Belde (literally "town", also known as ''kasaba'') means "large village with a municipality" in Turkish. All Turkish province centers and district centers have municipalities, but the

villages A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...

are usually too small to have municipalities. The population in some villages may exceed 2000 and in such villages a small municipality may be established depending on residents' choice. Such villages are called ''belde''. Up to 2014 the number of ''belde'' municipalities was about 1400. On 30 March 2014 by the act no. 6360 all villages (those with and without municipality) were included in the urban fabric of the district municipalities in 30 provinces. Thus ''belde'' municipalities in 30 provinces were abolished. The number of abolished ''belde'' municipalities is 1040. Presently, in 51 provinces, which are not in the scope of the act no 6360, there are still 394 ''belde'' municipalities.Atlas news
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References

{{Authority control Villages in Turkey Towns in Turkey

See also

References