Kalkandere

Kalkandere is a town and district of Rize Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, west of the city of Rize.
Formerly known as "Karadere", this is a hilly, forested, rural area of scattered villages, inland from the Black Sea coast. There is little flat land and this is an impoverished area losing its population as they migrate away to jobs in other parts of Turkey or abroad. The local economy depends on growing tea on the hillsides. 90% of the agricultural land is tea plantations and there are tea processing plants in the town. Tea was planted in the 1950s and has brought new life to the area. Other activities include bee-keeping.
Kalkandere itself is a small town providing public services to the surrounding area. There are primary schools in the villages but children must come into town for high school.
History.
See "Rize Province" for the history of this area.
Places of interest.
There is a picnic area on the road between Kalkandere and İkizdere.