small and medium enterprises. Due to their relatively small sizes, these industries mainly serve local markets causing lower capacity usage, low productivity and unemployment. About 40 plants are currently out of use, mostly due to high operating costs. The province of Erzurum has the highest ratio of meadows and pastures in Turkey, ideal for livestock. However, once the main occupation, animal husbandry lost its importance in the 1980s with the introduction of a liberal economy and the importation of animal products. A large organized industrial park concentrating on processing meat is being built with the hope of reviving this sector. Food industries include beekeeping and trout farming. Mining resources include lead, copper, chromium, and zinc, the reserves of which are almost exhausted. There is a considerable amount of lignite, however because its ash and sulfur ratios are high, it suitable only for industrial use. Magnesite, fire clay, gypsum, manganese, diatomite, marble, rock salt and perlite are also present. The few natural geothermal resources, except one, are not suitable for economic investments, and they are used as natural springs. The gross domestic product GDP of Erzurum is US$1.16 billion, constituting less than 1% of the total and ranking 40th among Turkish provinces (1997 values). Transportation is possible via paved and unpaved highways. The Erzurum international airport is open for commercial flights and is also used by the Turkish Air Force. The runways of this airport are the second longest in Turkey. Erzurum is also the main railroad hub in the Eastern Anatolia Region. The largest contributor to the provincial economy, in recent years, has been Atatürk University, which is also one of the largest universities in Turkey, having more than forty thousand students. Tourist activities, which include skiing, rafting, and mountaineering, also provide a substantial proportion of the province's income. Skiing is centered on Palandöken Mountain. Places of Interest Öşvank (Oshk Vank) Historical Georgian Monastery church, Uzundere. Bana cathedral, also known as the Penek cathedral Oltu Russian cathedral, also known as Oltu Rus Kilisesi Haho Khakhuli Monastery, also known as Haho Bağbaşı Kilisesi, is a Georgian Orthodox monastery in historical Medieval Georgian Kingdom of Tao, located in Tortum. Notable people Nene Hatun, Turkish folk heroine who fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 References External links Official Website of the Municipality Armenian History and Presence in Erzurum Provinces of Turkey Western Armenia