Keçiören

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Keçiören
Keçiören Park in Ankara
Keçiören Park in Ankara
Location of Keçiören within Turkey.
Location of Keçiören within Turkey.
Coordinates: 40°00′N 32°52′E / 40°N 32.867°E / 40; 32.867
Country  Turkey
Region Central Anatolia
Province Ankara
Government
 - Governor Mustafa Güler
 - Mayor Turgut Altınok MHP
Area
 - District 190 km2 (73.4 sq mi)
Elevation 850 m (2,789 ft)
Population (2000)[1]
 - District 672,817
 - Density 3,541.14/km2 (9,171.5/sq mi)
 - Urban 625,167
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 - Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code 06xxx
Area code(s) 0312
Licence plate 06
Website www.kecioren.bel.tr

Keçiören is a metropolitan district of Ankara Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, a crowded district in the northern part of the city of Ankara. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 672,817 of which 625,167 live in the urban center of Keçiören.[1][2] The district covers an area of 190 km2 (73 sq mi),[3] and the average elevation is 850 m (2,789 ft). The Çubuk River runs through the middle of the district.

Contents

[edit] Etymology

The name Keçiören comes from the Turkish for a type of felt footwear that used to be made in the area.

[edit] Politics

Until the 1950s this was a green and pleasant area outside the city, but in recent years has become a large district of housing for Ankara's working class, a stronghold of Turkish nationalism, inhabited by very conservative people and covered in Islamic or nationalist graffiti. The Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan has his Ankara residence within the district.

Since the 1990s Keçiören Municipality has been controlled by a series of right-wing/Islamist parties notable for such activities as establishing a private force called the "A team" to patrol the district to "warn" people of effects of behaviours such as drinking alcohol or being seen in public with a girl or boyfriend.

[edit] Prominent neighbourhoods

  • Etlik - Located on high ground, overlooking the city (in fact much of Keçiören has good cityscapes, especially at night)

[edit] Places of interest

  • Atatürk's headquarters during the Turkish War of Independence today used by the department of meteorology.
  • The current administration has made efforts to decorate the mass of dull concrete that the area mainly consists of. Their buildings include; a huge artificial waterfall and many other pools and fountains; a concrete replica of the Hungarian Esztergom Castle and a park where women ın tight sportswear and Islamic headscarfs can go for walks.

[edit] Notable natives

  • Melih Gökçek, politician and current mayor of Ankara
  • Turgut Altınok, long-term mayor of Keçiören.
  • Selahattin Bıyıklı, kick-boxing champion.

[edit] Keçiören children's games

To many Turkish people the name Keçiören evokes a popular children's TV outdoor game show (similar to the British It's a Knockout) of the 1980s, which was recorded in the district.

[edit] Sister cities

The following places are sister cities to Keçiören:

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Turkish Statistical Institute. "Census 2000, Key statistics for urban areas of Turkey" (in Turkish) (XLS). http://www.die.gov.tr/nufus_sayimi/2000tablo5.xls. Retrieved on 2008-03-31. 
  2. ^ GeoHive. "Statistical information on Turkey's administrative units" (in English). http://www.xist.org/cntry/turkey.aspx?levels=Ic%20Anadolu. Retrieved on 2008-03-31. 
  3. ^ Statoids. "Statistical information on districts of Turkey" (in English). http://www.statoids.com/ytr.html. Retrieved on 2008-05-03. 

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 40°00′00″N 32°52′00″E / 40°N 32.866667°E / 40; 32.866667

This article about a Central Anatolia Region of Turkey location is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
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