Rize in the context of Çayeli

The Black Sea is a marginal sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine. The Black Sea is supplied by major rivers, principally the Danube, Dnieper and Dniester. Consequently, while six countries have a coastline on the sea, its drainage basin includes parts of 24 countries in Europe.

The Black Sea, not including the Sea of Azov, covers 436,400 km (168,500 sq mi), has a maximum depth of 2,212 m (7,257 ft), and a volume of 547,000 km (131,000 cu mi).Most of its coasts ascend rapidly.These rises are the Pontic Mountains to the south, bar the southwest-facing peninsulas, the Caucasus Mountains to the east, and the Crimean Mountains to the mid-north.In the west, the coast is generally small floodplains below foothills such as the Strandzha; Cape Emine, a dwindling of the east end of the Balkan Mountains; and the Dobruja Plateau considerably farther north. The longest east–west extent is about 1,175 km (730 mi). Important cities along the coast include (clockwise from the Bosporus) the northern suburbs of Istanbul, Burgas, Varna, Constanța, Odesa, Yalta, Kerch, Yevpatoria, Sevastopol, Novorossiysk, Sochi, Poti, Batumi, Rize, Trabzon, Ordu, Simferopol, Samsun and Zonguldak.

Turkey is divided into 81 provinces (Turkish: il). Each province is divided into a number of districts (ilçe). Each provincial government is seated in the central district (merkez ilçe). For non-metropolitan municipality designated provinces, the central district bears the name of the province (e.g. the city/district of Rize is the central district of Rize Province). In the Ottoman Empire, the corresponding unit was the vilayet.

Each province is administered by an appointed governor (vali) from the Ministry of the Interior.

Rize Province (Turkish: Rize ili) is a province of northeast Turkey, on the eastern Black Sea coast between Trabzon and Artvin. The province of Erzurum is to the south. Its area is 3,835 km, and its population is 344,016 (2022). The capital is the city of Rize. It was formerly known as Lazistan, however the designation of the term of Lazistan was officially banned in 1926.

The province is home to Turkish, Laz, Hemshin and Georgian communities.

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.

Rize District (also: Merkez, meaning "central") is a district of the Rize Province of Turkey. Its seat is the city of Rize. Its area is 253 km, and its population is 150,414 (2021).

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University (RTEÜ, formerly Rize University) is a public university located in Rize, Turkey. It was established in 2006 following the separation from Karadeniz Technical University. The university was renamed in 2012 after the 12th President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Melyat, is one of the main water streams of Pazar and Çayeli in the eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey. Melyat is 20.3 kilometres (12.6 mi) long. It is 28 km from the city center of Rize. The source of the river is Cegalver Mountain in Hemşin district. River borders the villages of Zafer, Yavuzlar, Erenler, Çınartepe, Kaçkar, Kestanelik, Tektaş, Güneyköy, Şendere, Kuzayca, Örnek, Merdivenli, Leventköy and Balıkçı respectively.

Dankiyo (from ancient Greek: To angeion (Τὸ ἀγγεῖον)), is an ancient word from the text of Evliya Çelebi (17th century, Ottoman Era "The Laz's of Trebizond invented a bagpipe called a dankiyo..." describing the Pontian tulum, a type of bagpipe which the ancient Greeks called an askaulos (ἀσκός askos – wine-skin, αὐλός aulos – flute). It consists of a lamb skin, a blow pipe, and the double reed chanter.

The dankiyo is played in small villages near Trabzon and Rize. A similar type of bagpipe can be found on the islands of Greece with different names like Tsampouna or Askomandoura. Its use is also widespread in the region of Macedonia in Northern Greece amongst Pontian Greek populations. What differentiates the dankiyo from other bagpipes is that the dankiyo does not use a separate pipe for the drone. Instead, the sound is created by two reeds in the chanter.

Hemşin (Armenian: Համշէն Hamshen or Համամաշէն Hamamashen, literally "Hamam's Hamlet"; Laz and Georgian: ზუგა Zuga), is a town in Rize Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, 57 km from the city of Rize. It is the seat of Hemşin District. Its population is 1,472 (2021).

Pazar (Laz and Georgian: ათინა, Atina; Greek: Αθήνα, romanized: Athína) is a town in Rize Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, 37 km east of the city of Rize. It is the seat of Pazar District. Its population is 17,946 (2021). The town contains many inhabitants of Laz and Georgian ancestries as well as other peoples. The town consists of the quarters Gazi, Kocaköprü, Ocak, Beyaztaş, Güzelyalı, Zafer, İkiztepe, Kirazlık, Cumhuriyet, Pazar, Soğuksu and Yukarı Soğuksu.