İzmit (Kocaeli)

İzmit (Kocaeli)
İzmit (also known as Kocaeli; previously known as Ismid or Isnikmid) is a city in the northwestern part of Anatolia, Turkey. It is located by the Gulf of İzmit, about 100 km east of İstanbul. It is the capital of Kocaeli province. In 1996, the city had about 210,000 inhabitants.
İzmit is an important industrial centre, with a large oil refinery, and major paper and cement industries. Ford Motor Company has a plant here, assembling the Ford Transit van. It is also a transportation hub, being located on the main road and rail lines between İstanbul and Ankara, and having a major port.
There is also tourism in the city and its region. There is a 16th-century mosque by Sinan. There are remains of the ancient walls and a Byzantine fortress. The thermal spa at nearby Yalova is well-known.
In antiquity, the city was called Astacus or Olbia. After being destroyed it was rebuilt in 264 BC as Nicomedia, and it became the capital of the eastern Roman Empire until the founding of Constantinople.
The earthquake of August 17, 1999 (magnitude 7.4) devastated the region, killing more than 14,000.