Hatay
[key], formerly sanjak of Alexandretta, province, 2,141 sq mi
(5,545 sq km), S Turkey, including the cities of Antioch (now Antakya) and
Alexandretta (now Iskenderun). Iron is mined and Hatay is a transportation
link with Syria and other parts of Turkey. The population is predominantly
Arab but includes many Christians. The sanjak of Alexandretta was awarded to
Syria in 1920 and in 1936 became the subject of a complaint to the League of
Nations by Turkey, which claimed that the privileges of the Turkish minority
in the sanjak were being infringed. The sanjak was given autonomous status
in 1937 by an agreement, arranged by the League, between France (then
mandatory power in Syria) and Turkey. Rioting by Turks and Arabs resulted
(1938) in the establishment of joint French and Turkish military control. In
1939, France transferred the sanjak to Turkey and it became Hatay prov.
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