Kars Province

Infobox Province TR
region = Eastern Anatolia
name = Kars
total population = 287,106
area=9,587
licence = 36
area_code= 474|

Kars is a province (Lang-tr|il) of Turkey, located in the northeastern part of the country. It shares part of its border with the Republic of Armenia. From 1878 until 1917 all of the present-day province of Kars was part of the Russian oblast of Kars. From 1918 to 1920 the province was under the administration of the Democratic Republic of Armenia as the Vanand province (with the city of Kars as its capital). Its territory was ceded to Turkey by the Soviet Union in the Treaty of Kars. The provinces of Ardahan and Iğdır were until the 1990s part of Kars Province.

Districts

Kars province is divided into 8 districts ("ilçe"), each named after the administrative center of the district:
*Akyaka
*Arpaçay
*Digor
*Kağızman
*Kars
*Sarıkamış
*Selim
*Susuz

There are 383 villages in Kars.

Kars Nature and Wildlife

Kars has a wealth of wildlife that is being documented by the Kars-Igdir Biodiversity Project. ["KuzeyDoga Society"http://www.kuzeydoga.org] The project has recorded 308 of Turkey's 465 bird species in the region. At least 191 of these occur at Kuyucuk Lake, ["Kuyucuk Lake Project"http://www.kuyucuk.org] that is the most important wetland in the province. Sarikamis Forests in the south harbor wolves, brown bear, lynx and other animals, and Aras (Araxes) River wetlands comprise a key stop-over site for many migrating birds. Aras River Bird Research and Education Center at Yukari Ciyrikli village has recorded 204 bird species at this single location alone.

Armenian Monuments

Kars contains numerous Armenian monuments, the most notable being the ruined city of Ani and the 9th century Church of the Apostles. While there have been recent government led efforts to preserve the province's more conspicuous Armenian structures, mostly for tourism purposes, there is telling evidence that suggests many of these monuments have been intentionally destroyed or severely damaged since the territory passed into Turkish hands. ["The Monastery of Khtzkonk." http://www.virtualani.org/khtzkonk/index.htm] Unfortunately, the most recent damage to Ani is occurring due to the dynamites used at an Armenian rock quarry across Arpacay River. The resulting tremors affect the historic structures of Ani.

Trivia

Kars was also the setting for the popular novel Snow by Orhan Pamuk.

External links

* [http://www.pbase.com/dosseman/kars Pictures of the capital of this province and of nearby Ani]
* [http://www.turkeyforecast.com/weather/kars/ Kars Weather Forecast Information]

References