| Mersin | |
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| — City — | |
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Mersin
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Turkey |
| Region | Mediterranean |
| Province | Mersin |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Macit Özcan (CHP) |
| Area | |
| • City | 1,772 km2 (684.2 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 100 m (328 ft) |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
| • Density | 466/km2 (1,206.9/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 843,429 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
| Postal code | 33XXX |
| Area code(s) | (+90) 324 |
| Licence plate | 33 |
| Website | Mersin |
Mersin (Ancient Greek: Ζεφύριον, Zephyrion) is a large city and a busy port on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Mersin Province had a population of 982,429 (city center) as of 2010,[1] making it Turkey's sixth most populous city. It is also part of an interurban agglomeration - Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area and lies on the west part of Çukurova, a geographical, economical and cultural region. According to Evliya Çelebi, the city is named after the Mersinoğullari tribe; another theory is that it is derived from the myrtle (Greek: μύρτος, μυρσίνη) which grows abundantly in the region.[2] Mersin is important for Turkey's economy, and Turkey's biggest port is located here.
Slogan:The Pearl of Mediterranean (Turkish: Akdeniz'in İncisi)
Mersin will host the 2013 Mediterranean Games.
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This coast has been inhabited since the 9th millennium BC. Excavations by John Garstang of the hill of Yumuktepe have revealed 23 levels of occupation, the earliest dating from ca. 6300 BC. Fortifications were put up around 4500 BC, but the site appears to have been abandoned between 3200 BC and 1200 BC.
In subsequent centuries, the city became a part of many states and civilizations including the Hittites, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Seleucids and Lagids. During the Ancient Greek period, the city bore the name Zephyrion (Greek: Ζεφύριον[3]) and was mentioned by numerous ancient authors. Apart from its natural harbor and strategic position along the trade routes of southern Anatolia, the city profited from trade in molybdenum (white lead) from the neighbouring mines of Coreyra. Ancient sources attributed the best molybdenum to the city, which also minted its own coins.
The area later became a part of the Roman province of Cilicia, which had its capital at Tarsus, while nearby Mersin was the major port. The city, whose name was Latinized to Zephyrium, was renamed as Hadrianopolis in honor of the Roman emperor Hadrian.
In 395, the Roman Empire was split in two and this area fell into the half ruled from Byzantium (later Constantinople), which became the centre of trade in this part of the world, drawing investments and trade, and causing Mersin to lose its attractiveness.
The city was Christianized early and was the see of a bishop. Le Quien (Oriens christianus, II, 883) names four bishops of Zephyrium: Aerius, present at the Council of Constantinople in 381; Zenobius, a Nestorian, at the Second Council of Constantinople in 432-434; Hypatius, present at the Council of Chalcedon in 451; and Peter, at the Council in Trullo in 692. The city remains a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church, Zephyriensis; the see has been vacant since 1966.[4]
Then came the Arabs, Egyptian Tulunids, Seljuk Turks, Mongol Empire, Crusaders, Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, Mamluks, Anatolian beyliks, and finally the city was conquered by the Ottomans from the Ramadanid Principality in 1473 and formally annexed by Selim I in 1517.
During the American Civil War, the region became a major supplier of cotton to make up for the high demand due to shortage. Railroads were extended to Mersin in 1866 from where cotton was exported by sea, and the city developed into a major trade center.
In 1918, Mersin was occupied by French and British troops in accord with the Treaty of Sevrès. It was liberated by the Turkish army in 1920. In 1924, Mersin was made a province, and in 1933 Mersin and İçel provinces were joined to form the (greater Mersin) İçel province.
Atatürk visited Mersin ten times and stayed in Mersin five times. He said, 'Mersin is the most important trade area in Turkey between Turkey and The World'. The 'Atatürk House' (more formally Atatürk Museum) was established there and it is still used as a museum.
Mersin has a typical Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and cool and wet winters. Mersin has its highest rainfall in winter; mainly December and January which gives Mersin its healthy, nurtured coastline. The driest months are summer with hardly any rainfall at all.
