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GAP (The
Southeastern Anatolian Project)
The
South-eastern Anatolian Project is Turkey's largest
and most multifaceted development project, and also,
one of the largest development projects in the world.
The project includes active farming with extensive
irrigation systems and electricity production;
following these are tourism, mining, petrol, education,
health, communication, industry and transport sectors.
The South-eastern Anatolia Project covers the lower
parts of the Firat and Dicle rivers; and Gaziantep,
Sanliurfa, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Mardin, Siirt, Batman
and Sirnak, which are situated on the plains between
the rivers. This project will also bring with it a
change in climate to the area. The Atatürk Dam and
Hydroelectric Plant, the largest in Turkey and the
sixth largest in the world, is situated in the Bozova
town of Sanliurfa. Atatürk Dam, which is the major
foundation of the South-eastern Anatolia Project, is
important not only for energy production but also for
irrigation. The water obtained from the reservoirs of
the Atatürk Dam on the Firat river is going to be
carried to the Harran plain by the Sanliurfa Tunnel
System. The Sanliurfa Tunnel System is the largest in
the wodd, in terms of its length and flow rate. The
waters of the Firat river will pass through tunnels
which are 26.4 kilometers in length and 7.62 meters in
diameter, and be distributed to the vast cropland on
the South-eastern Anatolian plains from central and
side channels, bringing a production boom and
prosperity to the region. To travel along Turkey's
Southern border, take the highway which connects
Gaziantep, Sanliurfa and Mardin to Syria and Iraq,
Gaziantep, located on a wide and fertile plain
cultivated with extensive olive groves and vineyards,
produces a variety of agricultural crops.
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