Izmit is situated in the North-Western part of Turkey, at the distance of 91 km E-SE of Istanbul, at the head of the Gulf of Izmit, in the sea of Marmara. The Kocaeli region extends between the Black Sea to the north and the Bay of Izmit to the south, opening the city of Izmit up to both the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. Its neighboring cities are Bursa and Yalova to the south, Istanbul to the west and Sakarya to the east.

Nicomedia was founded about 264 B.C. by Nicomedes I of Bithynia on the site of the Greek colony of Olbia.

Izmit area is developed intensively and hosts a variety of leading industrial sectors including chemical industry, paper mills, oil refineries and shipping, and trade related facilities. The capital city of the province, Izmit, is also the main centre of this activity and counts as one of Turkey’s principal industrial centres.

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