The geographical characteristics of the names of residential areas in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

When talking about the existence of countries, the words of geography take place in the first place. Geographical conditions are a major factor influencing the existence of civilizations for centuries. The settlement names provide information about the history and general characteristics of a region. The names of settlements are valuable resources that give important clues about the past. Settlement names given by being influenced by physical and human geographical factors present the structure that arises from the reciprocal relationship between societies and the place where they settled. The borders of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) are formed by the Mediterranean on the North, South, and West, and by the Greek Cypriot Administration on the South. The island of Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean and its surface area is 9,251 km2. It is 71 kilometers from Turkey, 98 kilometers from Syria and 370 kilometers from Egypt. The surface area of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is 3242 km2. The island of Cyprus, where the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was founded, has been under the sovereignty of many states such as Rome, Byzantium, Crusaders, Lusignan, Venetian, Ottoman and British from past to present. In the research area, where each civilization reflects its own cultural characteristics on the place names, the Turkish equivalents of the settlement names with the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus were realized with the effect of physical and human geography. In this direction, the effects of Turkish culture can be seen in the naming of the settlements of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. In the administrative structure of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 2021, 261 settlement names were determined, including the central district, subdivision, and neighborhood/village. In the study, it was determined that 261 settlement names were affected by 110 (43%) physical factors and 144 (57%) were given by human factors. It has been determined that the names of settlements related to landforms are more common in the physical elements, and the names of settlements related to the person, surname, and clan name among the human elements are more common in the field. The research was carried out to determine and evaluate the geographical features of the settlement names of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.