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This study aims to generate a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based land suitability assessment for rice cultivation in the Hayrabolu Stream Basin located in the Thrace Peninsula where important rice cultivation areas of Turkey situated. The basin area is most important rice cultivation site in Tekirdağ province. In this regard, the study was considered significant attributes for evaluating current contribution of Tekirdağ province to the rice cultivation in Turkey and supporting the future agricultural plans in the region. The method employed by Dengiz (2013) was used in the present study. In addition, the physical and chemical properties of the soils reported by Ekinci (1990) were utilized in the study. It was determined that 74.1% of the Hayrabolu Stream Basin consisted of typical rice cultivation lands. New sites in the basin may be used for the cultivation of this grain in near future due to increasing rice demand in Turkey. Therefore, determination and characterization of possible new rice sites by means of GIS technologies is quite important for sustainable utilization of natural resources. Consequently results of this study indicated that GIS based techniques could be used for similar sites.
