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 ...
. It is the seat of
Kırıkkale Province
Kırıkkale Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province of Turkey. It is located on the crossroads of major highways east of Ankara leading east to the Black Sea region. Its area is 4,791 km2, and its population is 277,046 (2022). With its ...
and
Kırıkkale District
Kırıkkale District (also: ''Merkez'', meaning "central" in Turkish) is a district of the Kırıkkale Province of Turkey. Its seat is the city of Kırıkkale.İl Belediyesi Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 1 March 2023. Its population is 186,960 (2022). It is located 80 km east of
Ankara
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
which is the capital city 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 name of the city means ''broken castle''.
The town of Kırıkkale is located on the Ankara-
Kayseri
Kayseri () is a large List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. Historically known as Caesarea (Mazaca), Caesarea, it has been the historical capital of Cappadocia since anc ...
railway near the
Kızılırmak River
The Kızılırmak (, Turkish language, Turkish for "Red River"), once known as the Halys River () and Alis River, is the longest river flowing entirely within Turkey. It is a source of hydroelectric power and is not used for navigation.
Geogra ...
in central Turkey. Formerly a village, it owes its rapid rise in population mainly to the establishment of steel mills in the 1950s. These works, among the largest in the country, specialize in high-quality alloy steel and machinery. In the 1960s, chemical plants were added and in 1986, the
Tüpraş Kırıkkale Oil Refinery
Tüpraş Kırıkkale Oil Refinery () is an oil refinery in Kırıkkale, central Turkey. It is owned and operated by Tüpraş, the country's only oil refiner with four refineries.
The refinery is located on the west bank of Kızılırmak River in ...
was established.
History
Perhaps formerly known as Sarmalius in antiquity, The name of the city supposedly comes from the name "Kırık" a village 3 km north of the city combined with another name called "Kale", meaning castle, in the centre of the city, the two were put together to make 'Kırıkkale'. Kırıkkale in Turkish means "broken castle". Inhabitation began in the 16th century when Turkish tribes came from the east and settled in Central Anatolia.
Formerly part of
Ankara Province
Ankara Province (, ) is a province and metropolitan municipality of Turkey with the capital city Ankara. Its area is 25,632 km2, and its population is 5,782,285 (2022).
History
The site of the modern city has been home to settlements ...
, it became the seat of the new Kırıkkale Province in 1989.
Geography
Kırıkkale lies near
Kızılırmak River
The Kızılırmak (, Turkish language, Turkish for "Red River"), once known as the Halys River () and Alis River, is the longest river flowing entirely within Turkey. It is a source of hydroelectric power and is not used for navigation.
Geogra ...
(translating to Red River) in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. The river is used to produce rice for the Turkish economy. The natural vegetation is
steppe
In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes.
Steppe biomes may include:
* the montane grasslands and shrublands biome
* the tropical and subtropica ...
type, and vineyards are found in abundance.
Climate
Kırıkkale has a
cold semi-arid climate
Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''BSk'') or a
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 ...
( Trewartha: ''Dc''). Winters are cold and moderately snowy, whereas summers are hot and dry. Rainfall is most common during spring and autumn.
Highest recorded temperature: on 15 August 2023 Lowest recorded temperature: on 16 January 1980.
Education
Kırıkkale University
Kırklareli University is a university located in Kırklareli, 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. ...