| Climate data for Mersin | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 21.8 (71.2) |
24.0 (75.2) |
29.8 (85.6) |
33.9 (93.0) |
35.8 (96.4) |
35.0 (95.0) |
36.6 (97.9) |
37.2 (99.0) |
38.5 (101.3) |
36.4 (97.5) |
30.2 (86.4) |
27.0 (80.6) |
38.5 (101.3) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 14.9 (58.8) |
15.6 (60.1) |
18.3 (64.9) |
21.6 (70.9) |
24.8 (76.6) |
28.1 (82.6) |
30.7 (87.3) |
31.5 (88.7) |
30.0 (86.0) |
26.9 (80.4) |
21.4 (70.5) |
16.5 (61.7) |
23.36 (74.04) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 10.3 (50.5) |
11.1 (52.0) |
13.9 (57.0) |
17.7 (63.9) |
21.5 (70.7) |
25.2 (77.4) |
28.0 (82.4) |
28.4 (83.1) |
25.8 (78.4) |
21.5 (70.7) |
15.9 (60.6) |
11.8 (53.2) |
19.26 (66.66) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 6.6 (43.9) |
7.2 (45.0) |
9.7 (49.5) |
13.4 (56.1) |
17.2 (63.0) |
21.2 (70.2) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.6 (76.3) |
21.5 (70.7) |
17.0 (62.6) |
11.8 (53.2) |
8.1 (46.6) |
15.23 (59.41) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −2.5 (27.5) |
−3 (26.6) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
3.8 (38.8) |
9.8 (49.6) |
5.3 (41.5) |
18.1 (64.6) |
18.0 (64.4) |
13.9 (57.0) |
8.0 (46.4) |
1.8 (35.2) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
−3 (26.6) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 98.1 (3.862) |
78.0 (3.071) |
51.9 (2.043) |
39.2 (1.543) |
22.7 (0.894) |
10.2 (0.402) |
11.9 (0.469) |
6.9 (0.272) |
9.6 (0.378) |
40.3 (1.587) |
80.6 (3.173) |
132.8 (5.228) |
582.2 (22.921) |
| Avg. rainy days | 9.1 | 9.0 | 7.5 | 7.8 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 5.4 | 7.1 | 10.3 | 67.4 |
| Sunshine hours | 158.1 | 159.6 | 210.8 | 228 | 272.8 | 303 | 316.2 | 310 | 282 | 241.8 | 177 | 151.9 | 2,811.2 |
| Source: Devlet Meteoroloji İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü[5] | |||||||||||||
Today, Mersin is a large city spreading out along the coast, with Turkey's second tallest skyscraper (the 52-floor Mertim Tower, which was the tallest skyscraper in Turkey for 13 years between 1987 and 2000, until the completion of the İş Bankası Towers in Istanbul), huge hotels, an opera house, expensive real estate near the sea or up in the hills, and many other modern urban amenities, although still nothing like the long-established nightlife and culture of İstanbul or İzmir.The seaside of Mersin is the longest seaside in Turkey as well as in Eastern Mediterranean. The population of the city is 843,429 (with all provinces 1,647,899) according to 2010 estimates. The population of the sub municipalities within Greater Mersin is shown below:[6]
| Name of the municipality | Population 2010 |
|---|---|
| Akdeniz | 276,094 |
| Mezitli | 126,112 |
| Toroslar | 250,034 |
| Yenişehir | 191,189 |
The Metropolitan Municipality is now trying to rescue the sea front with walkways, parks and statues, and there are still palm trees on the roadsides especially where the young generation like to hang out in the cafés and patisseries of smart neighbourhoods such as Pozcu or Çamlıbel. These are established neighbourhoods where there are many well-known shops and restaurants with years of experience and reputations to protect. The city centre is a maze of narrow streets and arcades of little shops and cafes, with young people buzzing around on scooters. The old quarter near the fish market is where you will find the stalls selling tantuni and grilled liver sandwiches.
One of the most distinctive features of the city as a whole is the solar heating panels, they are everywhere, on top of every building.
Turkey now plans to construct its first nuclear power plant some 80 miles west of Mersin.[7] In March 2008, Turkey opened the bidding for the construction of the plant. Environmental groups, such as Greenpeace, oppose this plan.[7]
The local cuisine is famous, and restaurants specializing on the Mersin Region can be found all over Turkey, and includes specialties such as:
The port is the mainstay of Mersin's economy. There are 45 piers, a total port area of 785,000 square metres (194 acres), with a capacity of 6,000 ships per year.
Adjacent to the port is Mersin Free Zone established in 1986, the first free zone in Turkey, with warehouses, shops, assembly-disassembly, maintenance and engineering workshops, banking and insurance, packing-repacking, labelling and exhibition facilities. The zone is a publicly owned center for foreign investors, close to major markets in the (Middle East, North Africa, East and West Europe, Russian Federation and Central Asia. The trading volume of the free zone was USD 51,8 billion in 2002.
Mersin has highway connections to the north, east and west. Mersin is also connected to the southern railroad. Adana airport is 69 kilometres (43 mi).
70% of the male population and 46% of the female population is employed. Unemployment is about 6.7%.
Mersin port is an international hub for many vessels routing to European countries.Its now operated by PSA.
Mersin University was founded in 1992 and started teaching in 1993–1994, with 11 faculties, 6 schools and 9 vocational schools. The university has had about 10 thousand graduates, has broadened its current academic staff to more than 2,100 academicians, and enrolls 22,000 students.
Because the city has been a crossroads for centuries, the local culture is a medley of civilizations. Mersin has a State Opera and Ballet, the fourth in Turkey after Istanbul, İzmir and Ankara. Mersin International Music Festival was established in 2001 and takes place every October. The photography association Mersin Fotograf Derneği (MFD), is one of the most popular and active cultural organizations in the city. Some cultural activities are sponsored by the İçel sanat kulübü (i.e., Art club of Mersin) There is a great museum in the city centre.
The municipal cemetery is interesting as people of all faiths and denominations can be buried here.
The City hosts the Roman Catholic Co-Cathedral of St. Anthony of Padua.
In order to swim in clean water you need to get out of town, perhaps an hour along the coast. The beaches at Kızkalesi, Ayaş, Susanoğlu (app. 50–70 km west) are popular with families while young people prefer Akyar, Yapraklı koy, Narlıkuyu or quieter bays along the coast, some of which are very attractive indeed.
Mersin is twinned with:
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