Administrative Geography Analysis of Legislation # 6360 Regarding Metropolitan Municipalities in Turkey (2012)

Abstract# 6360 including the amendments and regulation on the metropolitan municipalities in Turkey and some related acts and decree laws has entered into force by being republished in Gazette no. 28489 of 06 December 2012. The Act has a geographical aspect in addition to the other aspects which have to be examined. Thereby, in this study, # 6360 was analyzed in terms of administrative geography. The scope of the research is the administrative geography analysis of the metropolitan municipality in Turkey between the years of 1984 – 2012. This study will make up the deficiencies on the local government systems of the metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, and the geographical basics, aspects and the problems of the system. On the contrary to the law, Antakya's, which is the central district of Hatay, not being a newly established county, but being turned into a metropolitan sub-provincial municipality; the use of certain authority of the governor and some rights, authority and charges of the special provincial administrators by the ‘Investment, monitoring and coordination committee’; metropolitan and sub- provincial municipalities’ being allowed to serve in all kinds of ways in the purpose of supporting agriculture and livestock, are just one part of the findings contrary to the common knowledge. Metropolitan municipality which is defined by the act, is basically neither a settlement with the distinguishing features of a city, nor an organization which is in charge of providing public and municipal services in the center of population. It is an administrative zone, having administrative and financial autonomy which is valid in law. However, in approximately the last 30 years, the present metropolitan municipalities have shown that they are not properly structured institutions for serving wide rural areas that are extending to the provincial borders