About Malatya
About Malatya
The foundations of the city of Malatya were laid during the Hittite period and the town of Melidu in the Hittite period became Malatya by taking different names over time. Conquered by the Turks in 1075, Malatya fell into the hands of the Mamluks for a while and was reconquered by Yıldırım Beyazıt in 1392. Later ruled by the Dulkadiroğulları, who recognized Ottoman sovereignty, Malatya was directly annexed to the Ottoman Empire in 1516. Today's Malatya is 9 kilometers away from the old Malatya. In the first half of the 19th century, the city was moved to a residential area called Aspuzu. Malatya, which became a province with the Republic (Article 89 of the Constitution of April 20, 1924), is one of the few provinces that was not subjected to foreign occupation.
According to 2019 data, the population of Malatya is 797,036 people. The number of districts in Malatya is 14. The largest district in terms of area is Hekimhan, the smallest district in terms of population is Doğanyol and the smallest district in terms of area is Kale.
Malatya is surrounded by Kahramanmaraş in the west, Sivas in the north, Erzincan in the northeast, Elazığ in the east and Adıyaman in the south. The surface area of the province is 11.776,5 km². Malatya is a plain located between Eastern, Southeastern and Central Anatolia. The plain extends with a slight slope from north to south. The land is high and far from the sea. In Malatya, where continental and Mediterranean climates are seen together, summers are hot and dry and winters are rainy and cold. The hottest months are July and August and the coldest months are January and February.
There are not many forested areas as vegetation in the province, but oak forests cover a large area in the mountains of Pütürge district. Many willow, poplar and walnut trees are grown along the river banks. Apricots, apples, pears, peaches, cherries, cherries, mulberries, grapes and many fruit varieties are grown in significant amounts. The mountains, which turn green with rainfall in the spring, turn into steppe as a result of the heat and subsequent drought in the summer months. Meadows and pastures constitute 53 percent of the land within the provincial borders, while 10 percent is forested and heathland.