The Mediterranean Region gets its name from the sea adjacent to it. The region is in the form of a strip with a width varying between 120 to 180 km and starts around Koycegiz in the west and extends as far as Cape Basit in Hatay Province in the east. It covers approximately 15 percent of Turkey with a surface area of 120,000 km2.
The provinces of Hatay, Adana, Icel, Antalya, Isparta, Burdur and a large portion of Kahramanmaras are in the Mediterranean Region. Some of the counties of other provinces in the neighboring regions are included in the Mediterranean region. Agriculture and industry are important in the Mediterranean Region.
Grain production is still important in the coastal sections of the region. However, in recent years industrial plants have also been grown extensively. In fact, close to two-thirds of the lands sown in the Mediterranean Region are grain fields. The proportion of industrial plants is approximately one-third. Among the grains, wheat comes first in all the provinces in the region, followed by barley. Cotton, among the industrial plants, is the main income source in the region. Cotton production in the region is about two-thirds of the total production in Turkey. Tobacco is cultivated in Hatay Province and some parts of the Goller (Lakes) Region.
The planted areas where fresh fruits and vegetables are grown cover a large area in the Mediterranean Region. The fields for growing early fruits and vegetables have advanced a lot due to the developments in transportation in recent years. Citrus fruits are the primary fruit crops growing in the region. More than four-fifths of the production of citrus fruits in Turkey are realized in the Mediterranean region. Bananas are grown only in this region in Turkey.
The Cukurova is the area with the fastest rate of industriali- zation in the region. It is, at the same time, among the main industrial regions in Turkey. Besides the various industrial branches (especially textiles) in Adana, the main industrial facilities in the Mediterranean Region are the Mersin Petroleum Refinery (ATAS), Iskenderun Superphosphate and Iron-Steel Plants, the Ferro-chrome plant in Antalya and the Seydisehir Aluminum plant.
The Mediterranean Region, especially due to the natural and historical assets around the Gulf of Antalya, is not only the most important tourist center in the region, but in the whole of Turkey as well. Surrounding the shores of the Gulf of Antalya there are various holiday villages and hotels with modern and extremely developed architecture that respect the environment, and at a level which cannot be seen in any of the other Mediterranean countries.