Mersin Province

The **Mersin Province** () is a province in soothren Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast atween Antalya an Adana. The provincial caipital is the ceety o **[[Mersin]]** an the ither major toun is Tarsus, birthplace o Saunt Paul. The province is pairt o Çukurova, a geographical, economical an cultural region, that covers the provinces o Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye an Hatay.

The umwhile name o the province wis *İçel*. In 2002, the province's name wis chyngit tae Mersin tae match the provincial caipital's name, as is the case for aw Turkis provinces except three. The province retained the license plate nummer o 33, İçel haein been the 33rd in the alphabetical order o Turkis province names, when thare wur anerlie 67 provinces in Turkey.

## Geography

87% o the land aurie is muntain, leadin up tae the rocky heights o the central Taurus Muntains, the heichest peak is Medetsiz (3,584 m) in the Bolkar range, an thare are a nummer o important passes ower tae central Anatolie. Thare are mony heich meadaes an sma plains atween 700 an 1500m.

The coastal strip haes mony lairge auries o flatland, formed frae soil brocht doun bi rivers an streams runnin aff the muntains. This is fertile land, the lairgest aurie bein the plain o Tarsus. The lairgest rivers are the Göksu an the Berdan (aka Tarsus, *Cydnus* o antiquity), but thare are mony sma streams runnin intae lakes, reservoirs or the Mediterranean sea. Mersin haes 321&nbsp;km o coastline, hintle o it sandy beach. The climate is teepical o the Mediterranean; vera het an vera humid in simmer, warm an wet in winter; the winter rains can be vera hivy an floodin is a problem in mony auries, but it niver snaws on the coast, awtho thare is snaw in the heich muntain auries.

The ceety o Mersin is ane o Turkey's busiest: due tae the economic activity in this pairt o Turkey generatit bi the GAP Project Mersin is Turkey's biggest Mediterranean port, an nou haes an ile refinery an a free tred zone too; thare are a nummer o factories alang the road atween Mersin an Adana, manufacturin gless, detergents, fertilisers an mony mair. Wi aw this activity a modren ceety haes grown wi a varsity an ither major amenities.

Aboot 50% o the population o the province is younger than 24 years o age. 68% wur born in Mersin. The literacy rate is 89%. Aboot 43% o the male population an aboot 27% o the female population graduatit frae middle schuil. Infant mortality is 0.48%. Urban population growthe rate is 2.42%. Population density is 117.

### Tourism
Mersin daes no hae the huge volume o tourists enjoyed bi neighbourin Antalya or the Aegean coast, but Turkis fowk dae come tae this coast, especially nou that the hotels hae air-conditionin, an aiblins mair tae the muntain kintra ahint whaur thare are healin mineral watter springs. In simmer the hills are a popular retreat frae the heich humidity an extreme heat on the coast. Wast o Mersin includes bays, an little islands. Yacht tourin is a tourism income in thir auries.

## History

*See *Mersin* for a detailed history o the ceety*.

In antiquity this coast wis pairt o Cilicie, namit for a Phoenicie or Assirie prince that haed settled here. Tred frae Sirie an Mesopotamie ower the muntains tae central Anatolie passed throu here, throu the Cilicie Gates. The geographer Strabo, describit the region as bein dividit intae "Ruggit Cilicie" (*Cilicia Trachea*) an "Flat Cilicie" (*Cilicia Pedias*). The caipital o baith sections o Cilicie wis Tarsus an Mersin wis its seaport.

## Destricts
Mersin province is dividit intae thirteen destricts fower o which are actually includit athin the municipality o Mersin ceety (shawn in bauldface letters).

***[[Akdeniz, Mersin|Akdeniz]]**
***[[Mezitli]]**
***[[Toroslar]]**
***[[Yenişehir, Mersin|Yenişehir]]**
*Anamur
*Aydıncık
*Bozyazı
*Çamlıyayla
*Erdemli
*Gülnar
*Mut
*Silifke
*Tarsus

## Population o the province
(In the table belaw, the fower intraceety municipalities are merged athin Mersin proper.)

### Places o interest
* The ceety o Tarsus, birthplace o Saunt Paul, whose hoose an well are steids o Christian pilgrimage. 
* Silifke - auncient Seleucia Pieria, biggins include the kirk o Aya Tekla, the first female saunt. 
*The auncient Roman toun o Soloi-Pompeiopolis, nou athin the ceety. Aboot Mersin 
*Anither auncient ceety o Elaiussa Sebaste, 55&nbsp;km frae the ceety o Mersin.
* Castles includin Kızkalesi, Namrun.

## Touns an ither geographic featurs

|
### Touns

*Arslanköy
*Ayvagediği
*Büyükeceli
*Çarıklar
*Çeşmeli
*Göksu
*Gözne
*Gülek
*Huzurkent
*Kaledran
*Kargıpınarı
*Kazanlı
*Kızkalesi
*Kocahasanlı
|
*Köseçobanlı
*Kuskan
*Limonlu
*Narlıkuyu
*Ören
*Sebil
*Soğucak
*Taşucu
*Tekeli
*Tekmen
*Uzuncaburç
*Yenice
*Yeşilovacık
*Yeşiltepe
*Zeyne
|
### Airchaeological walth
*Adamkayalar
*Alahan Monastery
*Aya Tekla Kirk
*Cennet an Cehennem
*Cleopatra's gate
*Corycus
*Çanakçı rock tombs
*Gözlükule
*Kanlıdivane
*Lamas Aqueduct
*Mamure Castle
*Meydancık Castle
*Mut Castle
*Olba (auncient ceety)
*Roman road in Cilicie
*Saunt Paul's Kirk, Tarsus
*Soli, Cilicie
*Tapureli ruins
*Üçayak ruins
*Yumuktepe

### Ither
*Abanoz
*Çukurova
*Dana Adası
*Gulf o Mersin
*Karabucak Forest
*Karakız Lake
*Leet o municipalities in Mersin Province
*Mersin Harbor
*Adana Conference (*Yenice Görüşmesi* )
*Tourism centers o Mersin Province

## See an aw
*Leet o populatit places in Mersin Province ‎
*Transport in Mersin Province

## Notes



## Freemit airtins
* Mersin Ceety 
* Mersin Wather Forecast Information 
* Aboot Mersin Ceety 
* University o Mersin
* Mersin ceety cooncil 
* People Of Mersin 
* Real Estate Agency Mersin Turkey 
* some photographs o Mersin
* * Mersin technopark
* Mersin Chamber o Commerce an Industry (in Inglis)
* Mersin Chamber o Shipping (in Inglis) 
* Mersin Photographic society (in Inglis) 
* 2008 Saunt Paul Year Inglis) 
* Mersin News 
*Mersin 2013 Wab Steid