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Rize is the capital of Rize Province, in northeast Turkey, on the Black Sea coast.
Name
The name Rize comes from Ancient Greek name of the town, Ριζαίον (Rizaion); in modern times, its name in Greek was usually Ριζούντα (Rizounta). Its Latin forms are Rhizus and Rhizaeum (which remains the name of a Catholic titular see in the province of Pontus Polemoniacus1).
Geography
The city is built around a small bay on the Black Sea coast, on a narrow strip of flat land between the sea and the mountains behind. The coastal strip is being expanded with landfill and the city is growing up the steep hillsides away from the coast. Rize enjoys a mild, extremely wet climate, vulnerable to storms coming off the Black Sea and therefore the surrounding countryside is rich with vegetation and is attracting more and more visitors every year.
Rize is a center for processing and shipping the tea grown in the surrounding area. Tea was introduced in the region in the 1940s and 1950's, changing the region's destiny, which was desperately poor until then. The city has a tea research institute founded in 1958 and tea gardens are the main sight in the town's panoramic view. Tea and kiwifruit plants are even planted in gardens around the town. The secondary activity is fishing. Rize is linked by road with Trabzon (41 miles [66 km] west), Hopa (55 miles [88 km] east, on the Georgian border, and Erzurum (north). The nearest airport is in Trabzon.
Rize is a quiet town, a typical Turkish provincial capital with little in the way of night life or entertainment. However the border with Georgia has been open since the early 90's, the Black Sea coast road has been widened and Rize is now wealthier than in previous decades; there are more cars in the streets, higher buildings on the sea front, and some places for young people to go are opening up now. The visitors to the surrounding countryside also contribute to the economy of the town.
Mountains
Notable mountains2
Rivers
From east to the west
Climate
Rize has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb); with warm summers and cool winters. Snowfall is quite common between the months of December and March, snowing for a week or two, and it can be heavy once it snows. Rize and the eastern part of Black Sea coast it is situated in, has the highest precipitation in Turkey, with an annual precipitation averaging around 2,500 millimeters, with heavy and evenly distributed rainfall the year round. The Turkish Black Sea coast as a whole, receives the greatest amount of precipitation in Turkey and is the only region of Turkey that receives high precipitation throughout the year. The water temperature like in the whole Turkish Black Sea coast is always cool and fluctuates between 8°C and 20°C throughout the year.
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Economy
The economic structure of Rize is based primarily around its geographic location. Rize is a very mountainous city, making industrial development difficult and impractical. Given the lack of air and rail transit, most goods have to travel by truck or ship, which makes exporting and importing more difficult. Rize's primary trading partner is Trabzon, the most developed city of northeast Black Sea region. Rize's main exports are agriculturally based; tea and kiwi fruit are among its most popular commodities.
Education
Rize University was founded in 2006. It consists of the following faculties:
- Merkez Milli Piyango Egitim Kampusu - Central Milli Piyango Education Campus
- Ilahiyat Kampusu - Theology Campus
- Egitim Fakultesi (Cayeli/Rize) - Cayeli Teachers' Training College Campus
- Rize Meslek Yuksekokulu - Rize Vocational Higher Education School
- Findiklı Meslek Yuksekokulu (Findiklı/Rize) - Findikli Vocational Higher Education School
- Ardesen Meslek Yuksekokulu (Ardesen/Rize) - Ardesen Vocational Higher Education School
As of 2007, the university was also building a Faculty of Medicine.
History
Main article: Rize Province Notable natives
Çaykur Rizespor, the local football team, play in the Turkish Super League and are local heroes, occasionally capable of defeating even the big Istanbul teams. They play in green and blue, reflecting the blue of the sea and the green of the tea growing on the hillsides.
Others who have never lived in Rize but come from Rize families include:
Population figures
| Year |
Population |
| 1975 |
36.044 |
| 1980 |
43.407 |
| 1985 |
50.221 |
| 1990 |
52.031 |
| 1997 |
73.420 |
| 2000 |
78.144 |
| 2009 |
96.503 |
Notes
References
External links
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