Kocaeli, Turkey

İzmit
Metropolitan municipality
From top to bottom: İzmit, Demiryolu Street, Night in İzmit, Fevziye Mosque, Osman Gazi Bridge Gulf of İzmit
İzmit Location of İzmit
Coordinates: 40°46′N 29°55′E / 40.767°N 29.917°E / 40.767; 29.917Coordinates: 40°46′N 29°55′E / 40.767°N 29.917°E / 40.767; 29.917
Country	Turkey
Region	Marmara
Province	Kocaeli
Government
• Mayor	İbrahim Karaosmanoğlu (AKP)
Area
• District	1,044.85 km2 (403.42 sq mi)
Population (2012)
• Urban	302,960
• District	327,435
• District density	310/km2 (810/sq mi)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code	41xxx
Area code(s)	(+90) 262
Licence plate	41
Website	Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality

İzmit, ancient Nicomedia, is a city in Turkey, the administrative center of the Kocaeli Province as well as the Metropolitan Municipality. It is located at the Gulf of İzmit 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 300,611 (2011 census). The population of the province (including rural areas) is 1,459,772. (Unlike other provinces in Turkey, apart from Istanbul, the whole province is included within the municipality of the 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 the Great's victory over co-emperor Licinius at the Battle of Chrysopolis in 324, Nicomedia served as an interim capital city for Nova Roma.

İzmit is a corruption of the Ancient Greek name of the city, Nicomedia (Greek: Νικομήδεια). Names used in English prior to official Turkish Latinization include Ismid, Iskimid, and Isnikmid.

The geological location of İzmit is between 40°-41° N and 29°-31° 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 surround the gulf, near the sea. This topographic structure divided the city into two parts. The first was created on flat plains, where the city center is. The railway and highway networks 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.