Amasya is the administrative seat of Amasya Province in the mountains above the Black Sea in northern Turkey, built along the banks of the Yeşilırmak River in a narrow valley. Its area is 1730 km2, and the population numbers approx. 133.000, of which 74,000 live in the city and the remainder in surrounding villages. The altitude is 411 m. This one of the oldest settlements in Anatolia, originally occupied by the Hittites. In antiquity it was a fortified city high on the cliffs above the river. It was the home of Strabo, the geographer, and today there are prominent ruins and royal tombs in the rocks above the riverbank.
Situated between the Black Sea and inner Anatolia in a region of fertile plains irrigated by the Tersakan, Çekerek and Yeşilırmak rivers, Amasya lies in a naturally beautiful narrow river valley, bounded by almost vertical cliffs and high peaks. Five bridges cross the river, and most of the town lies on the southern bank, spread along the river. The climb up to the higher ground is very steep, making the valley walls uninhabitable. The town is therefore shaped like a letter 'v' as it follows a sharp bend in the river.
Economic activities in the region include agriculture and mining as well as textile and cement manufacture, but it is not a very wealthy city.
