The Eastern Anatolia region () is a geographical region of

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. The most populous province in the region is Van Province. Other populous provinces are Malatya,

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...

and Elazığ. It is bordered by the Black Sea Region and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

in the north, the Central Anatolia Region in the west, the Mediterranean Region in the southwest, the Southeastern Anatolia Region and

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

in the south, and

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

, and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

in the east. 981122-Ararat-IMG_0791-3

The region encompasses most of Western Armenia and had a large population of indigenous

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

until the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

. The

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

peninsula historically never encompassed what is now called "Eastern Anatolia" which was, instead, referred to as the

Armenian highlands The Armenian highlands (; also known as the Armenian upland, Armenian plateau, or Armenian tableland)Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: ...

. It was renamed by the newly founded Turkish Republic in the 1920s. This has been seen as an attempt by Turkey to erase the Armenian history of the region. It has the highest average altitude, largest geographical area, and lowest population density of the seven Turkish regions.

Etymology

The English-language name ''

'' () derives from the Greek () meaning "the East" and designating (from a Greek point of view) eastern regions in general. Traditionally, Anatolia was considered to be a peninsula the eastern boundary of which was a line from the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

to the Gulf of Alexandretta, which is to the west of what is now the Eastern Anatolia Region.Stephen Mitchell (1995). ''Anatolia: Land, Men, and Gods in Asia Minor. The Celts in Anatolia and the impact of Roman rule''. Clarendon Press, 266 pp.

As a geographical term, this definition continues to be used. Historically, the region was referred to as the

or Western Armenia. In 1923, the newly founded

Republic of Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

renamed the territory "Eastern Anatolia" as part of a wider policy of removing all non-Turkish names of places following the

. Beginning in 1880, the name

was forbidden to be used in official documents of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, in an attempt to play down the role of Armenians in the region. The government of Sultan Abdul Hamid II replaced the name Armenia with such terms as "Kurdistan" or "Anatolia". The

Sublime Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( or ''Babıali''; ), was a synecdoche or metaphor used to refer collectively to the central government of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. It is particularly referred to the buildi ...

believed there would be no Armenian question if there was no Armenia. The process of "nationalization" of toponyms was continued and gained momentum under the Kemalists after the foundation of the Republic of

. The region encompasses most of Western Armenia () and had a large population of indigenous

until the

. The

peninsula never encompassed what is now called "Eastern Anatolia", which has been seen as an attempt by Turkey to erase the Armenian history of the region.

Subdivision

Eastern Anatolia Region has four subdivisions: * Upper Euphrates division () * Erzurum-Kars division () * Upper Murat-Van division () * Hakkari division ()

Provinces

Provinces that are entirely in the Eastern Anatolia Region: * Ağrı * Bingöl *

Bitlis Bitlis ( or ; ) is a city in southeastern Turkey. It is the seat of Bitlis District and Bitlis Province.Elazığ * Malatya * Hakkari * Iğdır * Kars * Muş * Tunceli * Van Provinces that are mostly in the Eastern Anatolia Region: * Ardahan * Erzincan *

* Şırnak

Location and borders

The Eastern Anatolia Region is located in the easternmost part of

. It is bounded by Turkey's Central Anatolia Region to the west; Turkey's Black Sea Region to the north; Turkey's Southeast Anatolia Region and

to the south; and

and

to the east, where Eastern Anatolia overlaps and converges with the

South Caucasus The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and West Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Armenia, ...

region and Lesser Caucasus mountain plateau. The area of the region is , which comprises 20.9% of the total area of Turkey.

Population

The total population of the region is 5,966,101 (2019 estimate), down from 6,100,000 at the 2000 census. The population density () is lower than the average for Turkey (). The region has the second most rural population in Turkey after the Black Sea region. Migration, especially to Marmara Region, is high. Migration to other regions and abroad is higher than the natural population increase. Until the

, the region also had a large population of indigenous

, when it was also known as Western Armenia, and in addition had significant minorities of

Georgians Georgians, or Kartvelians (; ka, ქართველები, tr, ), are a nation and Peoples of the Caucasus, Caucasian ethnic group native to present-day Georgia (country), Georgia and surrounding areas historically associated with the Ge ...

, Pontic Greeks and Caucasus Greeks.

Geography

The average altitude is . Major geographic features include plains, plateaus and massifs. There is some volcanic activity today.

