Ardahan Province
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Ardahan Province Ardahan ili |
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|---|---|
| Province of Turkey | |
 Location of Ardahan Province in Turkey |
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| Country | Turkey |
| Region | Northeast Anatolia |
| Subregion | Ağrı |
| Government | |
| • Electoral district | Ardahan |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5,661 km2 (2,186 sq mi) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 105,454 |
| • Density | 19/km2 (48/sq mi) |
| Area code(s) | 0478 |
| Vehicle registration | 75 |
Ardahan Province (Turkish: Ardahan ili), is a province in the north-east of Turkey, at the very end of the country, where Turkey borders with Georgia. The provincial capital is the city of Ardahan.
Ardahan province is located in the far north east of Turkey, where the eastern extremity of the high plateau of Eastern Anatolia converges with the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. It is consequently an area of very high altitude and severe winters. This is attractive open countryside which however spends many months of the year under snow. At this altitude temperatures on average reach −20 °C (−4 °F) and can drop below freezing all year round, including summer months.
The local economy depends on farming and raising livestock. Until 1993 Ardahan was a district of the province of Kars, becoming a province in its own right has meant more investment in infrastructure
There are two crossing points into the Samtskhe-Javakheti district of Georgia, one at Posof and the other (currently closed) at Çıldır. The Turkish military have a strong presence in this border district, another boost to the local economy.
The predominant climate in the Ardahan province is humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) bordering on a subarctic climate (Dfc), with most large settlements in the province being located in lowest possible elevation areas, in attempt to avoid the year-round cold temperatures, thus staying just below the subarctic limit. Smaller locales, districts, villages and a significant portion of the landscape, exhibits a true subarctic climate (Dfc), being the second most widespread climate in the region.
Ardahan is an impoverished area that since the 1950s has seen a large number of its people migrate to other parts of Turkey or abroad. The population declined from 170,000 people in 1990 to 119,000 in 2000. The population is 105,454 as of 2010. Ethnic groups in the region include, Turks, Georgians, Turkmens, Kurds and Azeris. In the Russian occupation period between 1878 and 1917, when the province was part of the militarily administered Kars Oblast, its population was even more diverse, with large numbers of Armenians, Caucasus Greeks, and Russians. They were removed in the Treaty of Kars due to their Christian religion.
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Wikipedia