There is a real-life province in Turkey named Batman, and some people from other parts of the world think they need to change.
Yes, Batman is a city in Turkey whose population is estimated to be around 500,000. The town was called Iluh until the 1940s when oil was discovered in the area. It was renamed Batman in 1957 after a nearby river - a tributary of the Tigris.
The river earned its name from an ancient Turkish unit of measure.
Unfortunately for eager fans, Batman, Turkey and the superhero only share a name. But two weeks ago, Kemal Atakan Kırca started a petition on Change.org to narrow the divide between the two Batmans.
He wants their map to go from this.
Batman, TurkeyGoogle Maps
To this.
proposed map of Batman, TurkeyChange.org
As of today, Kirca has rallied over 22,000 signatures and he is well on his way toward his 25,000 signature goal.
The Internet is ready to update their maps.
I have been waiting for literal years for the newshook to write this story. YEARS. https://t.co/ulhKE7NY7K— Hayes Brown (@Hayes Brown) 1533579296.0
Fake news? Satire? But still funny. Petition aims to shape Turkey’s Batman province like superhero logo — RT World… https://t.co/jKBneWAA6n— Steve Hayes (@Steve Hayes) 1533025734.0
Neden olmasın?? #batman #turkey imzaladim bile. 😀 https://t.co/GOm4xnU3nk— CEM 🇹🇷 (@CEM 🇹🇷) 1533014707.0
"Why not?? #batman #turkey I already signed it. 😀"
Wait... there's an actual city called "Batman"? Whuuuut? And "Batman Turkey" sounds like something I want to exper… https://t.co/xUQXEVWYmU— Ryan Craddock (@Ryan Craddock) 1506763352.0
Just got back from #Batman, #Turkey. Went into an old cave-church with bats in it. Yes, literally found the batcave.— Sean S-D (@Sean S-D) 1503928505.0
It's inexcusable this ad for Turkish Airlines and Batman does not mention the city of Batman, Turkey https://t.co/3F6A0FcRoi— Aaron Sankin (@Aaron Sankin) 1491607392.0
Oh, and the city also has a University. Yes, that's right. Batman University.
There is a university called Batman University, named after the town it is located in; Batman, Turkey. http://t.co/fDjR3EuOFo— What The F*** Facts (@What The F*** Facts) 1404178203.0
There's even a Batman University, located in Batman City in the province of Batman, near Batman River.… https://t.co/OCiWUI8iEW— Wikipedia (@Wikipedia) 1529532766.0
Alma mater goals!
You can sign the Batman petition here.
Governor of Batman: Petition To Change Batman Province Borderwww.change.org
H/T: BuzzFeed News, Huffington Post