Tunceli province

Infobox Province TR
region = Eastern Anatolia
name = Tunceli
licence = 62
total population = 76,401
area_code= 392
area=7,774
popdens=9.8|

Tunceli (Zazaki: Dêrsım, is a province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The province was named Dersim until 1936 ("Dersim" meaning 'silver door' in Kırmancki), and some still call the region by this name. The province's population is predominantly Zaza. Its adjacent provinces are Erzincan to the north and west, Elazığ to the south, and Bingöl to the east. The province covers an area of 7,774 km² and has a population of 76,401. It has the lowest population density of any province in Turkey, just 9.8 inhabitants/km². Tunceli is the only Turkish province with an Alevi majority.

The name of the provincial capital, Kalan, was then officially changed to match with the province's name. Tunceli is known for its old buildings (though mainly destroyed by Hamidiye Alays in the late 19th century and Turkish army in 1936-37 military operations against the last remaining Armenians and Alevi Derebeys-local rulers), and impressive scenery, especially along the Munzur Nehri

Districts

Tunceli province is divided into 8 districts (capital district in bold):
*Çemişgezek
*Hozat
*Mazgirt
*Nazimiye
*Ovacık
*Pertek
*Pülümür
*Tunceli

Although a distinct province, it was administered from Elazığ until 1947.

History

The history of the province stretches back to antiquity. It has been mentioned as 'Daranalis' by Ptolemy, and seemingly, it was referred to as 'Daranis' before him. One theory as to the origin of the name associates with the Persian Emperor Darius.

As of the end of the 19th century, the region (called "Dersim") was included in the Ottoman sancak (subprovince) of Hozat, depending the city and the province of Mamuret-ül Aziz (Elazığ today), with the exception of the actual district of Pülümür, which depended on the neighboring sancak of Erzincan, then a part of the Erzurum Province. This status continued through the first years of the Republic of Turkey, until 1936 when the name of the province ("Dersim") has been changed to Tunceli -literally 'the land of bronze' in Turkish, ("tunç" meaning "bronze" and "el" (in this context) meaning "land"). The center of the province has been fixed in the town of Kalan and the district of Pülümür has been added within the boundaries of the new province.

Education

Ninety-eight percent of Tunceli's population has at least a primary school education, leading to one of the highest rates of literacy for a district within Turkey. In 1979/1980 Tunceli had the highest number of students attending universities as well as the top entry points until the only higher education school shut down and converted to a military base.

External links

* [http://www.tunceli.gov.tr/ Official Homepage of the Province Governor]
* [http://www.tuncelikulturturizm.gov.tr Official Homepage of the Culture and Tourism head office]
* [http://www.tunceli.pol.tr/Tunceli_Emniyet_Mudurlugu/Index.html Official Homepage of the police head office]
* [http://tunceli.meb.gov.tr/ Official Homepage of the Education head office]
* [http://www.tunceli.saglik.gov.tr/ Official Homepage of the health head office]

Districts of Turkey
provname=Tunceli