Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
and for agriculture and irrigation in mountain and downstream areas. Food secu-
rity, poverty alleviation, and, ultimately, political stability will thus be critically
linked to mountain resources, and hence to the development taking place in moun-
tain areas. Mountains will also continue to play an important role as hotspots of
biodiversity. Increasing urbanization within mountains will put additional stress
on scarce resources such as water. At the same time, mountains are characterized
by specific development challenges. Typically, these include difficult access, eco-
nomic, and political marginality, out-migration, environmental sensitivity, diversity
of livelihoods, and cultural diversity. These challenges need to be addressed by spe-
cific policies, laws, and institutional arrangements at the international, national, and
local levels (Mountain Agenda,
2002
).
Turkey is situated in the Northern Hemisphere near the junction of the continents
of Europe, Asia, and Africa, between 36 and 42
◦
North latitude and 26 and 45
◦
East longitudes so that it occupies a unique geographical and cultural position at
crossroads between Europe and Asia (Fig.
18.1
). Turkey is a vast country with an
uneven topography. It consists of a land area of 814,578 km
2
and an average height
of 1,132 m (Table
18.1
). Mountain crests exceed 2,000 m in many places, partic-
ularly in the east, where Turkey's highest mountain, Mount Agri (Ararat) reaches
5,137 m close to the borders with Armenia, Nahçivan (Azerbaijan), and Iran. Steep
slopes are common throughout the country, while flat or gently sloping land makes
up barely one sixth of the total area.
In this chapter, the Eastern Black Sea Regional Development Plan (DOKAP)
of Turkey is analysed in terms of sustainable mountain development. The Plan is
Fig. 18.1.
Location map
Search WWH ::
Custom Search