Geography

Kumkuyu is a Mediterranean

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...

 coastal town in the rural area of Erdemli

Erdemli

Erdemli is a town and district of Mersin Province in the Mediterranean region of Turkey, west of the city of Mersin.-Geography:The district extends from the Mediterranean coastal plain, the largest agricultural area in Mersin Province, to high in the Taurus Mountains where there is forest, and...

 district which is a part of Mersin Province. It is on the main highway (Datça Mersin highway). The distance to Erdemli is 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) and to Mersin

Mersin

-Mersin today:Today, Mersin is a large city spreading out along the coast, with Turkey's second tallest skyscraper , huge hotels, an opera house, expensive real estate near the sea or up in the hills, and many other modern urban...

 is 50 kilometres (31.1 mi). The coordinates are 36°31′N 34°12′E. The population is 2887 as of 2010.

History

The vicinity of the town had been inhabited in the ancient ages. There is a big aqueduct as well as cisterns, rock tanks for olive oil and the ruins of a fort against pirates constructed during Roman Empire

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....

. (Kanlıdivane

Kanlıdivane

Kanlıdivane is an ancient city situated around a big sinkhole in Mersin Province, Turkey.- Geography :Kanlıdivane is in the rural area of Erdemli district, which is a part of Mersin Province at . It is to Erdemli and to Mersin. Its altitude is approximatelly...

, the ancient religious center is a few kilometers north of Kumkuyu.) But modern settlement began only after 1950s. The residents of Kumkuyu are the members of a former nomadic Turkmen (Oghuz Turk)

Oghuz Turks

The Turkomen also known as Oghuz Turks were a historical Turkic tribal confederation in Central Asia during the early medieval Turkic expansion....

 tribe named Tırtar. (The former name of the settlement was Tırtar) . In 1989 Kumkuyu was decleared a township.

Economy

Agriculture especially greenhouse

Greenhouse

A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...

 cultivation has replaced the traditional animal husbandry

Animal husbandry

Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....

. Main crops are citrus

Citrus

Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...

 and bananas. The touristic potential (historic and beach) is promising. At the moment there are a few holyday hotels on the coastline, but the number is on the rise.