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Taurus Mountains
Mountain range in southern Turkey, running parallel to the Mediterranean Sea. It is defined to two main parts, the western called Bati, the eastern Orta.
The Bati begins in the region corresponding to ancient Lycia, west of Antalya and melts into the Orta, in the section known as Geyik (about 150 km east of Antalya). The Orta continues eastwards to the Euphrates River, from where the Güneydogu Mountains are defined to begin.
The Demirkazik Mountain in the east, is the highest mountain at 3,756 metres, neighboured by two more mountain tops over 3,700 metres, in a region known as Aladaglar. The highest mountain in the western parts is the Kislar Sevrisi at 3,083 metres.
The mountains are of limestone, much of it white limestone. The mountains are between heavily and scattered forested, trees being pine, cedar, oak and juniper. The tree limit is about 2,000 to 2,500 metres. The mountains have several lakes, although many of these are seasonal or dried out.
The mountains reach all the way out to the ocean, leaving only a narrow strip of flatland in regions.
The western Taurus served in ancient times as a natural fortress for Lycia, allowing the development of high-culture and rich trading cities.
The region is fairly thinly populated, but has excellent road infrastructure. The main cities are Antalya (600,000), Isparta (150,000), Eregli (90,000), Fethiye (60,000) and Silifke (60,000, all figures 2004 estimates).
The main activities of the region are agriculture, small-scale industries and tourism. Mineral deposits include silver, copper, lignite, zinc, iron and arsenic.
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By: Tore Kjeilen
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