forms part of the Ropotamo Reserve. The lower Ropotamo is a popular tourist attraction because of the water lilies and the rock formations above the river, on some of which white-tailed eagles nest.
Under the name Tserovska River, the Ropotamo originates from the Bosna Ridge in the Strandzha Mountains at some 500 m south-west of the Bosna Peak (454 m) at an altitude of 400 m. Up until the village of Novo Panicharevo it flows in north-eastern direction in a deep and narrow forested valley.[1] Further downstream from the village it leaves the mountains and turns eastwards in a wide valley. The Ropotamo then forms a narrow gorge between the ridges Medni Rid and Uzun Bair and enters a wide marshy valley near its mouth. It empties into the Black Sea in a small homonymous bay to the west of Cape Saint Demetrius. Near its mouth there is a long and wide liman separated from the sea by sandspits, which is navigable for small vessels.[1]
Ropotamo's drainage basin spans a territory of 249 km2. It borders the basins of the rivers Izvorska that empties into Lake Mandrensko to the north-west, Veleka to the south-west and Dyavolska reka to the south and south-east. The river has predominantly rain feed with high water in winter (January–February) and low water in autumn (August). The average annual flow is 1.31 m3/s at the village of Veselie.[1]
Most of the river valley is covered in dense riparian forests of oak, ash, elm, hornbeam, etc. The lower course hosts abundant populations of European white water lily (Nymphaea alba) and a number of rare plant and animal species.[3] To protect these ecosystems in 1940 the authorities established the Ropotamo Reserve, which was designated a Ramsar site in 1975 as part of the Ropotamo Complex that also includes the swamps Alepu, Arkutino and several smaller protected areas.[2][3] In the lower course there are rock formations, such as the Lion's Head, small caves, and the highest dune in the Balkans.[4]
Мичев (Michev), Николай (Nikolay); Михайлов (Mihaylov), Цветко (Tsvetko); Вапцаров (Vaptsarov), Иван (Ivan); Кираджиев (Kiradzhiev), Светлин (Svetlin) (1980). Географски речник на България [Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria] (in Bulgarian). София (Sofia): Наука и култура (Nauka i kultura).
