Zonguldak

Zonguldak exists because coal exists beneath the Black Sea coast. Sultan Abdülmecid I mapped and claimed the Ereğli Basin in 1848—Turkey's only significant hard coal deposits, essential for steelmaking. A village of twelve households became an industrial town; by 1974, production peaked at 8.5 million tons with 35,000+ mining employees. The TTK (Turkish Hard Coal Enterprises) operated five mines: Kozlu, Amasra, Armutçuk, Üzülmez, Karadon. Turkey's oldest mining region predates the Republic by 75 years.

The trajectory since 1974 is decline. Production fell below 1 million tons; employment dropped to roughly 7,000; reserves depleting, operations inefficient, imports cheaper. The 2017 Court of Accounts report identified 350+ officially known illegal mines, predominantly in Kilimli district (population 25,000), employing an estimated 4,000 workers. Operators often involve drug trade and predatory lending; state authorities turn a blind eye, fearing unemployment and social unrest if illegal operations close. Reported miner deaths rose from 48 (2019) to 75 (2021)—but only covers insured workers. 76% of fatal accidents occur in private and illegal mines.

By 2021, the province had more pensioners than working people—a population structure almost unprecedented in Turkey. The coal that built Zonguldak cannot sustain it; no comparable employment alternative has emerged. The 2-million-ton-capacity TTK port could theoretically repurpose for other cargo; the skilled workforce could theoretically transition to other industries. But "theoretically" describes options not yet realized.

By 2026, Zonguldak represents the terminal question for extraction economies: what happens when the resource that created a region depletes? Global energy transition accelerates coal's decline; domestic production cannot compete with imports. The province awaits an answer that policy announcements have not yet delivered.