Batman (short for Batı Raman Mountains) is the provincial capital of Batman Province, Turkey, also known as Êlih or Iluh in Kurdish, is a city on the Batman River in the predominantly Kurdish southeast of Turkey.
Economy
Batman Province is an important oil producing area, and Batman has Turkey's oldest refinery, established in 1955. A 494 km (307 mi) long pipeline transports crude oil from Batman to İskenderun. The railway track at nearby Kurtalan connects the city with Istanbul. There is also a regional airport near Batman.
History and demographics
Until the 1950s, Batman was a small village with a mostly Kurdish population. When oil companies moved in and the city's economy started to grow, population figures began to rise. Many Turkish workers and state officials settled in the city. Presently the population of Batman faces a high level of unemployment.
