SURVEY OF TURKEY'S TRABZON PROVINCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130002-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 23, 2011
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: August 20, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130002-3
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CLASSIFICATION '"
FOR 0~ E~lCIAI USE a~l.Y
Fo~~~~115t ~ ~~~s`~
~
CENTRAL INTELL E a~SOS-
REPORT
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS cp No.
COUNTRY Turkey
SUBJECT Sociological -Education, public health
? Economic - Public works, agriculture, industry
HOW
,PUBLISHED Daily aevspaper
. WHERE
PUBLISHED Istanbul
GATE
PUBLISHED
LANGUAGE
l0 3ep 1952
Turkish
du oocum conun uroumoe unrn+s m eanouC omMn
er va v~iao cram tmi~ ne ^eauoe ar unoua aer ee
~. e. a. n m u, u uueu. m numeuo~ oa m meunoe
a m cemm iw m ueeq row o~araouno renoe a no?
~lem~ eI Vim. eer~00erneel er rMle IOeY le Ieolllenre.
DATE OF
INFORMATION
DATE DIST. ~ Aug 1953
N0. OF PAGES 4
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT N0.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
SURVEY OF TU~:ISEY'S TRABZON PROVINCE
The following is one of a aeries of surveys of Turkish provinces
published in a special weekly oupplement of the Istanbul daily news-
paper Vatan.7
Trabzon Province has a surfape area of 4,541 square kilometers. The east-
pest Aorthern Anatolia Mountains encircles the area ae Yar ae Harsit, with nar-
row deep valleys extending to the coast between ridges which rise up to 3,000
meters. The cultivated area is located on there ridges at an elevation of 1,000
to 2,000 meters. The higher ground constitutes the pastures and plateaus. The
approximately 600 villages are locateP hers. The moe; important peaks are Zi-
gaae, %olat, Cakil, Col, Karakaban, Zivaret, Pulat, Soganli, and Haldizen. The
important plateaus are Beypiasri, Karadag, Harman, Tepecik, Sultanmurat, and
Meacit. The main streams are Baltaci, Solakli, Humurgan, Karadere, Yanbolu, Di-
rana, Degirmeadere, Sera, Kalanima, Fal, Csm11k, acd Akhirar. flow is heaviest
in the winter; there are many small steams which dry up completely is summer.
The climate is moderate in summer and cool and rainy in the winter. The
weather resembles that of the Mediterranean area, except for a greater humidity.
Rainfall is about 1,041 millimeters a year; rain falls about 159 days out of
the year. Enough rain falls in tha summer months to produce abundant crops.
Education
There are primary schools in 236 of the province's 585 villages. Of these,
about 20 are located in a central position so as to serve from five to six villages
each. Also, 23 new schools are scheduled to be built in 1952 - 1953 in villages
snot now possessing them. Of the province's 35,780 children of school age, 24,036
are attending school. The province's teaching staff numbers 611, i.e., 450 in
primary schools and 161 in secondary and other schools.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130002-3
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130002-3
In Tra~zoa itself, there are 12 primary schools, a lycee, a commercial
lycee, a teachers school, a girls secondary school, a men's trade institute,
a girls trade institute, and a girls evening trade school.
~~~Ia~addition there are secondary schools in Akcsabat, Surmene, Of, and'
Vakfikeb'ir district centers, and a village institute is located on the Black
Sea shore~in the Besikduzu Subdistrict of Vakfikebir District, with an'ea-
rollment of 565. The institute is repo_*ted to be _n the process of liquida-
tion: The present students, all male, will be assigned to other institutes,
while the present establishment will b~ converted into a girls village insti-
tute whose students will come from 164 diYYerent districts in 26 provinces.
Health
The principal health problem is tuberculosis, caused by the low living
s~eadards. Second comes intestinal +,roubles such ae hookworm. Malaria has
been almost eradicated.
