Eastern Anatolia Region

The Eastern Anatolia Region (Turkish: Doğu Anadolu Bölgesi) is one of seven non-administrative subdivisions of Turkey and encompasses its eastern provinces. Some places are parts of the historic Armenian Highland is located within this region.

The region and the name "Doğu Anadolu Bölgesi" were first defined at the First Geography Congress in 1941. It has the highest average altitude, largest area, and lowest population density of all regions of Turkey.

Contents 1 Location and borders 2 Provinces 3 Population 4 Geography 5 Climate and nature 6 Gallery 7 See also 8 Endnotes

Location and borders

Eastern Anatolia Region is located in the easternmost part of Turkey. It is bounded by Turkey's Central Anatolia Region on the west, its Black Sea Region on the north, its Southeast Anatolia Region and Iraq on the south, and with Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia on the east.

The area of the region is 171.061 km², 21% of the total area of Turkey.

Provinces

• Ağrı Province
• Ardahan Province
• Bingöl Province
• Bitlis Province
• Elazığ Province
• Erzincan Province
• Erzurum Province
• Hakkari Province
• Iğdır Province
• Kars Province
• Malatya Province
• Muş Province
• Tunceli Province
• Van Province

Population

The total population of the region is 6,100,000 (2000 census). The rural population is larger than the urban population. The migration level (to the other regions, especially to Marmara Region) is high and population density (35 person/km²) is lower than the average for Turkey (85 person/km²).

Geography

The average altitude is 2200 m. Major geographic features include plains, plateaus and massifs. There is some volcanic activity today.

Massifs and mountains

• There are three massif lines running north-south:
  • To the north, the Çimen Dağı, Kop Dağıand Yalnızçam mountains
  • In the centre, the Munzur, Karasu Dağı, Aras Dağı mountains
  • To the south, Southeast Tauros, Bitlis, Hakkari, and Buzul mountains.
• The volcanic mountains Nemrut, Süphan, Tendürek and Ararat are in the region.

Plateaus and plains

• The largest plateau in the region is Erzurum-Kars Plato.
• The region includes the Malatya, Elazığ, Bingöl, Muş plains and the Van Lake basin.

Lakes

• Van Gölü is the largest lake in Turkey.
• Hazar
• Balık
• Bulanık
• Nazik
• Çıldır
• Erçek

Rivers

• Fırat
• Dicle
• Aras
• Kura
• Zap

Climate and nature

Since most of the region is far from the sea, and has high altitude, it has a long winter and short summer periods. During the winter, it is very cold and snowy, during summer the weather is cool in the highlands and warm in the lowlands. The region has the lowest average temperature of all Turkish regions.(-25°C). Although it can get below -40°C. The summer average is about 20°C.

The region's annual temperature difference is the highest in Turkey.

Some areas in the region have different microclimates. As an example Iğdır (near Mount Ararat) has a milder climate.

The region contains 11% percent of the total forested area of Turkey. Oak and yellow pine trees form the majority of the forests. It is rich in native plants and animals.

The region has high potential for hydroelectric power.

Gallery

View of Mount Ağrı from Iğdır	General view of the Erzurum city	Folk dance from Erzurum	Çifte Minareli Medrese is an architectural monument of the late Seljuk period in the Turkish city of Erzurum
Monument of the Nene Hatun in Erzurum city	Panaromic view of the Bingöl city	Panaromic view of the Kars city	Akhtamar Island and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, a 10th century Armenian church and monastic complex
Centrum of the Kars city	Malatya İnönü Stadium	Palandöken is center for winter sports in Eastern Anatolia Region	Mount Süphan is a stratovolcano near Van

See also

• Armenian Highland, is the historic name for some places in Eastern Anatolia Region see; Armenians in the Ottoman Empire

Census-defined regions of Turkey Aegean · Black Sea · Central Anatolia · Eastern Anatolia · Marmara · Mediterranean · Southeastern Anatolia

Endnotes