Human and economic geograpy of the Dim River settlements

Dim River Valley has been one of the most important settlement areas of Alanya since the past. Having the most important water source of the region is preferred by people with its climate and natural environment characteristics. In this direction, a socioeconomic structure emerged which has been shaped by the effects of physical environment characteristics for many years. Our research area includes Dim River Valley and its 14 neighborhoods. The boundaries of the area are determined according to the administrative boundaries of the neighborhoods and are approximately 333 km². It is desired to reveal the human and economic structure of the valley in the study. The research was started by searching the literature. The Ottoman period documents were used to reveal the historical past of the Valley. In the following period, the evolution of the valley to the day is examined. Field studies and survey applications have been carried out in order to collect data in the field of research. Two different survey applications were conducted in all neighborhoods, including general neighborhood surveys and household surveys. According to the results obtained, there is a uneven distribution of population and economic activity structure. Since the foundation of the Republic, the population is constantly increasing. However, in the recent period, most of them are concentrated in the coastal zone and decreased in the interior. Basic economic activities have begun to shift towards tourism from agriculture and livestock. The spread of tourism activities along with the coastal region to the valley will overcome population and economic activity inequality. In addition, taking measures to support agriculture and animal husbandry activities will increase production in rural areas. It is thought that the population increase in the valley in the coming period will be continued.