İzmit, Capital district near Sea of Marmara, Turkey
İzmit is the capital of Kocaeli Province in northwestern Turkey, located on the Gulf of İzmit, an inlet of the Sea of Marmara. The city spreads along the coast between hills inland and industrial areas that reach down to the water.
Emperor Diocletian chose Nicomedia, today's İzmit, as the eastern capital of the Roman Empire between 286 and 324 during the Tetrarchy. In the 14th century, the Ottoman Empire conquered the city and incorporated it into its growing territory.
The name İzmit comes from Nicomedia, the ancient Greek settlement that once stood here. Local markets and tea gardens along the waterfront draw residents who stroll after work or meet friends.
The city sits about 62 miles (100 kilometers) east of Istanbul and is easily reached via the D100 highway and the railway station. Visitors exploring the old center will find it around the Clock Tower and Ottoman mosques near the harbor.
İzmit hosts factories that produce roughly half of Turkey's paper supply, standing close to ancient Roman remains. Along the coast, large petroleum refineries line up one after another, shaping the cityscape for decades.
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