Ordu

Submitted by editor on Wed, 03/24/2010 - 04:40

Ordu

Ordu
—  Town  —

The city emblem
Location of Ordu within Turkey.
Coordinates: 40°59′N 37°53′E / 40.983°N 37.883°E / 40.983; 37.883Coordinates: 40°59′N 37°53′E / 40.983°N 37.883°E / 40.983; 37.883
Country  Turkey
Region Black Sea
Province Ordu
Government
 - Mayor Seyit Torun (CHP)
Elevation 5 m (16 ft)
Population (2010)
 - Total 141,341
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 - Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code 52xxx
Area code(s) 0452
Licence plate 52

Ordu (Turkish pronunciation: [ˈoɾdu]) 'army') is a port city on the Black Sea coast of Turkey, and the capital of Ordu Province. Estimated population c. 2010: 141,341.

Contents

Etymology

'Ordu' means "Army" or "Military encampment" and stems from the same Turkic root as 'Urdu', and appears in modern English as horde.

History

In the 8th century BCE the settlement of Cotyora was founded in this area as one of a string of colonies along the Black Sea coast established by the Miletus. The area came under the control of the Danishmends, then the Seljuk Turks. Afterwards it passed to the dominion of the Ottomans.

The modern city was founded by the Ottomans as Bayramlı near Eskipazar as a military outpost. The Ordu Municipality Black Sea Theater Group, one of the first Turkish theaters outside of major cities, was founded in 1964 by Muhsin Ertuğrul. In 1869, the name was changed to Ordu and united with the districts of Bolaman,Perşembe, Ulubey, Hansamana (Gölköy) and Aybastı. In 1924, Atatürk visited Ordu as part of his Black Sea Tour.

Ordu today

Today the city is the centre of a large hazelnut processing industry, including Sağra, one of the largest Turkish hazelnut processors and exporters, and Fiskobirlik, the largest hazelnut co-op in the world.

The Sağra factory shop, selling many varieties of chocolate-covered hazelnuts, is one of the town's attractions.

Local music is typical of the Black Sea region, including the kemençe. The cuisine is primarily based on local vegetables and includes both typical Turkish dishes - such as pide and kebab- and more unique fare - such as plain or caramel 'burnt ice-cream'.

Places of interest

  • Paşaoğlu Konağı and Ethnographic museum - a mansion that is now a ethnographic museum.
  • Taşbaşı Cultural Centre - a cultural centre
  • Boztepe - a hill overlooking the town.
  • Old Houses of Ordu in the old city center
  • Yalı Camii, also called Aziziye Camii - a mosque
  • Atik İbrahim Paşa, also called Orta Cami - a mosque built in 1770
  • Eski Pazar Camii - a mosque with adjoining Turkish baths
  • Efirli Camii - a mosque

Climate

Ordu has a borderline oceanic/humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb/Cfa); like most of the eastern Black Sea coast of Turkey; with warm and humid summers and cool and damp winters. Ordu has a high and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. Precipitation is heaviest in autumn and spring.

Snowfall is quite common between the months of December and March, snowing for a week or two, and it can be heavy once it snows.

The water temperature, like in the rest of the Black Sea coast of Turkey, is always cool and fluctuates between 8° and 20°C throughout the year.

Climate data for Ordu
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 10.9
(51.6)		 10.7
(51.3)		 12.0
(53.6)		 15.2
(59.4)		 19.1
(66.4)		 24.1
(75.4)		 27.0
(80.6)		 27.7
(81.9)		 24.5
(76.1)		 20.3
(68.5)		 16.2
(61.2)		 12.9
(55.2)		 18.38
(65.09)
Average low °C (°F) 3.8
(38.8)		 3.6
(38.5)		 5.0
(41)		 8.2
(46.8)		 12.2
(54)		 16.4
(61.5)		 19.4
(66.9)		 19.9
(67.8)		 16.6
(61.9)		 12.8
(55)		 8.5
(47.3)		 5.7
(42.3)		 11.01
(51.82)
Precipitation mm (inches) 100.2
(3.945)		 85.2
(3.354)		 77.9
(3.067)		 76.0
(2.992)		 55.7
(2.193)		 76.0
(2.992)		 61.8
(2.433)		 60.6
(2.386)		 83.9
(3.303)		 137.8
(5.425)		 130.3
(5.13)		 101.2
(3.984)		 1,046.6
(41.205)
Avg. rainy days 14.9 14.3 15.5 14.8 13.0 11.3 9.9 9.3 12.1 14.5 13.5 14.5 157.6
Sunshine hours 77.5 81.2 105.4 129 173.6 213 192.2 195.3 156 127.1 99 74.4 1,623.7
Source: Devlet Meteoroloji İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü

People from Ordu

  • Ertuğrul Günay - politician who is Minister for Culture and Tourism.
  • Kadir İnanır - film actor.
  • Mehmet Hilmi Güler - politician who was Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
  • Arif Hikmet Onat - politician who represented Ordu
  • Bahriye Üçok - writer and activist
  • Oktay Ekşi - politician representing Ordu
  • Ümit Tokcan - folk musician
  • Kamil Sönmez - folk musician
  • İbrahim Fırtına - former military commander
  • Soner Arıca - musician
  • Sami Aksu - musician

See also

  • Anatolian Tigers
  • Orduspor
  • Pontic Greeks

Notes

  1. ^ http://www.sagra.com/sagra/tr
  2. ^ fiskobirlik Genel Müdürlüğü
  3. ^ http://www.dmi.gov.tr/veridegerlendirme/il-ve-ilceler-istatistik.aspx?m=ORDU | title = Ordu | accessdate = 17 March 2011 | publisher = Devlet Meteoroloji İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü
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