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The name was traditionally used
in Christian sources throughout
history and is still widely used
as an international tourism
concept to define a region of
exceptional natural wonders
characterized by fairy chimneys
(image below) and a unique
historical and cultural
heritage. The term, as used in
tourism, roughly corresponds to
present-day Nevsehir Province of
Turkey.
Cappadocia's limits are debated.
In the time of Herodotus, the
Cappadocians are supposed to
have occupied the whole region
from Mount Taurus to the
vicinity of the Euxine (Black
Sea). Cappadocia, in this sense,
was bounded in the south by the
chain of Mount Taurus, to the
east by the Euphrates, to the
north by Pontus, and to the west
by Lake Tuz, in Central
Anatolia. But Strabo, the only
ancient author to provide a
major account of the area,
greatly exaggerated its
dimensions. It is now believed
that 400 km (250 mi) east-west
by 200 km (120 mi) north-south
is a more realistic appraisal of
Cappadocia's area. |
