Izmit (Turkish: İzmit) is a city in the Marmara region, Turkey, in the Catalca-Kocaeli region (Turkish: Çatalca-Kocaeli Bölümü). The administrative center (central region, merkezi) of the province of Kocaeli. It is located on the northern coast of the Sea of ​​Marmara on a narrow coastal strip and on hills up to 200 m high.
Until 1337, the city was called Nicomedia (Greek Νικομήδεια) and belonged to the Roman Empire, and then Byzantium. In 1337, after being captured by the Turks, the walls were destroyed and almost the entire Greek population was exterminated. The city lost its importance and became a third-rate. Now Izmit is the center of one of the most important industrial regions of Turkey.

History of the city
Prehistoric times and antiquity
According to studies, people have been living in this area for five thousand years, which is not surprising, since the city has a favorable geographical position, being the intersection of many trade routes.
The first evidence of a permanent settlement on the site of Izmit dates back to the 12th century BC. At this time, the territory was under the rule of the Phrygians and later passed to the people who arrived here from the Greek city of Megara in search of new places to live. They settled in the area of ​​present-day Bashiskele, where they built the port town of Astakos.
The town was destroyed by the king of Thrace, Lykimachus, and the city of Nicomedia was built on the site of today's Izmit. In 91-94 BC the city came under the control of the Roman Empire. In 284 AD e. Emperor Diocletian again turns the city into the capital and Nicomedia becomes the fourth largest city in the empire - after Rome, Antioch and Alexandria.
At this time, Nicomedia acquired great cultural significance, it was called "Athens in Bithynia". Located on the routes from Asia Minor to the Balkans, it was a major trade and craft center and retained its importance even after the transfer of the capital to Constantinople. Nicomedia was also famous for its saints: more than 100 Christian saints are called Nicomedia: Saint George (Victorious, Greek Άγιος Γεώργιος), Trofim of Nicomedia, Eusebius of Nicomedia, Callista of Nicomedia, Yermolai of Nicomedia, Nicomedia martyrs (Anfim, Bishop of Nicomedia, Babyla of Nicomedia and his 84 disciples), the holy great martyr and healer Panteleimon and others.
Diocletian was a talented ruler, but at the same time was a fanatical follower of the pagan gods. He staged one of the most severe persecutions of Christians. So on April 23, 303, in Nicomedia, during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, after eight days of severe torment, the Christian saint, Great Martyr Saint George (the Victorious) was beheaded.
The city, which was subjected to earthquakes many times, was restored only during the time of Emperor Justinian.

Seljuk and Ottoman periods
In 1078 the city passed into the hands of the Seljuk Turks. During the Crusades, the Turks lost the city (1083). The final transition under the control of the Turks took place during the reign of Orhan I Gazi in 1337. Nicomedia, which turned into Iznikmid (Turkish İznikmid) in the time of the Seljuks, became known as Izmid (Turkish İzmid) during the reign of Bayezid I (it should be noted that Nicomedia and Izmit are the same word, but taken from different historical periods, and not two different names, i.e., the renaming as such did not happen). If at that time Byzantium had plans to return Nicomedia, they did not have to come true.
During the reign of Sultan Selim I, shipyards were built in Izmit. The period of the highest prosperity of the city fell on the reign of Sultan Suleiman I. The importance of the city increased with the opening of two transport lines in 1837: a shipping connection between Izmit and Istanbul and a railway line from the Haydarpasa station through Izmit to Ankara. However, an earthquake in 1894 led to the decline of the city.
In 1912, 18,550 Armenians, 18,223 Turks, 3,603 Greeks and 2,500 Jews lived in the city. In kaza Izmid (including the city) lived: Turks - 116,949 people, Greeks - 73,134 people, Jews - 2,500 people.
The First World War deprived the city of its former importance. July 6, 1920 the city was captured by the British, April 28, 1921 by the Greeks. On July 28, the city returned to the Turks again.

