Urban geography of polatlı

The city of Polatlı which is located in Yukarı Sakarya subdivision of control Anatolia region is country town depended on Ankara province. The avarage annual temperature is 11.6˚C and annual rainfall is 344 mm in the city and surrounding areas where terrestrial climate is dominant. The city developed on a slightly rupped plateau with alluvial soil. The neighbourhood of Polatlı, which was found the first inhabiting traces in ancient times, has been one of the important settlement areas throughout history due to its location on trade routes. The brightest era was the Phrygian Period. The city had acted as a defensive allience against enemy attacks in War of Independence and had played significant roles in this war. The function of agriculture and transportation can be regarded as a fundamental function in the establishment of the city. Especially, Polatlı train station built in 1982 and Ankara-Eskişehir Highway passing through the city center accelerated the development of the city. In addition to these two functions, military and industrial function is also efficient in the development of the city. While 420 people were living in Polatlı city in 1927, 102430 people were living in 2015. Even though the city experienced the decreases in the rate of increase in some periods, it showed an increase steadily. Population growth was not only due to the natural population growth, but also migrations to the city. Today, 50.3 % of the population living in the city is male and 49.7 % is female. Polatlı is a city settlement where the service function is highly developed. According to the data of 2015, 59.6 % (16020 people) of the urban population are working in the service sector. The agricultural sector with 20.4 % (5474 people) is following the service sector. Polatlı is a city settlement characteristic with its population and urban functions to the full. It is thought to be very important that the development of other functions such as tourism which will be useful in the development of the city. Key Words: Polatlı, City Geography, Urban Functions, Urban Development