The 350-bed Trabzon Model Hospital is the best in eastern Turkey and
serves not only Trabzon but also the neighboring prwincea. There it also
a 60-bed tuberculosis hoppital in Trabzon. donstructian is nw under way on
a 1,000-bed tuberculosis hospital. This year, a nurses school will be opened
at the Model Hospital.
There are dispensaries in AkcP.ebat, Surmene, Vakfikebir, Of, and Macka;
coaetructipn has begun on health centers in Vakfikebir and Of.
Publi-~ke
Ia 195, the Ministry of Public Works spent 120,000 lira to bring potable
water to 61 villages. Funds in 1952 were 400,000 lira for 100 villages.
Government appropriations for v~.llage roads were 100,000 lira in 1950,
226,000 lira in 1951, an3 405,000 lira is 1952.
The 1952 road program calls for buil3iag or completing the following
roads: Oksu-Suva; Suva-Ile, Oksu-Zangariya, Zafanos-Kavala, Kavala_Komera,
Hos-Hosmesaloz, and Macka-Iarhan. Also, with 380,000 lira Yrom the Public Works
Ministry and 31,000 lira from the provincial budget, work is continuing on the
widening, stabilizing, sad construction of bz?idgea, culverts, and retaini::g walls
on the following roads: Surm=ne-Koprubasi, Of-Hayrat, Karadere-Bifera, Serasor-
Derecik, and Besikduzu-Salpazari.
Trabzon Municipality
In 1952, the city had a budget of '772,544 lira, plus a 503,000-lira annexed
budget for the water and electric administrations. The water system was com-
pleted is 19h1; water ie pumped 5 kilometers from three wells at a place called
Degirmendere. The electrical sys?::m was completed in 1929. The power is brought
to the city by a 20-kilometer transmission line from a hydroelectric plant at
Vieera. Increasing power demands have led to studies of the possibility of build-
ing another plant.
Currently, the city has a project to construct about ?_00 me~ium-priced houses
at a total coat of 170,000 lira.
Handicrafts in Trabzon include hand-loom weaving, goldsmithing, and copper-
smithing.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130002-3
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130002-3 ~
s; -_
At one time Trabzon was an important commericsl center, but it hoe declined
considerably. The completion of the Trabzon-Iranian transit highway was expected
to bring great expansion, this, in large part, has failed to materialize because
of (1) lack of a good harbor; (2j customs nifYiculites; and (3) absence of the
necessary commercial organization. Nw that a port has been built, expansion is
expected to begin. For example, Cumhur Odabnsloglu, a director of the Altmisdart
Transpart and Warehouse Company, established by Strx?i Altmiedort, signed an agree-
ment with certain Iranian companies on 11 March 1952 for the handling of about
50,000 tone of goods over the transit highway.
The town and province contain many tourist attractions, but as yet, there
are ao suitable hotel accommodations. There are 32 hotels in the town, of which
only two are at ell suitable for tourists. The city is now taking steps to
build a 400,000-lira municipal hotel. Another tourist attraction is the mineral
springs; that of Kisarna is reputedly the beet ir. Turkey, and its waters are
bottled and sold throughout the country.
Other economic developments include a fertilizer factory planned by the
Eti Bank, a the and brick factory built by a company operated by Ekrem Ongan
and his family, and a cement factory being built by Neat Ongan.
Akcsabat District
Akcsabat, formerly known as Pulathane, ie the province's largest and rich-
est distrlct. There are 88 villages in the district.
Tobacco forms the main crop of 77 villages; annual production is 3,200,000
kilograms. To obtain good crops, fertilizer must be used; and at present, the
area uses more fertilizer than any other area in Turkey. Olives are also grown;
annual production is about 400 tone. At present, the number of trees is only
about one fourth of that 50 yearn ago, ea tl.e result of frequent fires. Other
agricultural products include corn, potatoes, wheat, beano, barley, garlic, rye,
chick-peas, hazelnuts, cherries, plume, apples, pears, walnuts, quinces, chest-
nuts, figs, oranges, lemons, and mandarin oranges. Truck farming also is im-
partant, producing string beano, cabbage, leek, spinach, eggplant, okra, cu-
cumbers, onions, squash, tomatoes, melons, and watermelous.
