Karabük is one of the newest provinces of
Turkey in the
Northern part of Anatolia located about 200 kilometers north of
Ankara. Until
few years ago it was a district of Zonguldak than in 1995 it became a city of
its own. It was built in the 1930s as the seat of the iron and steel industry of
Turkey. Its area is 1.376 square kilometers with a population of 230.000
approximately. Karabük lies in a location near Filyos river formed by the merge
of Arac and Soganli rivers. Districts of the city are: Safranbolu, Yenice,
Eflani, Eskipazar, and Ovacik.
In the old times Karabük was an important route between Amasra on the coast and
central Anatolia. The history of the city goes back to the early years of the
Republic, it was a small sub-village formed by 13 houses in the Oglebeli village
of Safranbolu. There was also a small train station on the route of
Ankara - Zonguldak. It started to develop with the industrialization of the country. One
of the first steal factories of the Republic was built here in 1939 after which
it grew rapidly.
There are no proven facts about the origin of its name; in
Turkish Kara means Black or Land
and Bük means corner. But some local people believe that Bük is the name of the
vegetation in the area, so maybe Karabük means "Land of Bük vegetation".
Karabük has its own resources of dolomite and limestone, while coal and
manganese is brought from Zonguldak and iron ore from Divrigi. This allows a
varied, yet basic industry in Karabük, including a coking plant, blast furnaces,
a foundry and tube works. There are also chemical plants that produce sulfuric
acid and phosphates. Nearby are the Zonguldak coal fields.
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