Tekirdag
Thracian wine country since Greek colonization now hosts rakı production (Tekirdağ terroir) alongside industrial corridor: Çerkezköy grew from village to 218,000 on white-goods manufacturing.
Tekirdağ exists because grapes grow on Thracian slopes and Istanbul needs industrial overflow. The dual identity dates to antiquity: Greek colonists founded Bisanthe in the 6th century BC for its harbor and wine-country hinterland; modern development follows the same geographic logic, with vineyards and industrial parks sharing the Marmara coastline 140 kilometers from the metropolis.
The rakı connection runs deeper than branding. Tekirdağ's anise spirit carries terroir claims like champagne: local aniseed and grapes produce distinctive character that mass production cannot replicate. Tekel's 1967 plant established industrial-scale production; Diageo's 2011 acquisition globalized distribution. But the premium product depends on specific cultivation zones—Şarköy, Mürefte, Kümbağ—where the Thrace/Marmara region produces 30-40% of Turkey's wine alongside the spirit.
The industrial corridor tells a different story. Çerkezköy's designation for development in 1971 transformed a small village into a conurbation of 218,000—planned migration that created Turkey's major white-goods manufacturing cluster. The Organized Industrial Zone hosts Arçelik, BSH, and 1,500+ enterprises with 50 R&D centers. Sunflower cultivation supplies the cooking oil that feeds the workers: Tekirdağ, Edirne, and Kırklareli together produce 70% of Turkey's sunflower output.
By 2026, Tekirdağ faces climate pressure on both identities. The 2024/25 sunflower harvest hit decade lows from drought; viticulture requires irrigation investment. Whether industrial growth continues absorbing Istanbul overflow or saturates available land, and whether premium agriculture can adapt to shifting rainfall, determines the province's trajectory.