The Importance of Coast of The Gulf of Edremit on the Agriculture and Product of Olive Activities in Turkey

Olive is one of the oldest cultured fruits in the history. It is the characteristics plant of Mediterranean climate and the Mediterranean region and is one of the symbols of civilization of this region. On the earth, the olive zone is mostly intensify in Mediterranean basin and has a great importance on the economical, social, and cultural life of these countries. Being located on the olive zone focused on the Mediterranean of Turkey, olive groves cover on vast areas. Meeting of Anatolia with olive goes to ancient times. Olive production is an old and important economical activity in the agricultural structure of Turkey. The economical importance of olive can be measured with the production of olive rather than the number of trees. The tendency observed in our country is, even though increase in the number of olive tree, there is no production of increase in the same rate. In our country, the olive production shows increases and decreases from year to year. Production of olive mostly carried out for oil production, and olive oil is significantly important in foreign trade. Balikesir province where most of the study area falls into supplies 14% average of total olive production of Turkey. Olive groves can be observed densely in the Gulf of Edremit in Balikesir. The Gulf of Edremit and surroundings is one of the most important olive and olive oil production areas in Turkey. Olive is the most important product marks on agricultural life of the Gulf of Edremit where a significant number of olive trees can be found. Olive production in the study area where the settlement time go long way back thanks to the favorable opportunities given by the geographical conditions has been the most important agricultural activity beginning from ancient times and this position still continues. A specific olive culture having a long history was established in the area and the human life has shaped in this direction. The study aims to investigate olive groves covering on the coasts of the Gulf of Edremit as a monoculture according to agricultural geography and to put forward the place and importance of olive activities in Turkey. For that reason, olive in Turkey is investigated from the scale of Turkey to the region, from scale of region to the local scale and geographical analysis of olive activities in the study area is made. In the study, it was used Geographical Information System (GIS) methodology was used which is also an effective vehicle on many areas, and the software of ArcGIS 9.1 used for creation of database and data structure. In order to determine the natural environment, it was used 1/100.000 scaled topography, geology and soil maps; for putting forward the characteristics of climate, data of meteorological stations were used. Statistical data were obtained from Turkish Statistical Institute and District Directorate of Agriculture. Field studies and interview made with local community was another important data.