{{for|the village|Güneysu, Pazaryolu}} {{Infobox Turkey place | type = municipality | name = Güneysu | other_name = | image_skyline = File:Guneysu-kanboz - panoramio.jpg | image_caption = | image_shield = | coordinates = {{coord|40|58|41|N|40|36|49|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}} | province = Rize | district = Güneysu | leader_party = AKP | leader_name = Rıfat Özer | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = | elevation_m = | population_footnotes = <ref name=tuik/> | population_total = 8722 | population_as_of = 2021 | postal_code = | area_code = | website = {{url|https://guneysu.bel.tr/}} | blank1_name = Climate | blank1_info = Cfa }}
thumb|Rize location Güneysu '''Güneysu''' is a town in Rize Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, inland from the city of Rize. It is the seat of Güneysu District.<ref name=ilce>[https://www.e-icisleri.gov.tr/Anasayfa/MulkiIdariBolumleri.aspx İlçe Belediyesi], Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 30 January 2023.</ref> Its population is 8,722 (2021).<ref name=tuik>{{Cite web |title=Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2021|url=https://www.tuik.gov.tr/indir/duyuru/favori_raporlar.xlsx |access-date=30 January 2023|publisher=TÜİK|language=tr |format=XLS}}</ref>
==History== Güneysu was formerly named in Greek ''Potamya''<ref>[https://nisanyanmap.com/?yer=36382&haritasi=g%C3%BCneysu Güneysu], Index Anatolicus</ref> (Ποταμιὰ, "river village"<ref>Ἑλληνικὴ ἀπογραφή 1920</ref>) and the name persists in local usage to this day, as Güneysu stands on a plain watered by the Potamya river, a tributary of the Taşlıdere (or Askoroz) river (the ancient and Byzantine Ἄσκουρος ποταμός<ref>Περίπλους τοῦ Εὐξείνου Πόντου</ref>).
==Geography== thumb|Asmalıırmak village-Güneysu This is a hilly district of rivers and valleys, inland from the Black Sea coast, with peaks inland as high as 2000 m. The climate is wet, hence the number of valleys that have been cut through by mountain streams. Thus, floods and landslides are a constant threat even today. The coastal vegetation is broad-leaved but the higher land is pine forest, with Alpine plants in the high meadows up in the Kaçkar Mountains.
Güneysu is an impoverished rural district losing much of its population as they migrate to jobs elsewhere (some of Turkey's biggest construction firms have their roots here for example). The main source of income is growing tea and in recent years kiwifruit. Other crops are mainly grown in family gardens for personal use. The only industry is tea processing, and Güneysu is a centre of this for the Rize province.
==Climate== Güneysu has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: ''Cfa'').
{{Weather box |location = Güneysu |metric first = yes |single line = yes |Jan mean C = 5.6 |Feb mean C = 6.1 |Mar mean C = 7.6 |Apr mean C = 11.5 |May mean C = 15.4 |Jun mean C = 19.3 |Jul mean C = 22.0 |Aug mean C = 22.2 |Sep mean C = 19.4 |Oct mean C = 15.3 |Nov mean C = 11.4 |Dec mean C = 7.8 |year mean C = 13.6 |Jan precipitation mm = 176 |Feb precipitation mm = 137 |Mar precipitation mm = 119 |Apr precipitation mm = 81 |May precipitation mm = 82 |Jun precipitation mm = 115 |Jul precipitation mm = 95 |Aug precipitation mm = 125 |Sep precipitation mm = 162 |Oct precipitation mm = 210 |Nov precipitation mm = 189 |Dec precipitation mm = 195 |year precipitation mm = |source 1 = Climate-Data.org<ref name = "Climate-Data.org"> {{cite web |url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/30518/ |title = Climate: Güneysu |accessdate = 14 April 2014 |publisher = Climate-Data.org}}</ref> }}
==People from Güneysu== * Recep Tayyip Erdoğan — Turkish politician, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey (2003–2014) and currently the 12th President of Turkey (2014–present); family hails from Güneysu. * Halil Mutlu — Turkish American physician and political lobbyist; cousin of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
==References== {{reflist}} {{Districts of Turkey|provname=Rize}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Guneysu}} Category:Populated places in Rize Province Category:Güneysu District Category:District municipalities in Turkey
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