Kocaeli

Kocaeli

 

(also Bithynian Peninsula), a peninsula in Turkey between the Black Sea, the Bosporus, and the Gulf of Izmit of the Sea of Marmara. Length, about 75 km; width, to 50 km. The topography includes a plateau and hills (the northwestern-most part of the Pontic mountains) with altitudes to 537 m, which are composed of quartzite, limestone, and sandstone. The peninsula is covered with deciduous forests and maquis; vineyards and plantations of mulberry trees are found along the southern coast. Because of the health resorts located there, the sourthern coast is known as the Anatolian Riviera. The cities of izmit and Üsküdar are situated on the Kocaeli Peninsula.