Geomorphology of İhsaniye district and problems due to natural environment

In this study, the geomorphology of Afyonkarahisar/İhsaniye was evaluated from a geographical perspective on the axis of human-nature-geography. The essence of the research is İhsaniye, which is very rich with its geographical structure and has characteristic features. The scope of the research consists of a comprehensive assessment of the natural landscape of İhsaniye, including the three natural spheres (atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere) that includes all of the ground systems, as well as the biosphere. İhsaniye was split by the branches of Akarçay, which flows into Porsuk Stream and Eber Lake; It was built on a plateau at an altitude of 1250-1500 meters, which gradually rises from the Afyon plain to the north. It is surrounded by the Turkmen mountains from the north, Emirdaglari from the east and Murat mountains from the west. It is surrounded by Eynihan Mountains from the north and Elmalı Mountains from the west towards the borders of Eskişehir. İhsaniye is located in the Inner West Anatolian Section of the Aegean Region, in a transitional region between Central and Western Anatolia, due to its current location. The region, which is defined as the "Central West Anatolian Threshold", is the gate of Central Anatolia opening to the west, and a junction that connects the east and the west. This place is also the nodal point of important roads, where the King's Road passes, and it has maintained its geopolitical and geostrategic importance since the past. İhsaniye is a rarely encountered region with various landforms, geological-geomorphological formations, thermal springs, vegetation and transitional climate, and important traces of nature and history. The study area was inhabited by Hittites, Phrygians, Persians, Lydians, Romans, Byzantines and Turks, respectively, and cities were established in the region. This area, which has a strong geoecological potential with its natural and cultural assets as well as its historical background, is rapidly degrading as a result of intense and misuse. In order to reveal this, the geographical features of the research area as a whole were determined, the problems were revealed and solution suggestions were presented. Keywords: Geomorphology, Geomorphotourism, Afyonkarahisar, İhsaniye, Mountainous Phrygia.