Byala is a town in Northeastern Bulgaria. It is located in Varna region and is on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The Byala municipality consists of the town of Byala and the villages of Popovich, Dyulino, Gospodinovo, Goritza and Samotino. In is situated 50 km south of Varna and 70 km north of Burgas in a semi-mountainous region in the easternmost branches of Stara Planina.
The first known settlement here, near cape Saint Athanassius just south of town, is dated back to the 6th century BC. Its Greek name was Aspros; later, the Roman road service station Templum Iovis was erected, with a fortress nearby. The region became part of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681 AD; the Bulgarian fortress of Vicha stood later on cape Beli Nos north of town. In the Ottoman period (from the late 14th century through 1878), a village known as Akdere exsited at the towns present location; it was later renamed Byala. A customs office between the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia was temporarily established. Until the early 1900s, the majority of the population was ethnic Greek; with the population transfers between Bulgaria and Greece following World War I, about 75% of them are now ethnic Bulgarians tracing their ancestry to the village of Atiras in Aegean Macedonia. Byala was declared a town on 5th September 1984.
Byalas economy is based mostly on tourism and agriculture, including viticulture. There are several hotels, camping areas and beaches. There are attempts to develop "village tourism", a new concept that is believed to be interesting to foreigners.
Nature landmarks outside Byala inslude Karadere, one of Bulgarias last remaining wild beaches with pristine dunes and freshwater wetlands, and the White Cliffs displaying a classic K-T boundary exposure; there is a demonstration centre.
