Geography

Kazanlı is approximatelly 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of Mersin center at 36°49′N 35°45′E. It is a Mediterranean coastal town. East of the town, there are small settlements surrounded by fields. Towards west and north of the town there are industrial plants and some quarters of Mersin.

Population

Population of the town was 10,120 (2007 estimate). Since 2007, the town has been incorporated into the Akdeniz intercity district of Mersin. The number of buildings of the town is approximatelly 1,600.

Economy

The town was the former port of Tarsus

Tarsus (city)

Tarsus is a historic city in south-central Turkey, 20 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea. It is part of the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Turkey with a population of 2.75 million...

. But now fishing has replaced export business. Another economic activity is agriculture. The fertile fields around Kazanlı are well known for forced crop, especially vegetables. Beginning in the early 1970s, factories appeared in the north and west of the town. These include a ferrochrome plant, a soda factory, and a number of agri-food factories. A middle wave radio transmitter

Transmitter

In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...

 site is also in Kazanlı.

At the present, tourism plays no role in the Kazanlı economy.

Sea turtles

The beaches around Kazanlı are considered as the most important spawning area of rare species of sea turtles in Turkey. These species are loggerhead sea turtle

Loggerhead sea turtle

The loggerhead sea turtle , or loggerhead, is an oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around long when fully grown, although larger specimens of up to have been discovered...

 (Caretta caretta) and especially green sea turtle

Green Sea Turtle

The Green sea turtle or green turtle is a large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...

 (Chelonia mydasretta). Both species are listed as endangered species

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

 (EN) by the IUCN.

Main concern about the spawning areas is industrial pollution. The heavy metal content of the seawater is continuously monitored by the academicians and the factories are warned by the authorities when necessary.