Karabük, city in north central Turkey, the capital of Karabük Province, 143 km (89 mi) north of the Turkish capital of Ankara. The Karabük Iron and Steel Works is the city's major employer. Karabük is located on the Istanbul-Kastamonu highway and has a railway station on the Ankara-Zonguldak railway. Originally a small village, it became a fast-growing industrial town when the iron and steel works (Turkey's first such factory) was opened in 1937. The government-owned factory subsequently drew migrants from neighboring regions. Karabük was incorporated as a town in 1953 and became the capital of newly established Karabük Province in 1993. After much political debate, the Turkish government privatized the iron and steel works in 1995. The neighboring town of Safranbolu is a popular tourist destination, noted for its grand, 19th-century Turkish houses. Population (1990) 105,373.
