Duzce, Turkey

Duzce is the capital city of Duzce Province in Turkey. Area: 1065 km² Population: 156.326 (2000) Düzce is the eightyfirst and the last province of Turkey which is situated between the Capital Ankara and Istanbul. It has been largely effected by the Marmara earthquake (Aug.17,1999) and (Nov.12,1999) Düzce earthquake. It is known for its ancient monuments and it was called as "KONSOPA" in ancient times. Duzce is just situated between Ankara and Istanbul; Ankara is 240 km away to the East and Istanbul is 228 km away to the West. The road of D-100 passes through Duzce and TEM Highway passes around it. Duzce is placed into the plateau of The West Blacksea coast. The city is surrounded to the West by Sakarya, to the Northeast by Zonguldak and to the East by Bolu. The distance from East to West is 23 km and from North to South is 20 km. It opens to the Black sea with the valley of Buyuk Melen on the Northwest. Nearby are also some tourist centers and popular attractions such as Abant, Kartalkaya, Yedigoller, Golcuk and Akcakoca. As the climate, although the summers are hot and winters are cold, it changes between the West Black Sea and Central Anatolian climates. Main agricultural products in Duzce are: tobacco, maize wheat, nut and many kinds of wheat and vegetables. The geographical location of Duzce is very attractive for nature lovers and adventure seekers. It has vast forestry area, plateaus, waterfalls, long seashore, beaches, natural caves, rafting on Big Melen river, sailing, water sports and fishing in the Lake of Hasanlar Dam, Efteni Lake with 150 kinds of birds, and the Karduz Plateau which is covered with snow all year round