Marmara
The Marmara Region which covers 8.5% of the country with a surface area of 67,000 km2 is named after the internal sea, which is surrounded entirely by land and connected to the Black Sea and the Aegean via the straits. The Marmara Region, which forms a passage between the Balkan Peninsula and Anatolia, and connects Europe and Asia, is surrounded by the Black Sea and the Central Anatolia Regions to the east, the Aegean Region to the south, and Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest. The islands of Bozcaada and Gökçeada (İmroz), situated in the open sea off the Aegean coast, are also located in the Marmara Region. The population of the region has risen to 17,365,027 according to the results of the 2000 census. 13,730,962 of this population reside in cities and 3,634,065 in villages. This is the region with the highest population growth rate which reaches 26.69‰. The constant migration to the region is the principal reason for this high rate.
The people in the Marmara Region, which is Turkey’s most industrialized region, are employed in industry, trades, and
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| Akmerkez was chosen "Europe’s and the World’s Best Shopping Mall" by ICSC - İSTANBUL |
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Covered Bazaar - İSTANBUL |
tourism. The most developed industrial zone in the region is the İstanbul-Bursa-İzmit triangle. Among the industrial goods produced in the region are processed foods, textiles, ready-to wear clothing, cement, paper, petrochemical products, automobiles and spare parts, durable household items, railway cars and ships.
The advantageous location of the Marmara Region on the transportation routes, imparts to the region a special trait. The shortest highways connecting Europe and Asia pass through this region. These highways intersect with the waterways that connect the Black Sea countries to the Mediterranean. This location is the reason behind the development, the population density and the wealth of the region. This region, where many great civilizations were born and flourished, comprised the migration routes of the tribes passing between the two continents. Tourism is also very developed in this region, which has various educational institutions, press and information establishments, a cinema industry and theaters, intense cultural activities, and some of the worlds most important works of architecture and art