Kocaeli Peninsula
The Kocaeli Peninsula (
Bosphorus. Approximately one-third of Istanbul, one of the most populous cities of the world, occupies its western part, and İzmit
, another big city, is at the easternmost point of the peninsula.
Geography
The peninsula is at the north west corner of
Bosphorus (Turkish: Boğaziçi) to the west. The geographers consider it to be a part of Kocaeli Çatalca subregion, where Çatalca is a peninsula on the other side of Bosphorous.[1]
History
Together with the strait of
Central Anatolia, it was the Bithynians who controlled the region for a considerable time. Hannibal, the Carthaginian commander who took refuge in Bithynia, died in Kocaeli Peninsula [2] at around 182 BC. His grave may be around Dilovası or at Gebze both at about the middle of Kocaeli Peninsula. Later the peninsula was a part of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. In Byzantine times and among the local Greek population until the early 20th century, the peninsula was known as Mesothynia (Μεσοθυνία, "Middle Thynia
").
Population and economy
Kocaeli Peninsula is one of the most industrialised regions of Turkey. Approximately one-third of Istanbul, one of the most populous cities of the world, lies on the westernmost point of the Kocaeli peninsula, and İzmit, another big city, is at the easternmost point of the peninsula. The southern coastline (Marmara) between the two is dotted with settlements, factories and the shipyards. Population density along this coastline is very high, as opposed to the northern (Black Sea) coastline.[3]
References
- ^ Geographers' site (in Turkish)
- ^ "Site of Kocaeli University {{in lang|tr}}". Archived from the original on 2010-08-10. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
- ^ Geography portal (in Turkish)
| Main peninsulas | |
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| Peninsulas in Thrace | |
| Peninsulas in Anatolia | |
| Related geographical features |
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