BeYore construction began on the port of Trabzon, Akcsabat was considered
the safest Black Sea port east of Sinop, being sheltered from all winds except
those from the north, northwest, and northeest. Up to now, no ship has ever
begin kooxn to sink ar run aground there. It is large enough to shelter 50
freighters. There is an iron wharf built 14 years ago by the municipality.
There are two primary schools and a secondary school in the dletrict cen-
ter, and primary schools in most of the district's villages.
The town of Akcsabat is divided into three quarters: Durbinar, Orta, and
Nefsipulathane. It has a sufficient water and electric supply.
v
Two prominent contemporary natives of Akcsabat are Basan Suka, Yormer pre-
mier, and Faik Ahmet Barutcu, former deputy premier and present PRP deputy for
Trabzon.
OY District
The district contains 80 villages, but each is so spread out that it can
be said that every part of the district is inhabited. There are primary schools
is 30 oY the villages, sad a primary and a secondary school in the district cen-
ter .
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130002-3
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130002-3
The living standard of the people is relatively high; homes are attractive
and xell kept, and even 3n the villages many radios and fancy lamps ere to be
found.
The poorer section of the populace hoe long been is the habit of emigrating.
At present, many have applied to the land distribution committees in Samsun and
Mue.
Cattle-raising is an important occupation; there are about 30,000 head of
cattle in the district. About 4 million liras' worth of tiezelnuta are grown
annually. Some beans, butter, and fruit are exported. Two thirds of the dia-
trict'e corn needs are fitted locally. The area has dust been given permission
to grow tea, and a small tea factory is expected to be built, since shipping
the crop to Rize would be impractical.
Some weaving is, done in the district, mostly of towels, undershirts, sheets,
etc.
Of District is noted as a source of men of religion and merchants. Tho old
madraeah system of education still continues in Of: a school run by Haci Dur-
sun Guvali hoe about 300 students from all over the country. Merchants born in
Of are to be found all over the country, especially in the textile business.
Surmene District
The district contains 85 villages, about 30 oP which have primary schools.
Them, ie also a primary and a secondary school in the district center.
The people of Surmene have long been known as seafaring people. 61xty
years ago, moat of the trade between the Black Sea area and Russia, Rumania,
and the Mediterranean was carried in sailing ships made in Surmene and having
Surmeae as their home port. Fishing is still an important occupation; fish
ere caught primarily not for food but for the fish-oil industry.
Tea growing has ~uat begun in the district. The government is conducting
testa on 5,000 donums, while private enterprise hoe devoted 500 donuma to the
growing of tea.
The last census indicated that about 25,000 natives of Surmene have emigrated
to find work elsewhere as merchants, sailors, workers, and craftsmen. It is es-
timated that they send back to Surmene about 1.5 million lira annually.
Vakfikebir District
The district, which inclydee 135 villages, io known primarily for its butter,
of which 300,000 kilograms are exported annually. The next most important prod-
uct is hazelnuts with an annual crop of 3 million kilograms. Other important
crops are corn and tobacco.
A mayor source of income for the district is an estimated 50,000 lira a
month, which is seat back to families by persona who have gone elsewhere to find
work, especially to the coal-mining area.
There is one primary and one secondary school in the district center, and
primary schools in only 39 of the 135 villages.
The town of Vakfikebir has an annual budget of only 35,000 lira and must
borrow from the Provinces Bank from time to time. 4~he electric supply is insuf-
ficient. Water is sow obtained from springs and fountains; measures are sow be-
ing taken toward the construction of a new water-supply system.
Isnd disputes between villages of the Vakfikebir and Akcanbat districts are
frequent.
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n Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130002-3