Nevşehir urban geography

Nevşehir is located in the Middle Kızılırmak Zone of Central Anatolia Region. The administrative boundary of the city, which is the study area, is roughly surrounded by the those of Çat, Nar and Sulusaray in the north, Göreme and Uçhisar in the east, Göre and Boğazköy in the south, and Balcın and Alacaşar municipalities in the west. It is claimed that the former name of the urban area was "Nyssa". After the region had come under the rule of Ottoman administration, Nyssa is replaced by "Muşkara". And the name "Muşkara", was changed to "Nevşehir", which means "New City", following a rapid urbanization process with Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Pasha being the grand vizier in XVIII century. The residential area within the municipal temporary service area boundary in Nevşehir is a land of 24.04 km². The municipality's urban area is 92.66 km². The city has 21 quarters and a population of 98,713 as of 2015. The geomorphologic appearance of the study area and its immediate surroundings shaped by internal factors and processes such as volcanism and tectonism as well as by the effects of erosivity. The urban area essentially sits on a volcanic plateau area and, in terms of vegetation, bears steppe feature of the zone it is within. Likewise, forested areas were ruined in the study area, so there is mainly heathland rather than any forestation. Nevşehir is on the transition border of moor (semi-arid) and semi-humid areas in terms of climate. The city centre has the world's largest underground city. Besides, there are many historical places and geographical attractions in the city.In that regard, the economics of the urban area gives the first signals of transforming from a city of "Service Economy" into a "Service-based Tourism City" in the future. Keywords: Nevşehir, Underground City, Tourism in Nevşehir, City Geography,Cappadocia.