Turkey's Black Sea region has a steep, rocky coast with rivers that cascade through the gorges of the coastal ranges. A few larger rivers, those cutting back through the Pontic Mountains that have tributaries that flow in broad, elevated basins. Access inland from the coast is limited to a few narrow valleys because mountain ridges, with high elevations . The higher slopes facing northwest tend to be densely forested. Because of these natural conditions, the Black Sea coast historically has been isolated from Anatolia.
Situated around 50km/30mi to the southwest of Zonguldak, at first sight there seems to be little of interest for visitors to the coal port and industrial town of Ereglisi (formerly Herakleia Pontike; pop. 55,000) with steelworks and coalfields to the south and dominated by a ruined Genoese fortress. The old town nestling below, however, has much to commend it.
Ca. 558 B.C. the town was founded by colonists from Megara. For a short time it came under Lysimachos and then became a part of the Pontic Empire. The Romans destroyed the town in the war with Mithradates as the townsfolk took sides against the Roman army. It was rebuilt as a Roman garrison. Until 1922 Karandeniz was almost entirely Greek. Few ancient remains can be seen today.
Running from west to east the narrow coastal strip widens at several places into fertile, intensely cultivated deltas. The Samsun area, close to the midpoint, is a major tobacco-growing region; east of it are numerous citrus groves. East of Samsun, the area around Trabzon is world-renowned for the production of hazelnuts, and farther east the Rize region has numerous tea plantations. All cultivable areas, including mountain slopes wherever they are not too steep, are sown or used as pasture. The southern slopes—facing the Anatolian Plateau—are mostly unwooded, but the northern slopes contain dense growths of both deciduous and evergreen trees and tea gardens.
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