The First Geography Congress (Turkish: Birinci Türk Coğrafya Kongresi), which was held in Ankara in 1941, separated Turkey into seven geographical regions, which are still used today.[1]
Overview
editThe congress took numerous factors into consideration when defining these regions, including the fact that Turkey is surrounded by sea on three sides and the presence of mountain ranges lying parallel to the length of the coastline that isolate the central section from the influence of the sea. Based on these factors and the resulting differences in the climate, natural plant cover and the distribution of types of agriculture, as well as the influences of these on the transportation systems and types of housing, the congress divided Turkey into four coastal and three central regions.[2]
The coastal regions were named after the seas to which they are adjacent (the Black Sea, the Marmara, the Aegean and the Mediterranean Regions). The central regions were named according to their location in the whole of Anatolia (Central, Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia Regions).[3]
Analysis
editThe Eastern Anatolia Region largely corresponds to the western part of the Armenian highlands. According to historian Richard G. Hovannisian, this changing of toponyms was "necessary to obscure all evidence" of the Armenian presence in the area, as part of the policy of Armenian genocide denial embarked upon by the newly established Turkish government and what Hovannisian calls its "foreign collaborators".[4]
References
edit- ^ A Comparative Analysis Regarding Pictures Included in Secondary School Geography Textbooks Taught in Turkey Archived 2015-04-13 at the Wayback Machine, Okan Yasar and Mehmet Seremet, International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 2007
- ^ Ali Yiğit, "Geçmişten Günümüze Türkiye'yi Bölgelere Ayıran Çalışmalar ve Yapılması Gerekenler", Ankara Üniversitesi Türkiye Coğrafyası Araştırma ve Uygulama Merkezi, IV. Ulural Coğrafya Sempozyumu, "Avrupa Birliği Sürecindeki Türkiye'de Bölgesel Farklılıklar", pp. 34–35. Archived 9 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Geographical Regions of Turkey". Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
- ^ Hovannisian, Richard G. (1998). Remembrance and Denial: The Case of the Armenian Genocide. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0814327777. Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
External links
edit- Turkish Geographical Society's official website
- Turkish Geographical Society's official website Archived 2017-05-21 at the Wayback Machine
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