Bulgaria is part of the temperate-continental zone. However, many regions to the south are part of the continental Mediterranean sub-zone of the subtropical climate and have no typical characteristics of the climate of the Central and Western European countries. The Mediterranean climatic influence can be felt at the basins of the rivers of Maritza, Tundzha, Struma, Arda and Mesta. The summer at the seashore is mild but not hot and the winters are also mild.