Mersin Province

Mersin Province (Turkish: Mersin ili), formerly İçel Province (Turkish: İçel ili), is a province in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast between Antalya and Adana. The provincial capital and the biggest city in the province is Mersin, which is composed of Akdeniz, Mezitli, Toroslar and Yenişehir metropolitan municipalities, followed by Tarsus, the birthplace of Paul the Apostle. The province is considered to be a part of the geographical, economical and cultural region of Çukurova, which covers the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Hatay.

Mersin Province

Mersin ili
Province of Turkey
Location of Mersin Province in Turkey
CountryTurkey
RegionMediterranean
SubregionAdana
Government
 • Electoral districtMersin
Area
 • Total15,853 km2 (6,121 sq mi)
Population
 (2018)[1]
 • Total1,814,468
 • Density110/km2 (300/sq mi)
Area code(s)0324
Vehicle registration33

Etymology

The province is named after its biggest city Mersin. Mersin was named after the aromatic plant genus Myrsine (Greek: Μυρσίνη, Turkish: mersin) in the family Primulaceae, a myrtle that grows in abundance in the area. The 17th-century Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi has recorded in his Seyahatnâme that there was also a clan named Mersinoğulları in the area.[2]

Geography

87% of the land area is mountain, leading up to the rocky heights of the central Taurus Mountains, the highest peak is Medetsiz (3,584 m) in the Bolkar range, and there are a number of important passes over to central Anatolia. There are many high meadows and small plains between 700 and 1500m.

The coastal strip has many large areas of flatland, formed from soil brought down by rivers and streams running off the mountains. This is fertile land, the largest area being the plain of Tarsus. The largest rivers are the Göksu and the Berdan (aka Tarsus, Cydnus of antiquity), but there are many small streams running into lakes, reservoirs or the Mediterranean sea. Mersin has 321 km of coastline, much of it sandy beach. The climate is typical of the Mediterranean; very hot and very humid in summer, warm and wet in winter; the winter rains can be very heavy and flooding is a problem in many areas, but it never snows on the coast, although there is snow in the mountainous areas.

History
Main article: Mersin

In antiquity, this coast was part of Cilicia, named for a Phoenician or Assyrian prince that had settled here. Trade from Syria and Mesopotamia over the mountains to central Anatolia passed through here, through the Cilician Gates. The geographer Strabo, described the region as being divided into "Rugged Cilicia" (Cilicia Trachea, Κιλικία Τραχεία in Greek) and "Flat Cilicia" (Cilicia Pedias, Κιλικία Πεδιάς). The capital of both sections of Cilicia was Tarsus and Mersin was its seaport.

Administration

As of 1933, there were two separate provinces, namely İçel and Mersin, on the territory of today's Mersin Province when the Mersin Province was abolished and merged with the İçel Province but the seat of the latter was moved from Silifke to Mersin. In 2002, the province's name was changed from İçel to Mersin but the province retained the license plate number of 33, İçel having been the 33rd in the alphabetical order of Turkish province names.

Districts
Districts of Mersin Province

Mersin province is divided into thirteen districts four of which are actually included within the municipality of Mersin city (shown in boldface letters).

Demographics

About 50% of the population of the province is younger than 24 years of age. 68% were born in Mersin. The literacy rate is 89%. About 43% of the male population and about 27% of the female population graduated from middle school. Infant mortality is 0.48%. Urban population growth rate is 2.42%. Population density is 117. (In the table below, the four second-level municipalities are merged within Mersin proper.)

Name of the district Population
(urban area)		 Population
(district total,
including rural area)
Mersin 842,230 888,803
Anamur 34,227 62,702
Aydıncık 8,004 11,651
Bozyazı 15,615 26,295
Çamlıyayla 2,861 9,847
Erdemli 45,241 125,391
Gülnar 8,357 19,141
Mut 28,966 63,673
Silifke 51,684 113,404
Tarsus 233,436 308,681

Economy

The city of Mersin is one of busiest cities in Turkey. Due to the economic activity in this part of Turkey generated by the GAP Project Mersin is Turkey's biggest Mediterranean port, and also hosts an oil refinery and a free trade zone; there are a number of factories along the road between Mersin and Adana, manufacturing glass, detergents, fertilisers and many more. With all this activity a modern city has grown with a university and other major amenities.

Tourism

Mersin does not have the huge volume of tourists enjoyed by neighbouring Antalya or the Aegean coast, but Turkish people do come to this coast, especially now that the hotels have air-conditioning, and perhaps more to the mountain country behind where there are healing mineral water springs. In summer the hills are a popular retreat from the high humidity and extreme heat on the coast. West of Mersin includes bays, and little islands. Yacht touring is a tourism income in these areas.

Places of interest

Towns and other geographic features

Towns

Archaeological and historical

Museums

Other

See also
  • Mersin
    Mediterranean sea shore
  • Mersin
    Refah monument
  • Mersin
    Light house
  • Mersin
    Harbor
  • Mersin
    Soli ruins
  • Anamur
    Mamure castle
  • Aydıncık
    Aynalıgöl
  • Aydıncık
    Detail from the mosaic
  • Aydıncık
    Dörtayak
  • Çamlıyayla
    Kadıncık dam
  • Erdemli
    Maiden's castle
  • Erdemli
    Öküzlü basilica
  • Erdemli
    Emirzeli church
  • Erdemli
    Lamos
  • Erdemli
    Lake Karakız
  • Mut
    Mut castle
  • Mut
    Alahan Monastery
  • Silifke
    Silifke historical bridge
  • Silifke
    Cape Tisan
  • Silifke
    Boğsak Islet
  • Silifke
    Karakabaklı ruins
  • Silifke
    Sinekkale
  • Silifke
    Sculpture in Silifke Museum
  • Silifke
    Narlıkuyu
  • Silifke
    Susanoğlu
  • Silifke
    Mezgitkale
  • Tarsus
    Berdan River
  • Tarsus
    Cleopatra's Gate
  • Tarsus
    Grand Mosque
  • Tarsus, Yenice train station
    Location of İnönü-Churcill meeting

Notes
  1. "Population of provinces by years - 2000-2018". Turkish Statistical Institute. Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  2. İçel: Mersin- Tarsus- Çamlıyayla- Erdemli- Silifke- Aydıncık- Bozyazı- Anamur- Gülnar- Mut (Kültür, Turizm ve Tanıtım yayınları, 1992), p. 7.

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