The Black Sea region (Turkish: Karadeniz Bölgesi) (sometimes referred to as Pontus or Pontos) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Samsun. Other big cities are Zonguldak, Trabzon, Ordu, Tokat, Giresun, Rize, Amasya and Sinop.
It is bordered by the Marmara Region to the west, the Central Anatolia Region to the south, the Eastern Anatolia Region to the southeast, the Republic of Georgia to the northeast, and the Black Sea to the north.
The Pontic Greeks (Pontic: Ρωμαίοι, Ρωμιοί; Turkish: Pontus Rumları or Karadeniz Rumları; Greek: Πόντιοι, Ελληνοπόντιοι), also Pontian Greeks or simply Pontians, are an ethnically Greek group indigenous to the region of Pontus, in northeastern Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). They share a common Pontic Greek culture that is distinguished by its music, dances, cuisine, and clothing. Folk dances, such as the Serra (also known as Pyrrhichios), and traditional musical instruments, like the Pontic lyra, remain important to Pontian diaspora communities. Pontians traditionally speak Pontic Greek, a modern Greek variety, that has developed remotely in the region of Pontus. Commonly known as Pontiaka, it is traditionally called Romeika by its native speakers.
The earliest Greek colonies in the region of Pontus begin in 700 BC, including Sinope, Trapezus, and Amisos. Greek colonies continued to expand on the coast of the Black Sea (Euxeinos Pontos) between the Archaic and Classical periods. The Hellenistic Kingdom of Pontus was annexed by Rome in 63 BC becoming Roman and later Byzantine territory. During the 11th century AD, Pontus was largely isolated from the rest of the Greek–speaking world, following the Seljuk conquest of Anatolia. After the 1203 siege of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, the Empire of Trebizond was established on the Black Sea coast by a branch of the Komnenos dynasty, later known as 'Grand Komnenos'. Anatolia, including Trebizond, was eventually conquered by the Ottomans entirely by the 15th century AD. Greek presence in Pontus remained vibrant during the early modern period up until the 20th century, when, following the Pontic Greek genocide and the 1923 population exchange with Turkey, Pontic Greeks migrated primarily to Greece and around the Caucasus, including in the country of Georgia. Although the vast majority of Pontic Greeks are Orthodox Christians, those who remained in Northeastern Turkey's Black Sea region following the population exchange are Muslim; their ancestors having converted to Islam during the Ottoman period, like thousands of other Greek Muslims.
Zonguldak (Turkish pronunciation: [zoŋˈguɫdak]) is a city of about 100 thousand people in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is the seat of Zonguldak Province and Zonguldak District. It was established in 1849 as a port town for the nearby coal mines in Ereğli. The current mayor is Tahsin Erdem, representing the CHP.
The Central Anatolia region (Turkish: İç Anadolu Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Ankara, the capital of Turkey. Other big cities are Konya, Kayseri, Eskişehir, Sivas, Aksaray and Kırşehir.
Located in Central Turkey, it is bordered by the Aegean region to the west, the Black Sea region to the north, the Eastern Anatolia region to the east, and the Mediterranean region to the south. It also shares a very slight border with the Marmara region in Bilecik Province.
40°36′N 38°00′E / 40.6°N 38.0°E
Pontus or Pontos (/ˈpɒntəs/; Greek: Πόντος, romanized: Póntos, lit. 'sea',) is a region within Anatolia on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in the modern-day eastern Black Sea region of Turkey, in West Asia. The name was applied to the coastal region and its mountainous hinterland (rising to the Pontic Alps in the east) by the Greeks who colonized the area in the Archaic period and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Εύξεινος Πόντος (Eúxinos Póntos), 'Hospitable Sea', or simply Pontos (ὁ Πόντος) as early as the Aeschylean Persians (472 BC) and Herodotus' Histories (c. 440 BC).
Boztepe Peninsula is a peninsula in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is in Sinop Province. The midpoint of the peninsula is at about 42°01′30″N 35°11′00″E / 42.02500°N 35.18333°E
The link between the mainland (which itself is a bigger peninsula) to the west and Boztepe to the east is an isthmus of 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) length and only 300 metres (980 ft) width. Thus the peninsula looks like an island and it is sometimes called "island". The area of the peninsula is about 7 square kilometres (2.7 sq mi). The bay to the south of the peninsula (called İçliman) is a natural harbor sheltered from most winds except for the south east wind. Because of this advantage historically Sinop was one of the most active ports of the Black Sea coast before the Battle of Sinop in 1853.