Geography
Izmit is located between 40° and 41° north latitude and between 29° and 31° east longitude on the coast of the Izmit Gulf of the Sea of ​​Marmara and is washed by the Black Sea in the north. It is the administrative center of the province of Kocaeli.
The surface is characterized by an abundance of steep slopes. The main part of the city is located along a narrow strip of the coast. Topographically, the city is divided into two dissimilar parts. The first part is the old quarters, built up mainly low-rise buildings (sometimes even slums), with their narrow streets climbing the hillsides. The second part is the business center of the city with highways and railways passing through it. Another important feature of the city is its belonging to the zone of earthquakes of the first degree of danger. All these geological and topographical features, coupled with precipitation, increase the risk of mudflows and landslides.
Izmit is located in the east of the Marmara region, which connects Europe and Asia. In the north it is washed by the Black Sea, in the east it borders with the province of Sakarya, in the south with Bursa, in the west with Yalova and Istanbul. According to the 2007 census, Izmit has a population of 1,437,926 and there are 398 people per square kilometer. The presence of land, rail, sea and even air (a military airfield, which should become an airfield for private jets of Izmit's business elite) means of communication turns the city into an important transport hub in Turkey.
The 30th meridian passing through the eastern part of Izmit determines the time zone of Turkey (UTC + 2).

Surface structure
A significant part of the territory of Kocaeli north of the Gulf of Izmit (Izmit proper) is an uneven plateau with a slope from south to north. The plateau looks like a hilly area, indented by river valleys flowing into the Black Sea. Near the bay, the height of the hills reaches 645 m, while in the north near the Black Sea it hardly exceeds 350 m. The valley of Izmit and Lake Sapanca (tur. Sapanca) are lowlands. The area south of the bay is mostly hilly. A narrow strip of land remains along the shores of the lake and the bay, bounded by the steeply rising slopes of the Saman Mountains to a height of 1602 m - Mount Kartepe (tur.) Russian, which means "Snow Hill" or "Snowy Peak".

Population
Izmit, one of the most important industrial and commercial centers in Turkey, has a population of 643,766, of which 202,003 live in the city itself and 441,763 in rural areas and suburbs. The earthquake on August 17, 1999 caused a significant change in the population.
The province (vilayet, il) of Kocaeli, whose center is Izmit, covers an area of ​​3626 km² and has a population of 1,223,000 people. The intensive industrialization of 1955-1960 caused a rapid growth population.
According to the 2007 population census, Kocaeli has a population of 1,437,926. Due to the development of tourism, the emergence of new jobs and the daily migration of labor, the number of people in the province varies depending on the time of day.

Climate
The climate of Izmit is transitional from a temperate maritime climate to a Mediterranean one. Summers are hot and relatively dry. However, extreme heat is rare in the city, and temperatures rarely reach 35°C or more. Winters are cool and wet. Snowfalls and frosts are quite common in winter. Snow falls on average nine days a year. Spring and autumn are pleasantly mild in weather but prone to extreme temperature changes.
The average annual temperature is 14.5 °C. The all-time high of 44.1°C was recorded on July 13, 2000. The minimum was recorded on February 23, 1985 and was -8.3 °C.
A gusty southeasterly wind prevails. The average annual rainfall is 823.3 mm. Most precipitation (107.8 mm) falls in December. The driest month is August (39.2 mm).
The city receives more than 2,000 hours of sunshine a year, with sunny summers.
Relative humidity is 56% in summer and 64.6% in winter.

Geographic location
Izmit, the center of the Kocaeli province bordering Istanbul, is 85 km from Istanbul. Ankara is 320 km from the TEM Highway (Turk. TEM otoyolu). Ataturk Airport is located 120 km from the city center.
The coast of Kocaeli in the north is washed by the waters of the Black Sea, and in the south by the Gulf of Izmit (Turkish İzmit Körfezi) of the Sea of ​​Marmara. When viewed on the map, you can see that the territory of Kocaeli, as it were, hugs the bay from the north, east and south. The bay is one of the busiest junctions of the Turkish shipping lanes. There are two large ports in the bay - Derince (Derince) and Yarimca (Yarımca) - as well as about thirty-four private marinas.
Izmit, with its railways, highways and ports, is one of the most important transport hubs connecting the European and Asian parts of Turkey.

Economy
Izmit is the second most developed industrial city in Turkey. Plants and factories of such firms as Borusan Mannesmann, Lassa, Kordsa, Brisa, Goodyear, Pirelli, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Chrysler, Petkim, TÜPRAŞ (tur.) Russian, Tabosan, Assan Aluminium, DYO, Marshall, Arçelik, Lever, etc. Izmit's economy is almost entirely dependent on industry. Proximity to such a large business center as Istanbul, and the presence of railways and highways makes it