Rize (; el, Ριζούντα; lzz, რიზინი; ka, რიზე; arm, Ռիզե) is a coastal city in the eastern part of the
Black Sea Region
The Black Sea Region ( tr, Karadeniz Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Samsun. Other big cities are Trabzon, Ordu, Tokat, Giresun, Rize, Amasya and Sinop.
It is bordered by the Marmara Region to the ...
of Turkey. It is the seat of
Rize Province and
Rize District.
[İl Belediyesi]
Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 30 January 2023. Its population is 119,828 (2021).
Rize is a typical Turkish provincial capital with little in the way of nightlife or entertainment. Since the border with Georgia was opened in the early 1990s, the Black Sea coast road has been widened and the town is much wealthier than it used to be. Current Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the List of presidents of Turkey, 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as Lis ...
's family has its roots in Rize and the
local university is named after him. The city is linked by road with
Trabzon (41 miles
6 kmwest),
Hopa (55 miles
8 kmeast on the
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
border, and
Erzurum (south).
Rize–Artvin Airport
Rize–Artvin Airport ( tr, Rize–Artvin Havalimanı) is an airport off the coast of in Rize Province, northeastern Turkey.
Overview
It opened for commercial business on 14 May 2022, with Turkish Airlines, soon followed on the same day with An ...
started operating in 2022.
Name
The name comes from
Greek (riza) or Ριζαίον (Rizaion), meaning "mountain slopes" ( in Greek means root). In modern times, its Greek name was usually Ριζούντα (Rizunda). Its Latin forms are Rhizus and Rhizaeum, the latter of which is used in the
Catholic Church's list of
titular sees as the name of
bishopric of the town, which was once part of the late
Roman province of
Pontus Polemoniacus
Pontus or Pontos may refer to:
* Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea)
* Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology
* Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...
).
History
Arrian
Arrian of Nicomedia (; Greek: ''Arrianos''; la, Lucius Flavius Arrianus; )
was a Greek historian, public servant, military commander and philosopher of the Roman period.
''The Anabasis of Alexander'' by Arrian is considered the best ...
was the first writer to mention Rize. In his
Periplus of the Euxine Sea, he described it as a city founded at the mouth of the river of the same name, the
ancient and
Byzantine ῾Ρίζιος ποταμός. Dated to 130–131AD and written as a letter to Roman Emperor
Hadrian
Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...
, the work records how its author, the governor of
Cappadocia, made a tour of the Eastern
Black Sea territories that formed part of his jurisdiction, first visiting the Roman Empire's Eastern
Anatolian frontier garrisons before pushing on to the Black Sea coast in the
Trabzon (Trebizond) region.
The city of Rize formed part of the historic Georgian province of Chaneti ( ka, ჭანეთი).
From 1547, Chaneti province was incorporated into the
Ottoman Empire and became a part of the ''
sancak'' of
Lazistan. The city was claimed by the short-lived
Democratic Republic of Georgia between 1918 and 1920. On the basis of the 1921
Treaty of Kars, Soviet Russia granted Rize to Turkey along with the other territories of
Artvin,
Ardahan, and
Hopa ( ka, ხუფათი).
File:Rizunda.jpg, Rize in 1890s
File:Rize-postakarti-osmanli.jpg, Rize, 1910s, Ottoman-era postcard
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 expanding up the steep hillsides away from the coast.
Rize is probably best known for its
black tea which was introduced to the region in the 1940s and 1950s, changing the destiny of a region which was until then desperately poor. The local tea research institute was founded in 1958 and other tea gardens can be seen all around the town.
Tea is even planted in local gardens. Rize is a centre for processing and shipping locally grown
Rize Tea
Rize tea or ''Rize çayı'' is the black tea used for Turkish tea. Produced in Rize Province of Turkey which has a mild climate with high precipitation and fertile soil, when brewed it is mahogany in color.
In addition to being consumed at home, ...
. More recently
kiwifruit plants have also been grown in Rize. Fishing remains another important local source of income.
Tourism to destinations in and around Rize is growing in importance.
