Tuz Golu in Turkish, is a saline lake occupying a huge area in the arid central plateau of Turkey, about 65 miles (105 km) northeast of Konya, neighboring also Nigde and Ankara provinces. It’s the second largest lake of Turkey, after Lake Van, lying at an elevation of 2,970 feet (905 m) as a tectonic lake. Despite it’s huge area (580 sq miles or 1500 sq kilometers) for most of the year is very shallow (between 0,5-1 meters), especially during dry summer months when the water evaporates in huge quantities leaving a tick crust of salt on the surface up to 30 centimeters. (more…)
This central region is now the heart of modern Turkey’s political life, and has been the centre of many significant societies and civilisations throughout history. The main cities in this region are Ankara, Cankiri, Eskisehir, Kayseri, Kirsehir,Konya, Nevsehir, Nigde, Sivas, Yozgat, Aksaray, Karaman and Kirikkale.
Ankara, the modern-day capital, is located squarely in the middle of Central Anatolia and has been planned and developed for a contemporary society. The most visually impressive structure here is the Anitkabir mausoleum built for Ataturk, who foundedthe modern Republic of Turkey by winning the War for Independence and then made Ankara its capital. (more…)