The name Dörtyol means "crossroads" (literally "four roads") in Turkish, and the town indeed sits on a crossing of highways, especially the O-53 from Anatolia south into Hatay and on to Syria.

Therefore, alongside oil handling, the economic activities of the district include forestry, cotton, and the cultivation of citrus fruits, especially a local variety of tangerines.

Dörtyol has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa),[4] with very hot, humid, and somewhat dry summers, and mild, wet winters.

This crossroads has seen the passage of numerous armies and some of the biggest military campaigns in history, including the Battle of Issus between Alexander the Great and Darius in 333 BC.

[7] There are 15 neighbourhoods in Dörtyol District:[8] According to travellers Carl Humann and Otto Puchstein, during the 19th century, the town of Chok Merzimen was exclusively inhabited by Armenians with 300 homes.