Human and economic geography of the city of Batman

In this study, properties of human and economic geography of the city of Batman, located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region?s Dicle Part, are investigated. Batman is 560 m above the sea level and has an area of about 622km2. The city center is located on a flat terrain in the Batman River Basin. The Tigris (Dicle) River flows west to east through the provincial territory. Brook of Batman merges with the Tigris River by marking Batman-Diyarbakır provincial border. In the east of the city, there are Raman and Southeastern Taurus Mountains which have an altitude of 1,288 m. Oil Production is performed in that part of the city. Although Batman?s city center is not very historical, centrally located villages and districts have a very ancient history. After the name of Batman River had been given to the village of Iluh in the early 1950s, Batman was firstly established as a province of Siirt in 1957. Batman was consisted of a small village of Iluh with 13 houses in 1940s. After the discovery of oil in Raman Mountain, its destiny started to change. Along with the oil production, a modern refinery was established in the city center in 1955 and there occurred an unprecedented population growth in the city. In Turkey, Batman is the only city sample which passed from a status of village to a provincial status in a very short period of time. The impact of TPAO and TUPRAS refineries on the urbanization and population of Batman continued until 1980s. The Topography of the survey area is not a suitable field from lithological and geomorphological points of view. Thus, there emerged many physical, human and economic problems in the city center regarding the settlement. An important part of the labor population of Batman is employed in service and industrial sectors. Key Words: The City of Batman, Iluh, Petroleum, Raman Mountains, Settlemen