East Thrace includes two narrow straits, provides access to the Mediterranean from the Black Sea for the navies of five countries: Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, and Georgia. The region also serves as a future connector of existing Turkish and European high speed rail networks. East Thrace includes all in the eastern part of the historical region of Thrace. The area includes all the territories of the Turkish provinces of Edirne, Tekirdağ and Kırklareli, as well as those territories on the European Continent of the provinces of Çanakkale and Istanbul. Due to the moderating effect of the surrounding seas, the climate tends to
Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Thrace Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Thrace The Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Tracia (informally Tracia of the Bulgarians) was the second missionary, pre-diocesan jurisdiction of the Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church "sui iuris" (Eastern Catholic, Byzantine Rite in Bulgarian language). As Apostolic Vicariate it was exempt, i.e. directly dependent on the Holy See, and entitled to a titular bishop. It was established on 7 April 1883 as Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Tracia alias Hadrianopolis (after its see Adrianople, now Edirne, in Turkish Thrace) on Ottoman Turkish and Bulgarian territory in Thrace split off from the Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of