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Cappadocia
Geography and climate
Cappadocia lies in eastern Anatolia, in the center of what is now Turkey. The relief
consists of a high plateau over 1000 m in altitude that is pierced by volcanic
peaks, with Mount Erciyes near Kayseri being the tallest at 3916 m. The
boundaries of historical Cappadocia are vague, particularly towards the west. To
the south, the Taurus Mountains form the boundary with Cilicia and separate
Cappadocia from the Mediterranean Sea. To the west, Cappadocia is bounded by
the historical regions of Lycaonia to the southwest, and Galatia to the northwest.
The Black Sea coastal ranges separate Cappadocia from Pontus and the Black Sea,
while to the east Cappadocia is bounded by the upper Euphrates, before that river
bends to the southeast to flow into Mesopotamia, and the Armenian
Highland.This results in an area approximately 400 km east–west and 250 km
north–south. Due to its inland location and high altitude, Cappadocia has a
markedly continental climate, with hot dry summers and cold snowy
winters.Rainfall is sparse and the region is largely semi-arid.
History
Cappadocia was known as Hatti in the late Bronze Age, and was the
homeland of the Hittite power centred at Hattusa. After the fall of the
Hittite Empire, with the decline of the Syro-Cappadocians after their defeat
by the Lydian king Croesus in the 6th century, Cappadocia was ruled by a
sort of feudal aristocracy, dwelling in strong castles and keeping the
peasants in a servile condition, which later made them apt for foreign
slavery. It was included in the third Persian satrapy in the division
established by Darius, but continued to be governed by rulers of its own,
none apparently supreme over the whole country and all more or less
tributaries of the Great King.
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