Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Sivas ::: Communications Center to Trade Routes


Sivas is the provincial capital of Sivas Province in Turkey.

According to the 2007 Turkish census, its population was 296,402. The city lies at an elevation of 4,193 feet (1,285 m) in the broad valley of the Kızılırmak river, and is a moderately-sized trade center and industrial city, although the economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Rail repair shops as well as a thriving industry of manufacturing rugs, bricks, cement, and cotton and woolen textiles are all important for the economy of the city. The surrounding region is a cereal-producing area and with large deposits of iron ore, which are worked at Divriği.

Sivas is also communications center to the north-south and west-east trade routes to Iraq and Iran, respectively. With the development of railways, the city gained new economic importance, as it stands at the junction of several railways and highways and is linked by air with Istanbul via Ankara, as well as an important rail line linking the cities of Kayseri, Samsun, and Erzurum.

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