Van Province

Coordinates: 38°29′57″N 43°40′13″E / 38.49917°N 43.67028°E / 38.49917; 43.67028
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Van Province
Van ili
Location of the province within Turkey
Location of the province within Turkey
CountryTurkey
SeatVan
Government
 • ValiOzan Balcı
Area
20,921 km2 (8,078 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[1]
1,128,749
 • Density54/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+3 (TRT)
Area code0432[2]
Websitewww.van.bel.tr
www.van.gov.tr

Van Province (

six Armenian vilayets.[6][7] A majority of the province's modern-day population is ethnic Kurds.[8]

Demographics

Historical population composition of Van by groups
Year Armenians Muslims Others Total
1881—1882[9] 52.1% 47.9% 0% 113,964
1914[10] 35.7% 63.6% 0.7% 172,171

The province is mainly populated by Kurds and considered part of Turkish Kurdistan.[11] The province had a significant Armenian population until the genocide in 1915.[12]

In the 1881—1882 Ottoman census, the sanjak of Van had a population of 113,964 of which 52.1% was Armenian and 47.9% Muslim.[9] In the 1914 census, the sanjak had a population of 172,171 of which 63.6% was Muslim and 35.7% Armenian. The remaining population was Nestorian Assyrians at 0.5% and Chaldean Assyrians at 0.2%.[10]

In the first Turkish census in 1927,

Kurdish was the most-spoken first language in Van Province (which included Hakkari Province until 1945) at 76.6% while Turkish remained the second most-spoken first language at 23.1%. Other languages enumerated included Hebrew at 0.2% and Arabic at 0.1%. In the same census, Muslims comprised 99.8% of the population and the remaining 0.2% being Jews.[13]

In the subsequent census in 1935, Kurdish stood at 72.4% and Turkish at 27.2%. Other smaller languages included Circassian at 0.2%, Hebrew at 0.1%, Arabic at 0.1%.

Muslims remained the largest denomination at 99.8%, Jews stood at 0.1% and Christians at 0.1%.[14] In 1945, Kurdish stood at 59.9% and Turkish at 39.6%, while 99.9% of the population was Muslim.[15] In 1955, Kurdish and Turkish remained the two most spoken languages at 66.4% and 33.1%, respectively.[16]

History

This area was the heartland of

Tigranes II, who founded the city of Tigranakert in the 1st century BC.[19]

Seljuks and Ottomans

With the

Van Vilayet
.

Republic of Turkey

In 1927 the office of the

Between July 1987 and July 2000, Van Province was within the

OHAL region, which was ruled by a Governor within a state of emergency.[24]

Modern history

According to the 2012 Metropolitan Municipalities Law (Law No. 6360), all Turkish provinces with a population more than 750 000, will have a

Governor is Mehmet Emin Bilmez.[26]

Earthquakes

Several earthquakes have occurred in Van Province. In 1881 an earthquake occurred and caused the death of 95 people.

7.2 Mw earthquake on 23 October 2011, more than 500 people were killed.[28] On 9 November 2011, a 5.6 Mw magnitude earthquake killed also several people and caused buildings to collapse.[27]

Districts

Van Province is divided into 13 districts,[29] listed below with their populations as at the end of 2022.[1] In 2013 the former Van District was split into İpekyolu and Tuşba districts, which between them contain almost all of the city of Van.

Geology and geomorphology

Lakes

The main lakes in Van province are Lake Turna, Lake Gövelek, Lake Hıdırmenteş, Lake Akgöl, Lake Erçek and Lake Süphan.

Mountains and calderas

The main mountains in the province are Kavuşşahap Mountains, Mount Artos, Mount Erek, Mount Tendürek, Mount Meydan and Girekol.

Tourism

The main places with tourism potential in Van are Hoşap Castle, Muradiye Fall, Akdamar Island, Van Castle, Lake Turna, Lake Akgöl and Van Museum.

Gallery

  • Islamic monuments in the Van Province
  • Ruined Ottoman mosque in the old ruined part of Van city (16th century)
    Ruined Ottoman mosque in the old ruined part of Van city (16th century)
  • Tomb of Halime Hatun in Gevaş (14th century)
    Tomb of Halime Hatun in Gevaş (14th century)
  • Ruined Ottoman minaret in the old part of Van city
    Ruined Ottoman minaret in the old part of Van city

See also

Bibliography

References

  1. ^
    TÜİK
    . Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  2. ^ Area codes page of Turkish Telecom website Archived 2011-08-22 at the Wayback Machine (in Turkish)
  3. ^ "Li Agirî û Wanê qedexe hat ragihandin" (in Kurdish). Rûdaw. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  4. ^ "İl ve İlçe Yüz ölçümleri". General Directorate of Mapping. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  5. ^ Hovannisian (1999).
  6. ^ Soysal (1983), p. 14.
  7. ^ Verheij (2012), p. 88.
  8. ^ Watts (2010), p. 167.
  9. ^ a b Karpat (1978), p. 272.
  10. ^ a b Karpat (1985), p. 182–183.
  11. ^ Bois et al. (2002).
  12. ^ Celiker (2015), p. 41.
  13. ^ Dündar (2000), pp. 157 & 159.
  14. ^ Dündar (2000), pp. 163-164 & 168.
  15. ^ Dündar (2000), pp. 175 & 179-180.
  16. ^ Dündar (2000), p. 188.
  17. ^ Hofmann (2004).
  18. ^ European History in a World Perspective - p. 68 by Shepard Bancroft Clough
  19. ^ The Journal of Roman Studies – p. 124 by Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
  20. ^ Melissa Snell. "Alp Arslan: Article from the 1911 Encyclopedia". About Education.
  21. ^ Jongerden (2007), p. 53.
  22. ^ Bayir (2016), p. 139.
  23. ^ Fleet et al. (2008), p. 343.
  24. ^ "Case of Dogan and others v. Turkey" (PDF). p. 21. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  25. ^ Official gazette (in Turkish)
  26. ^ "T.C. Van Valiliği Resmi Web Sitesi". www.van.gov.tr. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  27. ^ a b c Güney, D. "Van earthquakes (23 October 2011 and 9 November 2011) and performance of masonry and adobe structures" (PDF). Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  28. ^ "At least 5 dead in quake in eastern Turkey". CNN. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  29. ^ "Van Seçim Sonuçları – 31 Mart 2019 Van Yerel Seçim sonuçları". Yeni Şafak (in Turkish). 2019-11-14. Retrieved 2019-11-14.

External links

38°29′57″N 43°40′13″E / 38.49917°N 43.67028°E / 38.49917; 43.67028