town, southeastern Turkey, in the centre of the nation's oil-producing region. It is located about 5 miles (8 km) west of the town of Siirt and lies in a region of broad plateaus. A government-owned refinery is located at Batman, and a pipeline extends for nearly 320 miles (515 km) from the oilfields near Batman to the port of İskenderum on the Mediterranean Sea coast. Batman's industries produce beverages, processed food, chemicals, furniture and fixtures, footwear, machinery, and transport equipment. The town has road and railway links with Diyarbakır and Kurtalan, and it has an airport. Pop. (2000) 246,678.