Country Turkey Capital Kirklareli University Kirklareli University Area 6,550 km2 | Region West Marmara Population 332,791 | |
Kirklareli Province (Turkish: ) 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 Tekirdag to the south and province of Istanbul to the southeast. Kirklareli is the capital city of the province. The provinces and its central citys 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, as attested by the former name of Kirklareli (Kirk Kilise in Turkish; ??????? ?????????, Saranta Eklesies in Greek). There is a memorial on a hilltop in Kirklareli city, called "Kirklar Aniti" (the Memorial of the Forties in Turkish) to honor the Ottoman conquerors (For more on the names origins, see Kirklareli).
Contents
Map of Kirklareli Province
The province is bisected by the Yildiz (Istranca) mountain range. The north and northeastern parts of the province are among the least populated and under 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 Golu (Saka Lake) Nature Reserve Area to the north and Kasatura Korfezi (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.