Kars kent coğrafyası
Thesis Type: Doctorate
Institution Of The Thesis: Atatürk Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Turkey
Approval Date: 2013
Thesis Language: Turkish
Student: Mucip Demir
Principal Supervisor (For Co-Supervisor Theses): Mete ALIM
Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection
Abstract:The city of Kars is located on the Kars-Erzurum plateau and oriented in a northeast-southwestdirection. It covers the north and south banks of the Kars Rivulet. The city spreads throughout Karadağslopes over a slightly undulating volcanic ground. Kars has 23 neighborhoods and covers and area of7152 hectares, of which nearly 4000 hectares are inhabited.Although, geologically, it is located in a depression area with a young formation, it does not haveany significant risk of earthquake. Thus, the city has not suffered devastating earthquake damage to date.The city has no problems associated with ground characteristics that would prevent settlement in the area.The city has as evere continental climate, with long, cold winters and short, cool and rainysummers. Annual average temperature is 4.8 °C and average rain fall is 487 mm. Life in the city is shapedby climate conditions. Although the area surrounding the city is covered by black and alluvial earth, plantagriculture is limited by climatic conditions, leading to the development of cattle breeding in the area.It is thought that Kars was first established as a castle during the period of Urartians, around2.800 years ago, and was later transformed into a city settlement. The city was located on cliffs until the19th century. However it was reconstructed on flat areas on the southern part of Kars Rivulet during theRussian occupation between 1878 and 1918. The city has been damaged and restored many times, andwas the administrative center for the surrounding area twice during its history.From its establishment to the declaration of the Turkish Republic, the city hosted an average of10.000 people except for the extraordinary developments that took place. The population recentlyreached 80,000 due to the stability and development achieved after the foundation of the Republic.Fertility rate in the city is high, but migration is high due to adverse living conditions.There are nearly 20.000 buildings in the city. Some of these survive from the Seljuki an,Ottoman and later Russian occupation periods. These buildings reflect the authentic architectural styles oftheir own periods, which give the city an important cultural identity. A considerable number of buildingsin the districts surrounding the city are low-quality shanty houses. These buildings negatively affect thelandscape due to a wide range of infrastructure deficiencies.The city forms an important junction on roads leading from the Caucasus to Anatolia, and fromIran to the Black Sea. Its importance has increased due to recent transportation projects.Fifty-five percent of city inhabitants are employed in the field of general services; therefore,urban service functions are prominent within the city. Nevertheless, the city's economy depends mainlyon stockbreeding activities conducted in the surrounding area.Being the administrative center of the province which bears the same name, is a border province,covers a surface area of 9986 km2 and has 8 cities and 383 villages, the city of Kars incorporates suchcities as Ardahan, Iğdır, and Ağrı in its sphere of influence and management, via the regional directoratesof various public organizations located in the city. As a result, the overall administrative area reaches30.161 km2 and the city of Kars stands out as an important center in the region. It is under the influence ofthe province of Erzurum, which is one of the neighboring centers of public administration, and isoverseen by the centralized national administration, located in Ankara.There are many infrastructural problems in Kars, due to geographical conditions and otherhuman factors. Due to its location in a topographic depression, the area is subject to risk of naturaldisasters such as flooding.Keywords: Kars, The City Of Kars