Kırıkkale Province (Turkish:Kırıkkale ili) is aprovince ofTurkey. It is located on the crossroads of major highways east ofAnkara leading east to theBlack Sea region. Its area is 4,791 km2,[2] and its population is 277,046 (2022).[1] With its rapid population growth it has become an industrial center. The province was established in 1989 from part ofAnkara Province.[3] The provincial capital isKırıkkale.[4]
Kırıkkale is a rapidly growing town in central Turkey, on the Ankara-Kayseri railway near theKızılırmak River. Formerly a village, it owes its rapid rise in population mainly to the establishment of steel mills in the 1950s. These works, among the largest in the country, specialize in high-quality alloy steel and machinery. In the 1960s chemical plants were added.[verification needed]