peninsula
A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula.
Etymology
The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
extending westward into
Marmara Sea
The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...
in the
Anatolia
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
n section of
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. In addition to
Yalova Province
Yalova Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province in northwestern Turkey, on the eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara. Its adjacent provinces are Bursa Province, Bursa to the south and Kocaeli Province, Kocaeli to the east. Its area is 798 ...
, parts of
Kocaeli Province
Kocaeli Province (, ) is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey and one of only three not to have the same official name as its capital, Ä°zmit, which is thus also sometim ...
and
Bursa Province
Bursa Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality in Turkey along the Sea of Marmara coast in northwestern Anatolia. It borders Balıkesir Province, Balıkesir to the west, K ...
are on the peninsula.
Geography
Armutlu Peninsula is between Gulf of Izmit in the north and Gulf of Gemlik in the south. The westernmost point of the peninsula is the cape of Bozburun. The bird's flight distance between Bozburun and the tip of the northern gulf is about . But, the distance between Bozburun and the tip of the southern gulf is only about . To the southeast of the peninsula,
Lake Ä°znik
Lake Ä°znik () is a freshwater lake in the Province of Bursa, Turkey. It is around 32 km in length and 10 km in width with a maximum depth of about 80 m. The town of Iznik (historically known as Nicaea) lies at its eastern end. T ...
is situated.
The peninsula is actually a part of Samanlı Mountains, a mountain range lying between Bolu Mountains and Bozburun. The peak of the mountains within the peninsula is Taz Mountain with an altitude of . The mountains are covered with forests.
Notable places
Yalova
Yalova is a market-gardening town located in northwestern Turkey on the eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara. It is the seat of Yalova Province and Yalova District.Armutlu district. Gölcük, a town in Kocaeli Province, best known for the
Turkish Navy
The Turkish Naval Forces (), or Turkish Navy (), is the naval warfare service branch of the TAF.
The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was established as the ''Directorate o ...
's main
naval base
A naval base, navy base, or military port is a military base, where warships and naval ships are docked when they have no mission at sea or need to restock. Ships may also undergo repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usu ...
with
shipyard
A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...
and the
Ford Otosan
Ford Otomotiv Sanayi A.Ş. (Turkish for 'Ford Automotive Industry'), doing business as Ford Otosan, is an automotive manufacturing company based in Turkey that is equally owned by Ford Motor Company and Koç Holding. The company was established ...
automobile plant, is located at the northern gulf of the peninsula. Also on the northern coastline between Gölcük and Yalova,
Karamürsel
Karamürsel is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Kocaeli Province, Turkey. Its area is 262 km2, and its population is 59,676 (2022). It is on the south coast of the Gulf of İzmit. Before its conquest by the Ottoman Empire, ...
is located in Kocaeli Province. Historically, it was an important Ottoman naval base and during the
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
era, the town hosted a
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
naval air station
A Naval Air Station (NAS) is a military air base, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of a navy (Naval aviation). These bases are typically populated by squadron ...
, which operated a special antenna to intercept
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
radio transmissions. West of Yalova,
Çınarcık
Çınarcık is a town in Yalova Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. It is the seat of Çınarcık District.
is located, a well-known seaside resort.
Another notable location is
Gemlik
Gemlik is a municipality and district of Bursa Province, Turkey. Its area is 401 km2, and its population is 120,245 (2022). It is located in the east of the Gulf of Gemlik. It is approximately away from Bursa. In antiquity, Gemlik was the l ...
, a district of Bursa Province, situated at the peninsula's southern gulf. An important port city, it is renowned for its
olive
The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...
s and
olive oil
Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil.
It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...
.
The population density in the mountains at the inner peninsula is low, where there are only small villages.
Geology
Both gulfs at the north and the south are actually on two active tectonic fault lines. The entire peninsula was hit by the Ä°zmit earthquake on August 17, 1999, that occurred along the western portion of the
North Anatolian Fault Zone
The North Anatolian Fault (NAF; ) is an active right-lateral strike-slip fault in northern Anatolia, and is the transform boundary between the Eurasian plate and the Anatolian sub-plate. The fault extends westward from a junction with the Ea ...