Invest Kahramanmaraş

Main Indicators of Kahramanmaraş

Introduction
Industry
Main Sectors
>Textile
>Food
>Metal Industry
>Jewelry
Agriculture
Tourism
Foreign Trade
Energy
Our Office

INTRODUCTION
Kahramanmaraş is located on the northeastern part of the Mediterranean Region of Turkey and surrounded by Ahir Mountain in the north, Sır Dam Lake and Aksu River in the west and Kahramanmaraş plain in the south. Agricultural and industrial potential of the region made the city of Kahramanmaraş economically attractive and thus, urban population has increased rapidly during the five decades due to the migration from nearby rural settlements to the city.

Main Indicators

Area	14.525 km²
Population (2009)	1.037.491 (Province of Kahramanmaraş) 384.953 (City centre)
Population Density	72 people / km²
Population growth rate	0,79 %
GDP/capita	1.584 USD (2001)

Source: DOĞAKA, Regional Plan of TR63 Nuts2 Region (Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Osmaniye) 2010-2013

Kahramanmaraş is the 11th largest city in Turkey area wise and has 568 meters altitude at city center. Its population is over 1 million and divided almost equally among urban and rural areas.

A growing economy from 1980s to 2010s

In the early of 1980s, great changes underwent at Kahramanmaraş with an agricultural based economic model. Kahramanmaraş became one of the leading provinces during industrialization process; major investments were made in industrial plants especially in textiles, food & agriculture industry. Today, many of textile & apparel production plants are located all over the province and majority of people are employed in these sectors.

Kahramanmaraş is an industrial and commercial center, contributing greatly to the Turkish economy. With its high performance shown in recent years, Kahramanmaraş has reached annual exports of over one billion US dollars. The province has the sufficient sources and economic structure to be able to achieve this.

Young and qualified labor force

Another important indicator about the city is Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, named after Sütçü İmam, and was founded at Kahramanmaraş in 1992.The university carries out its academic activities in the campus located in the city center, Karacasu (The Faculty of Medicine), Avsar and Aksu campuses. University trains young and qualified labor force, which is crucial for the local and regional economy.

There are totally 170 departments and programs in university. 45 departments including the second education program in 9 faculties, 3 institutes, 12 higher vocational schools and 6 research and development centers Faculties;

• Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Engineering & Architecture
• Faculty of Economics & Administrative Sciences
• Faculty of Agriculture
• Faculty of Science & Literature
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Fine Arts
• Faculty of Forestry
• Faculty of Theology

University also comprises initiatives and programs that support the economy of Kahramanmaraş. Providing resources on issues such as research and development, in accordance with the European Union and various fields. Development Research Center between University-Industry-Government (USKIM) is an example for R&D activities. The Center operates independently with its fully equipped labs to support science and technology and monitor the latest achievements in many fields.

Our Investment Support Office is working for the cooperation between university and SME’s to develop innovation and R&D activities in our region.