Van Province

Van Province
Van ili
—  Province of Turkey  —
Location of Van Province in Turkey
Country Turkey
Region Eastern Anatolia
Capital Van
Area
 • Total 19,069 km2 (7,362.6 sq mi)
Population (2010-12-31)[1]
 • Total 1,035,418
 • Density 54.3/km2 (140.6/sq mi)
Area code(s) 0432[2]
Vehicle registration 65
Website van.gov.tr

Van Province (Kurdish: Parêzgeha Wanê, Turkish: Van ili) is a province in eastern Turkey, between Lake Van and the Iranian border. It is 19,069 km2 in area and had a population of 1,035,418 at the end of 2010.

Its adjacent provinces are Bitlis to the west, Siirt to the southwest, Şırnak and Hakkâri to the south, and Ağrı to the north. The capital is Van (Armenian: Վան Van, Kurdish: Wan). The province and the surrounding area is the home of famous Van Cat. On January 9, 1990 in Van vas recorded the lowest temperature in Turkey with -46.4 °C/-51.5 °F.

Contents

Districts

Van province is divided into 12 districts (district capitals in bold):

History

This area was the heartland of Armenians, who lived in these areas from the time of Hayk in the 3rd millennium BCE right up to the late 19th century when the Ottoman Empire seized all the land from the natives.[3] In the 9th century BC the Van area was the center of the Urartian kingdom.[4] The area was a major Armenian population center. The region came under the control of the Armenian Orontids in the 7th century BC and later Persians in the mid 6th century BC. By the early 2nd century BC it was part of the Kingdom of Armenia. It became an important center during the reign of the Armenian king, Tigranes II, who founded the city of Tigranakert in the 1st century BC.[5] This region was ruled by the Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia before 4th century AD. In 908-1021 was central part of Armenian Kingdom of Vaspurakan, then joined Byzantine Empire. With the Seljuq victory at the Battle of Malazgirt in 1071, just north of Lake Van [1], it became a part of Seljuq Empire and later the Ottoman Empire.

Gallery

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Turkish Statistical Institute, MS Excel document – Population of province/district centers and towns/villages and population growth rate by provinces
  2. ^ Area codes page of Turkish Telecom website (Turkish)
  3. ^ Hofmann (ed.), Tessa (2004). Verfolgung, Vertreibung und Vernichtung der Christen im Osmanischen Reich 1912-1922 [Persecution, Expulsion and Annihilation of the Christian Population in the Ottoman Empire 1912-1922]. Münster: LIT. ISBN 3-8258-7823-6. 
  4. ^ European History in a World Perspective - Page 68 by Shepard Bancroft Clough
  5. ^ The Journal of Roman Studies – Page 124 by Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

External links