Göle

Not to be confused with Kola (historical region).
Göle
Göle
Coordinates: 40°47′34″N 42°36′31″E / 40.79278°N 42.60861°E / 40.79278; 42.60861Coordinates: 40°47′34″N 42°36′31″E / 40.79278°N 42.60861°E / 40.79278; 42.60861
Country  Turkey
Province Ardahan
Government
 • Mayor Akın İsmailoğlu (AKP)
 • Kaymakam Fatih özdemir
Area[1]
 • District 1,399.88 km2 (540.50 sq mi)
Population (2012)[2]
 • Urban 7,359
 • District 29,968
 • District density 21/km2 (55/sq mi)
Post code 75700
Website www.gole.bel.tr

Göle (Georgian: კოლა K'ola, in Kurdish Mêrdînik) is a small city and surrounding district in Ardahan Province of Turkey. The city was formerly known as Merdenik, Merdinik or Ardahan-ı Küçük ("Little Ardahan" in Ottoman Turkish).

Göle is a rural district, eighty per cent of the area comprising mountain and forest, with the remainder grazing land and meadow; the local economy depends on this grazing. Göle is famous for its yellow kaşar cheese. Some crops are grown, including grains and potatoes. With the high Allahuekber mountains to the south Göle is exposed to the north; winters are eight months long and extremely cold (minus 30 Celsius is quite normal), summer is one month of dry weather.

History

The name comes from Kola (კოლა, Georgian)- the name of a historical province in Georgia. The name of the ancient kingdom of Colchis may be derived from name of this place. Part of the Ottoman Empire from 1561, Göle was occupied by the Russian Empire from 1878 until the end of the First World War, when it was part of the militarily administered Kars Oblast. The district included villages inhabited by various ethnic groups, including 40 Kurdish and 7 Turkish villages with a significant minority of Armenians, and Caucasus Greeks. It finally became part of the Republic of Turkey on September 30, 1920 after the Armenian occupation between 1919-1920.

Places of interest to visitors include the tomb and mosque in the village of Dedeşen and the castles of Kalecik and Ugurtaşı.

Accommodation

There are several hotels in the town.

Villages of the district

The old names of the villages are noted after in parentheses.

References

  1. ↑ "Area of regions (including lakes), km²". Regional Statistics Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. 2002. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  2. ↑ "Population of province/district centers and towns/villages by districts - 2012". Address Based Population Registration System (ABPRS) Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
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