Zonguldak

Zonguldak is a city in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is the seat of Zonguldak Province and Zonguldak District. Its population is 101,749 (2022). 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 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 zongalık which means "swamp", or 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 dağ 'mountain'.

In a 1920 report, the British Foreign Office spelled Zonguldak Zunguldak.

History
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.

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.

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. 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 and in 2020 the EBRD proposed a just transition. However a 2021 study said the city was unprepared for coal-phase out.

Transportation


The city is the terminus of a railway line to Irmak, with the terminating station Zonguldak Railway Station built in 1937.

International relations
Zonguldak is twinned with:
 * 🇮🇹 Brindisi, Apulia, Italy
 * 🇩🇪 Castrop-Rauxel, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
 * 🇺🇦 Kherson, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine
 * 🇮🇹 Monfalcone, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy

Notable people
Ergün Penbe - Turkish former footballer

Murat Boz - Turkish singer-songwriter and actor

Nilgün Efes - Turkish entrepreneur and journalist