Lakes and rivers

* Located in the Eastern Anatolia Region Aras and Kura rivers flooded the shed outside the territory of Turkey to the Caspian Sea. Euphrates, the Tigris and the Zab river waters are poured back onto the Persian Gulf Turkey outside. * The regime of the streams of the region is irregular. This is because; the irregularity of the precipitation regime and the fall of winter precipitation in the form of snow. As the snow falls on the ground for a long time without melting, the flow rates of the rivers decrease. The snow melting in spring and summer causes streams to increase their flow rates and flow enthusiastically. On the other hand, the rivers of the region have high hydroelectric energy potential. The reason for this is that it has high elevations and slopes. * Lakes were formed on the fault lines throughout the region. Turkey's largest lake,

Lake Van Lake Van (; ; ) is the largest lake in Turkey. It lies in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey in the provinces of Van Province, Van and Bitlis Province, Bitlis, in the Armenian highlands. It is a Salt lake, saline Soda lake, soda lake, receiv ...

along with Lake Çıldır, Lake Nazik, Lake Erçek, Lake Hazar, Lake Balık, Lake Haçlı and Lake Akdoğan are located within the region.

Massifs and mountains

*There are three massif lines running north–south: **To the north, the Çimen Dağı, Kop Dağı and Yalnızçam mountains, Allahuekber Mountains, Aras Mountains and

Mount Ararat Mount Ararat, also known as Masis or Mount Ağrı, is a snow-capped and dormant compound volcano in Eastern Turkey, easternmost Turkey. It consists of two major volcanic cones: Greater Ararat and Little Ararat. Greater Ararat is the highest p ...

. **In the centre, the Munzur, Karasu Dağı, Aras Dağı, Bingöl Mountains and Akdoğan mountains. **To the south, Southeast Tauros; Karaçavuş Mountains,

Bitlis Bitlis ( or ; ) is a city in southeastern Turkey. It is the seat of Bitlis District and Bitlis Province.Hakkâri, and Buzul mountains. *The volcanic mountains Nemrut, Süphan, Tendürek and Ararat are in the region.

Plateaus and plains

*The largest plateau in the region is Erzurum-Kars Plato. *The region includes the Malatya, Elazığ, Bingöl, Muş plains and the Van Lake basin. *The largest plain in the region is the Iğdır Plain. The second largest plain is the Muş Plain.

Lakes

Rivers

Climate and nature

Since most of the region is far from the sea, and has high altitude, it has a harsh

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

with long winters and short summers. During the winter, it is very cold and snowy, during summer the weather is cool in the highlands and warm in the lowlands. The region's annual temperature difference is the highest in Turkey. Some areas in the region have different microclimates. As an example, Iğdır (near

) has a milder climate. The region contains 11% percent of the total forested area of

, and it is rich in native plants and animals. Oak and yellow pine trees form the majority of the forests. The region has high potential for hydroelectric power.

Gallery

File:Iğdırdan Ağrı Dağı.jpg, View of

(Ağrı in Turkish) from Iğdır File:Erzurum Cumhuriyet Caddesi3.jpg, Cumhuriyet Avenue in

File:Erzurum Cifte Minareli Sunrise.JPG, The 13th-century Çifte Minareli Medrese is an architectural monument of the late Seljuk period in the city of

File:Erzurum,Yakutiye-W.jpg, The 14th-century Yakutiye Medresesi in

File:Io panoramic1 (Large).JPG, Panoramic view of the city of Bingöl File:Kars, armenische Kathedrale, Heilige-Apostel-Kirche Սուրբ Առաքելոց Եկեղեցի (10. Jhdt.) (40336417982).jpg, The 10th-century Armenian Church of the Holy Apostles, with the

Castle of Kars The Castle of Kars (, ) is a former fortification located in Kars, Turkey. It is also known under the name İç Kale ("Central/Inner Castle", "Citadel"). It was first built during the rule of the Armenia, Armenian Bagratid Armenia, Bagratid dyna ...

in the background File:Kars evleri.jpg, Kars city centre File:Akhtamar Island on Lake Van with the Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross.jpg, Akdamar Island and the Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross, a 10th-century Armenian church and monastic complex File:Fountain at Yeni Cami Sq. Malatya 03.jpg, Ottoman era Yeni (New) Mosque in Malatya File:Harput kalesi-Harput-Elazığ - panoramio.jpg, Harput Castle in Harput

Endnotes

External links

{{Authority control Regions of Turkey Historical geography of Armenia Historiography of Turkey Aftermath of the Armenian genocide Geographical naming disputes