Mardin Province | |
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Location of Mardin Province in Turkey | |
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Overview | |
Region: | Southeastern Anatolia Region, Turkey |
Area: | 8,891 km2 (3,433 sq mi) |
Total Population | 745 778 TurkStat 2007 (est) |
Licence plate code: | 47 |
Area code: | 0482 |
Governor Website | http://www.mardin.gov.tr |
Mardin Province (Syriac: ܡܶܪܕܺܝܢ "Merdin" in related Semitic language Arabic: ماردين , Mardīn or "Merdin" ) is a province of Turkey with a population of 745 778.[1] The population was 835,173 in 2000[2].The capital of the Mardin Province is Mardin. Located near the traditional boundary of Anatolia and Mesopotamia, it has a diverse population with a Kurdish majority in provinces Mardin, Midyat, Yeşilli, Savur, Ömerli and significant minorities of Kurds, Turks and Assyrian/Syriacs and with a Kurds majority in provinces Kızıltepe, Nusaybin, Derik, Mazıdağı, Dargeçit and significant minorities of Arabs, Assyrian/Syriacs and Turks.
The local Assyrian/Syriacs, while much reduced due to the results of the Assyrian Genocide, supports two of the oldest monasteries in the world, Dayro d-Mor Hananyo (Turkish Deyrülzafaran, English Saffron Monastery) and Deyrulumur Monastery. The Christian community is concentrated on the Tur Abdin plateau and in the town of Midyat, with a smaller community (approximately 100) in the provincial capital.
Politically the area is competitive between the governing Justice and Development Party and Kurdish Democratic People's Party, and the True Path Party has some strength, especially in rural parts of the province.[3]
Unemployment and poverty are serious problems, and there has been considerable out migration to western and southern Turkey, although the reduction in political violence, coupled with infrastructure improvements such as a new civil airport at the provincial capital and improvements to the Ankara-Baghdad highway are helping ameliorate matters.
Mardin is an Aramaic word (ܡܶܪܕܺܝܢ) and means "fortresses".
Mardin province is divided into 10 districts (capital district in 'bold):
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