POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KURUÇAY BASIN STREAMBED (MALATYA)

Abstract

Kuruçay Basin, Eastern Anatolia Region, Upper Euphrates region, Inner Taurus Depressions region and Malatya Basin. The surface area of the basin is about 500 km2. The basin is naturally located on a road route. There are 6 settlements in the basin in 1560 and 13 settlements in 1935. This situation is due to the development of the population and the opening of new settlements. The population in the study area was 8914 in 1955, but rose up to 10708 in 1985 and declined to 7414 today. Population development is similar to those in the surrounding environment. In fact, settlements in the basin and their neighbors follow a similar pattern with the overall situation of the rural population in Turkey. In other words, the loss of population has become a common problem of rural settlements in Turkey. The distinctive feature of the research area in terms of population is the fact that migration is constantly on the agenda throughout its history. The migrations to Europe after 1960 and the inhabitants migrating within the country to begin in this period show that the population movement in the basin is excessive. This study tries to reveal the changes in the spatial distribution of the population in the basin with its rural characteristics, together with its causes.

Keywords

• Malatya
• Kuruçay Basin
• River
• Rural
• Population