File:Aşağı Ceymakçur 01.jpg, Kaçkar Mountains National Park
File:Pokut Yaylası Rize.JPG, Pokut Yayla is a popular tourism destination
File:Tar Creek Waterfall View.jpg, Tar Creek Waterfall
File:Entrance of the Castle of Rize, Rize, Turkey.JPG, Entrance to Rize Castle
Climate
Rize has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
(
Köppen: ''Cfa'', Trewartha: ''Cf''). However, as any mountainous region of Turkey, it is rich in climatic variety. The climate turns
oceanic (''Cfb'') on the hillsides,
continental (''Dfb/Dc'') and
subarctic
The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of humid continental regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia, and the Cairngorms. Generally, ...
(''Dfc/Eo'') on the mountain slopes and in the
yaylas, the highlands and highland plateaus. When the
Köppen climate classification was being created, the city centre had a borderline oceanic-humid subtropical climate, falling just under the threshold for the hottest month of the year, yet
climate change and
global warming have contributed to the city being classified as humid subtropical in recent decades.
The city's climate is defined by mild temperate conditions, with warm summers, cool winters and heavy rainfall year-round with a maximum in late autumn (October to December). The city has relatively few sunshine hours, lower than many stereotypically cloudy locations in Western Europe. Snowfall is occasional, but can be very heavy once it starts. The water temperature, typical for the Black Sea coast, is never too warm or cold, fluctuating between throughout the year.
Economy and produce

Historically, Rize grew
oranges. However, weather destroyed the crops in the early 20th century, and the industry declined.
The area also produced small amounts of
manganese.
Rize's economic structure is primarily based on its geographic location since it is in a very mountainous location, making industrial development impractical. Given the lack of rail transit, most goods have to travel by truck or ship, which makes exporting and importing difficult. Rize's primary trading partner is
Trabzon, the most developed city of the northeast Black Sea region. Rize's main exports are agriculturally based;
tea and kiwifruit are among its most popular commodities.
In particular the state-owned tea company
Çaykur is based in Rize.
Education
Rize University was founded in 2006. Its name was changed to
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University ( tr, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Üniversitesi) is a state university founded on 17 March 2006 in Rize, Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ...
in 2011.
Culture
Rize Castle
Rize Castle ( tr, Rize Kalesi) is a partly-ruined medieval castle located in Rize, northeastern Turkey.
Rize Castle is situated on a hill southwest of the city center, and offers a panoramic view of the city.
The castle consists of a citadel a ...
is a partly ruined medieval castle to the southwest of the city centre.
Sports
Rize's sports venues include
Rize Atatürk Stadium Rize Atatürk Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Rize, Turkey. It was used mostly for football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' no ...
,
Yeni Rize Şehir Stadı and Rize Sports Complex consisting of
Rize Sports Hall
Rize Sports Hall ( tr, Rize Spor Salonu) is a multi-sport indoor arena in Rize
Rize (Greek language, Greek: ρίζα, Laz language, Laz: რიზინი, Georgian language, Georgian: რიზე,
, Ottoman Turkish: ريزه)
is the capital c ...
and Rize Indoor Swimming Pool.
The football team of
Çaykur Rizespor play in the
Süper Lig.
Pazarspor football team compete in the
TFF Third League
TFF 3. Lig (Turkish Football Federation Third League) is the fourth level in the Turkish football league system. It was founded in 2001–02 season as a continuation of then third level division Turkish Third Football League.Turkish Third Footba ...
.
Rize Municipality Mayors
*
Ethem Şevki Kepenek (1950-1954)
DP
*
Ekrem Orhon (1965-1981)
AP
*
Şevki Yılmaz (1994-1995)
RP
* Hızır Hop (1995-2004)
ANAP
* Halil Bakirci (2004-2014)
AKP
* Reşat Kasap (2014-2019)
AKP
* Rahmi Metin (2019-present)
AKP
Population
Notes
References
*
ncyclopedic Dictionary of Black Sea 2 Cilt. Heyamola Yayıncılık. Istanbul.
External links
*
{{Authority control
Populated places in Rize District
Roman towns and cities in Turkey
Black Sea port cities and towns in Turkey
Fishing communities in Turkey
Populated coastal places in Turkey
Provincial municipalities in Turkey