SILIFKE

also called Seleucia, town, south-central Turkey. It is located along the banks of the Gksu River, overlooking the Taurus Mountains. An irrigation scheme supplying the fertile lowland of the Gksu delta is located at Silifke. The town is a market centre for agricultural produce of its hinterland, including cotton, tobacco, grapes, olives, beans, and lentils. Industrial products include beverages, textiles, footwear, wearing apparel, chemicals, electrical appliances, transport equipment, plastics, glass, pottery, and canned fruit and vegetables. The modern town occupies the site of ancient Seleucia Tracheotis founded by Seleucus I Nicator at the beginning of the 3rd century BC. On the top of the hill above the town are the remains of a Byzantine castle. Pop. (1990) 46,858.