Throughout history, Kocaeli has been a gateway for Europe, the Middle East and Asia. A crucial trade center for the Eastern-Roman Empire and the capital of the Kingdom of Bithynia
Today, along the, commercially-active, Black Sea and the Marmara Sea shorelines, Kocaeli boasts 5 ports and 35 industrial docks, making it a logistics haven and an opening to the global markets. The main transportation routes form an intercontinental passage. Neighbouring one of the world’s largest metropolitan centres, Istanbul, and close to two international airports, (45 and 80 KM from the city center), Kocaeli is home to approximately 1,300,000 people and is one of the most densely populated cities of Turkey with 396 people per km2. The home base of the Turkish Navy is also located in Kocaeli, demonstrating the strategic importance of the province in military terms.
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