Kirklareli Province
Encyclopedia
Kırklareli Province is a province
in northwestern Turkey
on the west coast of the Black Sea
. The province neighbours Bulgaria
to the north along a 180 kilometers long border. It borders the province of Edirne
to the west and the province of Tekirdağ
to the south and province of Istanbul
to the southeast. Kırklareli
is the capital city of the province. The province's and its central city's name means "the land of the forties" in Turkish
and it may refer either to the forty Ottoman ghazis sent by the sultan Murad I
to conquer the city for the Ottoman Empire
in the 15th century or to the forty churches reported to be situated in the region before the Ottoman conquest. There is a memorial on a hilltop in Kırklareli city, called "Kırklar Anıtı" (the Memorial of the Forties in Turkish) to honor the Ottoman conquerors (For more on the name's origins, see Kırklareli
).
The province is bisected by the Yıldız (Istranca) mountain range. The north and northeastern parts of the province are among the least populated and developed parts of Turkey. The districts to the south and west are more populated because the land is better suited for agriculture and industrial development. The north and eastern parts of the province are dominated by forests. Therefore forestry is an important means of living in these areas. Fishing is done along the Black Sea coast.
(capital district in bold):
Walldorf
, Germany
Dobrich
, Bulgaria
Izmail
, Ukraine
Provinces of Turkey
Turkey is divided into 81 provinces, called il in Turkish .A province is administered by an appointed governor , and was formerly termed a "governorate" ....
in northwestern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
on the west coast of the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
. The province neighbours Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
to the north along a 180 kilometers long border. It borders the province of Edirne
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
to the west and the province of Tekirdağ
Tekirdag
Tekirdağ , the ancient Bisanthi , is a city in Eastern Thrace, in the European part of Turkey. Tekirdağ is the capital of Tekirdağ Province, felt by the local people to be a quieter and more pleasant town than the industrial centre of Çorlu, which it administers. The city population as of 2009 was...
to the south and province of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
to the southeast. Kırklareli
Kirklareli
Kırklareli is the capital of Kırklareli Province in Eastern Thrace, on the European part of Turkey. The province has a coastline on the Black Sea. There is a Jewish community.-Name:It is not clearly known when the city was founded, nor under what name...
is the capital city of the province. The province's and its central city's name means "the land of the forties" in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
and it may refer either to the forty Ottoman ghazis sent by the sultan Murad I
Murad I
Murad I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1361 to 1389...
to conquer the city for the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in the 15th century or to the forty churches reported to be situated in the region before the Ottoman conquest. There is a memorial on a hilltop in Kırklareli city, called "Kırklar Anıtı" (the Memorial of the Forties in Turkish) to honor the Ottoman conquerors (For more on the name's origins, see Kırklareli
Kirklareli
Kırklareli is the capital of Kırklareli Province in Eastern Thrace, on the European part of Turkey. The province has a coastline on the Black Sea. There is a Jewish community.-Name:It is not clearly known when the city was founded, nor under what name...
).
The province is bisected by the Yıldız (Istranca) mountain range. The north and northeastern parts of the province are among the least populated and developed parts of Turkey. The districts to the south and west are more populated because the land is better suited for agriculture and industrial development. The north and eastern parts of the province are dominated by forests. Therefore forestry is an important means of living in these areas. Fishing is done along the Black Sea coast.
Local attractions
Dupnisa Cave is a famous natural attraction and a unique geological formation within the borders of the province in the north. The 60 km long coast along the Black Sea harbors one of the most pristine and undeveloped beaches in all of Turkey. There are two Nature Reserve Areas along the coast namely Saka Gölü (Saka Lake) Nature Reserve Area to the north and Kasatura Körfezi (Kasatura Bay) Nature Reserve Area to the south. These sites are unique with their undisturbed ecosystems harboring several endangered and endemic plant and animal species.Districts
Kırklareli province is divided into 8 districtsDistricts of Turkey
The 81 provinces of Turkey are divided into 957 districts . In the early Turkish Republic and in the Ottoman Empire, the corresponding unit was the kaza....
(capital district in bold):
- BabaeskiBabaeskiBabaeski is a town and district of Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The countyship has a population of 27,712 and the total area of the district is 652 km².-Name:...
- DemirköyDemirköyDemirköy is a town and district of Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The inhabitants are mainly descendants of Muslims from the village of Tisovo and other villages from the Greek side of the Chech region who were settled in Demirköy in 1923/1924. The mayor is Muhlis Yavuz . The...
- KırklareliKirklareliKırklareli is the capital of Kırklareli Province in Eastern Thrace, on the European part of Turkey. The province has a coastline on the Black Sea. There is a Jewish community.-Name:It is not clearly known when the city was founded, nor under what name...
- KofçazKofçazKofçaz is a town and district of Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The mayor is Nuri Çalışkan .-Facts:Kofçaz is a district of the province of Kırklareli in northwestern Turkey neighbouring with Bulgaria...
- LüleburgazLüleburgazLüleburgaz, is a town and district of Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey.-Facts:The city has a population of 100,412 and is the largest town in Kırklareli Province....
- PehlivanköyPehlivanköyPehlivanköy is a town and district of Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The mayor is Hüseyin Açıkel . The population is 2,007 as of 2010.-External links:* *...
- PınarhisarPınarhisarPınarhisar is a town and district of Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The mayor is Mustafa Cingöz . The population is 10,463 as of 2010....
- VizeVizeVize is a town and district of Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The mayor is Selçuk Yılmaz . The population is 12,196 as of 2010.- History :...
Sister cities
Kırklareli is twinned with:Walldorf
Walldorf
Walldorf is a town in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis of Baden-Württemberg in Germany.Walldorf is currently probably best known as the city that headquarters the world's third largest software company SAP, but it is also the birthplace of the millionaire John Jacob Astor, at the time of his death the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Dobrich
Dobrich
Dobrich is a town in northeastern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Dobrich Province. With 91,030 inhabitants, as of February 2011, Dobrich is the ninth most populated town in Bulgaria, being the centre of the historical region of Southern Dobruja...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
Izmail
Izmail
Izmail is a historic town near the Danube river in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Izmail Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...