Zonguldak Explained

Type:	municipality
Zonguldak
Coordinates:	41.4564°N 31.7986°W
Province:	Zonguldak
District:	Zonguldak
Leader Party:	CHP
Leader Name:	Tahsin Erdem
Elevation M:	60
Population Total:	101749
Population As Of:	2022
Postal Code:	67000
Area Code:	0372
Blank1 Name:	Climate
Blank1 Info:	Cfa

Zonguldak (in Turkish pronounced as /zoŋˈguɫdak/) is a city in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is the seat of Zonguldak Province and Zonguldak District.^[1] Its population is 101,749 (2022).^[2] It was established in 1849 as a port town for the nearby coal mines in Ereğli and the coal trade remains its main economic activity. According to the 2009 census, Zonguldak has a population of 108,792. The current mayor is Tahsin Erdem, representing the CHP.

Etymology

There are several different theories concerning the origin of the city's name:

That it comes from Zone Geul-Dagh, the name given to the area by French and Belgian mining companies^[3] ^[4] from French "zone" and a French spelling of Turkish Göldağı ('Lake Mountain'), the highest mountain in the vicinity of the Devrek district.
That the name came from Turkish Turkish: zongalık which means "swamp", or Turkish: zongura.
That the name may derive from the name of the nearby ancient settlement of Sandaraca or Sandarake (in Ancient Greek Σανδαράκη).
That the name may have come from "jungle" (which the French entrepreneurs called the area due to its uneven wooded geography) plus Turkish Turkish: dağ 'mountain'.

In a 1920 report, the British Foreign Office spelled Zonguldak Zunguldak.^[5]

History

See main article: Heraclea Pontica.

The port city of Zonguldak suffered a heavy bombardment by the Russians during World War I, according to the caption of a Lubok popular print.^[6]

As of 1920, the port was under the control of the Heraclea Coal Company. The northern part of the bay featured a man-made harbor, for steamship use. At that time, they had two cranes which distributed coal to exporting vessels.^[5]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Zonguldak has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), though it was, until recently, considered to have an oceanic climate (Cfb), with its warmest month being well below the 22 °C threshold. In recent decades climate change and the city's urban heat island has warmed the city enough to change its classification. Summers are warm, the average temperature is around 22.5 °C in July and August. Winters are cool, the average temperature is around 6 °C in January and February. Precipitation is frequent, while it is generally heaviest in autumn and early winter, lightest (although still frequent) in spring. Snow is sporadic in winter, but is heavy once it occurs.

The water temperature is cool to mild and fluctuates between 8 °C and 20 °C throughout the year.

Health

It was determined that coal-related lung diseases are more common than normal.^[7] During the quarantine period in Turkey, Zonguldak was also quarantined in addition to the metropolitan cities.

Economy

Jobs in coal in Turkey are being lost^[8] and in 2020 the EBRD proposed a just transition.^[9] However a 2021 study said the city was unprepared for coal-phase out.^[10]