User:Seyhan668/Adana Introduction

Adana (Ադանա; Άδανα, أضنة) is a major city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan river, 35 km inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province and has a population of 1.77 million, making it the 5th most populated city in Turkey. The Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area, with a population of 3 million, stretches over 70 km east-west and 25 km north-south; encompassing the cities of Mersin, Tarsus and Adana.

Adana lies in the heart of Cilicia, a distinct geographical region locally known as Çukurova. Home to six million people, Cilicia is one of the largest population concentrations in Turkey, as well as the most agriculturally productive area, owing to its large stretch of flat, fertile land. The region includes the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Hatay. Adding the large population centers surrounding Cilicia, more than 10 million people reside within 2-hours drive from the Adana city center.

Throughout the history, Adana were a market town at the Cilicia plain and one of the gateways from Europe to the Middle East, as it provided the only access on the wide Seyhan river. The city turned into a power house of Cilicia with the Turkic takeover in 1359. The city remained as the capital of the Ramadanid Emirate until 1608, and then the regional administrative center for the Ottoman Empire, Turkey, and shortly for the French Cilicia. Economically a modest town until 1861 with a population of roughly 15000, the city boomed after the break down of the American Civil War, as becoming a center for supplying cotton and cotton related products to Europe. Traditionally a town populated by Armenians and Turks, influx of Armenians, Turks, Greeks, Jews and Alawites at this period, made the city one of the most diverse cities of Anatolia. Economic, social and cultural growth were halted by the Adana massacre, the Armenian Genocide and the Greco-Turkish population exchange, all causing heavy destruction in the early 20th century. After the eviction of Armenians and Greeks, most of the city's private properties were confiscated in 1922 and were granted to the Muslim/Turks who were migrated to the city.

Adana in the 21st century, are a center for regional trade, healthcare, public and private services. Agriculture and logistics are significant sectors of the city. Economic decline caused by the de-industrialization since 1990 is reversing, as the city is gaining momentum with fairs, festivals and entertainment life. Though not competing at the top level, the rivalry between the city's football clubs, Adanaspor and Adana Demirspor, is getting national attraction as being the only citywide derby of Turkey that is rooted in socio-economic divisions.