The farming district of Antalya, Turkey

The farming district of Antalya, Turkey. Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features the agricultural districts of Antalya province in southwest Turkey. 

Located on the Mediterranean coast, the resort city is well-known as a major tourist destination.

Further inland, the rural communities of the Antalya province depend on agriculture. Overall, there are nearly three million farms in Turkey, most of which are family operated. The farming district of Antalya, Turkey

According to NASA, the country is the world’s seventh largest agricultural producer and a top exporter of hazelnuts, chestnuts, apricots, cherries, figs, and olives. 

The image was captured on June 8, 2020 by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8. One of the world’s earliest permanently settled regions, present-day Turkey was home to important Neolithic sites, and was inhabited by various civilisations. Hellenization started in the area during the era of Alexander the Great and continued into the Byzantine era  The Seljuk Turks began migrating in the 11th century, and the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm ruled Anatolia until the Mongol invasion in 1243, when it disintegrated into small Turkish principalities

Image Credit: NASA Earth ObservatoryBeginning in the late 13th century, the Ottomans started uniting the principalities and conquering the Balkans, and the Turkification of Anatolia increased during the Ottoman period. After Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in 1453, Ottoman expansion continued under Selim I.

By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer