This paper discusses the territorial organization of the chemical industry in
Bulgaria. Using the ESRI ArcGIS software and applying cluster analysis, the
study aims to group (cluster) the 28 Bulgarian districts (NUTS 3 level
classification) based on produced output, persons employed, and Bulgarian
lev (BGN) equivalent of foreign exchange earnings from exports for the
period 2010-2020. Three reference years, 2010, 2015, and 2020, have been
selected for the observed period. The general conclusion is that the
chemical industry in Bulgaria is characterized by high territorial
concentration. Varna was the leading district in developing the chemical
industry in the observed period from 2010 to 2020, followed by Plovdiv,
Ruse, and Sofia (the capital). At the other pole were the districts of
Vidin, Montana, Vratsa, Pleven, Lovech, Razgrad, Silistra, Targoviste,
Dobrich, Pernik, Kyustendil, Blagoevgrad, Sliven, Yambol, and Kardzhali. The
findings of the research show that territorial polarization is linked with
several factors that can be grouped according to their impact into four
groups: 1) raw material and energy, 2) transport infrastructure and
proximity to the end user, 3) state and environmental regulations, and 4)
provision of skilled labor.