Gebze

Gebze, formerly known as Libyssa, is a municipality and district of Kocaeli Province, Turkey. Its area is 418 km2, and its population is 407,019 (2022). It is situated 65 km (30 mi) southeast of Istanbul, on the Gulf of Izmit, the eastern arm of the Sea of Marmara. Gebze is the largest district by population size in the province as of 2022, exceeding İzmit, the provincial capital.

Geography
The district of Gebze is located in the western portion of Kocaeli Province; with neighbors Körfez to the east; Pendik, Tuzla and Şile in Istanbul to the northwest, west and north respectively; Çayırova and Darıca to the southwest and Dilovası to the southeast.

Composition
There are 40 neighbourhoods in Gebze District:


 * Adem Yavuz
 * Ahatlı
 * Arapçeşme
 * Balçık
 * Barış
 * Beylikbağı
 * Cumaköy
 * Cumhuriyet
 * Denizli
 * Duraklı
 * Elbizli
 * Eskihisar
 * Gaziler
 * Güzeller
 * Hacı Halil
 * Hatipler
 * Hürriyet
 * İnönü
 * İstasyon
 * Kadıllı
 * Kargalı
 * Kirazpınar
 * Köşklüçeşme
 * Mevlana
 * Mimar Sinan
 * Mollafenari
 * Muallimköy
 * Mudarlı
 * Mustafapaşa
 * Osman Yılmaz
 * Ovacık
 * Pelitli
 * Sultan Orhan
 * Tatlıkuyu
 * Tavşanlı
 * Tepemanayır
 * Ulus
 * Yağcılar
 * Yavuzselim
 * Yenikent

Transport
The northern terminus of Osman Gazi Bridge falls within this area; the construction — having a total length of 4 kilometers (with a 1,688-meter main span) — bridges the Sea of Marmara from Kababurun to Dilburnu. The Gebze Metro began construction in 2018 for a 2024 opening. A Marmaray intercontinental commuter rail line connects Gebze to the European side of Istanbul.

Twin towns – sister cities
Gebze is twinned with:


 * 🇸🇴 Garoowe, Somalia
 * 🇧🇦 Kakanj, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * 🇰🇬 Karakol, Kyrgyzstan
 * 🇧🇦 Kiseljak, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * 🇨🇾 Kythrea, Cyprus
 * Oeiras, Portugal
 * 🇬🇷 Pylaia, Greece
 * 🇧🇬 Samuil, Bulgaria
 * 🇲🇰 Studeničani, North Macedonia
 * 🇷🇺 Tyulyachinsky District, Russia