Bhagavat Educational trust Destination Info

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1 Bhagavat Educational trust Destination Info Izmit Facts Country: Turkey Region: Marmara Province: Kocaeli Area : 1,360.6 sq miles Altitude : 100 m Population : 293,339 Area code : (+90) 262 Time Difference : 2 hours ahead of UK İzmit is a city in Turkey, administrative center of Kocaeli Province as well as the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality. It is located at the Gulf of İzmit (the ancient Gulf of Astacus) in the Sea of Marmara, about 100 km (62 mi) east of Istanbul, on the northwestern part of Anatolia. The city center has a population of 293,339 (2009 census). The population of the province (including rural areas) is 1,422,752. (Unlike other provinces in Turkey, whole province is now included within the municipality of metropolitan center.) Nicomedia was the eastern and most senior capital city of the Roman Empire between 286 and 324, during the Tetrarchy introduced by Diocletian. Following Constantine's victory over co-emperor Licinius at the Battle of Chrysopolis (Üsküdar) in 324, Nicomedia served as an interim capital city for Constantine the Great between 324 and 330, until the nearby Byzantium was officially declared Nova Roma (later known as Constantinople, present-day Istanbul.)

2 Geography The geological location of İzmit is between N and E, surrounded by the Gulf of İzmit at south, Istanbul and the Sea of Marmara at west, the Black Sea at north, and Sakarya at east. The city is mostly built on hill slopes because of the cramped area, while flat plains are located around the gulf, near the sea. This topographic structure divided the city in two different parts. The first part was created on flat plains, where the city center is also located. The railway and highway networks also pass from this area which is close to the Sea of Marmara. The second part was built on hills, with many historic houses from the Ottoman period in the old quarters. Istanbul arrival airport Izmit Climate The local climate, more temperate near the Gulf of İzmit (İzmit Körfezi in Turkish, known as the Gulf of Astacus in the Roman period) and the Black Sea, more severe in the mountains, constitutes a transition between Mediterranean and Black Sea types; the typical urban summer here is hot and dry, the winter wet, however, Izmit and Marmara lack the refreshing summer breezes of the northern reaches, and can become humid. The highest recorded temperature in the city (11 Aug 1970) was 41.6 C (106.9 F), the lowest (4 Feb 1960) 8.7 C (16 F), while the yearly average stands at 14.8 C (58.6 F).

3 Economy İzmit is an important industrial center, with a large oil refinery, and major paper and cement factories. Ford Motor Company has a plant here in a joint venture with Otosan, assembling the Transit/Tourneo and Transit/Tourneo Connect vans. It is also a transportation hub, being located on the main highway and railway lines between Istanbul and Ankara, and having a major port. In the past few years the province has developed into a growth point for the Turkish automotive industry, receiving investments from Ford, Hyundai, Honda and Isuzu. Tyre and rubber products are produced to world class standard (Goodyear, Pirelli, Lassa and Bridgestone.) As of today, Kocaeli province has attracted more than 1200 industrial investments, 108 of which have been established with international capital. Turkey s largest enterprise, the Tüpraş Petroleum Refinery Plant, is also located in Kocaeli, containing altogether 27% of the national chemical products industry, including petrochemical products. Eighteen of the 100 largest enterprises of Turkey are located in Kocaeli, and contribute to around 17-18% of the national tax revenues. Financial Times affiliated Foreign Direct Investment Magazine nominated Kocaeli (the province of which İzmit is the capital) among the 25 European Regions of the Future for [1] The city was chosen along with Adana for Turkey, which scored the highest points for cost effectiveness against Kocaeli's wider infrastructure, while Adana and Kocaeli tied on points for human resources and quality of life. The famous Turkish traditional sweet Pişmaniye is a product of İzmit and the Kocaeli Province.

4 History In Antiquity, the city was called Astacus or Olbia (founded 712 BC). After being destroyed, it was rebuilt and founded by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC under the name of Nicomedia, and has ever since been one of the most important cities in northwestern Asia Minor. Nicomedia was the metropolis of Bithynia under the Roman Empire. Owing to its position at the convergence of the Asiatic roads leading to the new capital, Nicomedia retained its importance even after the foundation of Constantinople. Until the late XI century it was under Byzantine rule. Than it was captured by Seljuk Turks, but soon after it was regained thanks to the successes of the first crusade. After capture of Constantinople in 1204 the city, together with most of the Bithynia province, became a part of the Latin Empire. It was recaptured by the Byzantines around 1235 and stayed in its borders until first half of the XIV century. The city was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in It was occupied by the United Kingdom at the end of World War I on November 20, 1918 and then by Greece on October 26, Turkish forces ethnically cleansed the Christians of the city on June 28, 1921 during the pogroms committed against the indigenous Christian inhabitants of the areaturkish War of Independence. The earthquake of August 17, 1999 (magnitude 7.4) devastated the region, killing more than 19,000 people and leaving half a million homeless. It took several years for the city to recover from this disaster; but the scars, especially on the memories of the residents - many of whom lost loved ones, can still be observed.

5 Izmit Town Centre Map