page_title: Uşak
section_title: Economic history
hierarchical_section_title: Uşak / Economic history
context_page_description: Uşak is a city in the interior part of the Aegean Region of Turkey. The city has a population of 500,000 and is the capital of Uşak Province. The city was previously known by its Greek name of Ousakeion/Ουσάκειον.
  Uşak city is situated at a distance of 210 km from İzmir, the region's principal metropolitan center and port city. Benefiting from its location at the crossroads of the Central Anatolian plateau and the coastal Aegean Region, and from a climate and agricultural production incorporating elements of both of these zones, Uşak has also traditionally had a strong industrial base. Uşak was the first city in Turkey to have an urban electricity network, and the first city where a collective labor relations agreement was signed, during the Ottoman era, between leather industry employees and workers. It was here that the first factory of Republican Turkey, a sugar refinery, was set up through a private sector initiative among local businessmen. The tradition of industriousness continues today around two industrial zones.
context_section_description: At least since the 17th century there was trade between Uşak and the Dutch republic as reflected in the rug shown thrown over the bannister in Vermeer's painting "The Procuress." The rug was probably produced in Uşak, covers a third of the painting and shows medaillons and leaves. 
  In the early 20th century, mercury was discovered in Uşak. The town also manufactured carpet.
  Among other district centers in Uşak Province, Banaz is the largest and is notable for its varied agricultural production as well as for its forests, while Ulubey's canyon is a natural site attracting many visitors.
caption: The kelim rug shown in Vermeer's 1656 painting The Procuress was identified as probably originating in Uşak,[4] testifying to 17th Century trade linking the city with the Dutch Republic.
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