Kars Province
 Kars Province |
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| Location of Kars Province in Turkey | |
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| Overview | |
| Region: | Eastern Anatolia Region, Turkey |
| Area: | 9,587 km2 (3,702 sq mi) |
| Total Population | 287,106 TurkStat 2007 (est) |
| Licence plate code: | 36 |
| Area code: | 0474 |
| Governor Website | http://www.kars.gov.tr |
Kars (Turkish: Kars, Armenian: Կարս, Kars or Ղարս, Ghars) is a province of Turkey, located in the northeastern part of the country. It shares part of its border with the Republic of Armenia. From 1878 until 1917 all of the present-day province of Kars was part of the Russian oblast of Kars. From 1918 to 1920 the province was under the administration of the Democratic Republic of Armenia as the Vanand province (with the city of Kars as its capital). Its territory was ceded to Turkey by the Soviet Union in the Treaty of Kars. The territory is still disputable as the Treaty of Kars was not legally ratified by any country of the South Caucasus, including the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic and its successor, the Republic of Armenia, and thus bearing no legal consequences for those countries.[1][2] However, the dispute is incoherent as the treaty has actually been signed by the representative of the Republic of Armenia, appointed by the Dashnagzutiun government.[3]
The provinces of Ardahan and Iğdır were until the 1990s part of Kars Province.
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Districts
Kars province is divided into 8 districts (ilçe), each named after the administrative center of the district:
- Akyaka
- Arpaçay
- Digor
- Kağızman
- Kars
- Sarıkamış
- Selim
- Susuz
There are 383 villages in Kars.
Kars nature, wildlife and ecotourism
Kars has a wealth of wildlife that is being documented by the Kars-Igdir Biodiversity Project run by the KuzeyDoga Society.[4] The project has recorded 321 of Turkey's 465 bird species in the region. At least 214 of these occur at Kuyucuk Lake,[5] that is the most important wetland in the province. Sarikamis Forests in the south harbor wolves, brown bear, lynx and other animals, and Aras (Araxes) River wetlands comprise a key stop-over site for many migrating birds. Aras River Bird Research and Education Center at Yukari Ciyrikli village has recorded 218 bird species at this single location alone.
Monuments
Kars contains numerous monuments, the most notable being the ruined Armenian city of Ani and the 9th century Church of the Apostles.
Trivia
Kars was also the setting for the popular novel Snow by Orhan Pamuk. The Siege of Kars, 1855 is a book published by The Stationery Office, 2000, and is an account of its defence and capitulation as reported by one General Williams, one of many British officers lent to the Turkish army to lead garrisons and train regiments in the war against Russia.
Gallery
 Kars city center |
 Ruins of Ani |
 Atatürk monument in Sarıkamış |
 A ruined bridge in Ani |
References
- ↑ RATIFICATION OF THE TREATY OF KARS
- ↑ Armenian genocide and fears of modern Turkey (PDF Document)
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ "KuzeyDoga Society"http://www.kuzeydoga.org
- ↑ "Kuyucuk Lake Project"http://www.kuyucuk.org
External links
- (Turkish) Kars governor's official website
- (Turkish) Kars municipality's official website
- (Turkish) Kars Daily News
- (English) Kars weather forecast information
- Pictures of the city of Kars and of nearby Ani
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