Marmara Marmara Bölgesi
Region
Coordinates: 41°00′N 29°00′E / 41.000°N 29.000°E / 41.000; 29.000
Country	Turkey
Capital	Istanbul
Provinces	11 Balikesir Bilecik Bursa Çanakkale Edirne Istanbul Kırklareli Kocaeli Sakarya Tekirdağ Yalova
Area
• Total	67,000 km2 (26,000 sq mi)
• Rank	6th
Population  (Jan. 2022)(INSEE)
• Total	27,050,405
• Rank	1st
• Density	400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Demonym	Turkish: Marmaralı
Time zone	UTC+03:00 (TRT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (TRT)
ISO 3166 code	TR-IDF
NUTS Region	TR1
Website	marmara.gov.tr

The Marmara Region (Turkish: Marmara Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey.

Located in northwestern Turkey, it is bordered by Greece and the Aegean Sea to the west, Bulgaria and the Black Sea to the north, the Black Sea Region to the east, and the Aegean Region to the south. At the center of the region is the Sea of Marmara, which gives the region its name. The largest city in the region is Istanbul. Other big cities are Bursa, İzmit, Balıkesir, Tekirdağ, Çanakkale and Edirne.

Among the seven geographical regions, the Marmara Region has the second-smallest area, yet the largest population; it is the most densely populated region in the country.

Etymology of the Marmara Region

The name of the region comes from the Marmara Sea which is named after the Marmaros island, now connected to Balıkesir. "Marmaros" means "marble" in Greek. This name was given to the island because of the significant amount of marble found there. Over time, this name also came to be used for the sea itself

The Greeks named the Marmara Sea "Propontis" by combining two words: "pro" and "pontis". In Greek, "pro" means "before" and "pontis" means "sea." They chose this name because they used to sail on the Sea of Marmara to reach the Black Sea.^[1].

Subdivision

• Çatalca - Kocaeli Section (Turkish: Çatalca - Kocaeli Bölümü)
  • Adapazarı Area (Turkish: Adapazarı Yöresi)
  • Istanbul Area (Turkish: Istanbul Yöresi)
• Ergene Section (Turkish: Ergene Yöresi)
• Southern Marmara Section (Turkish: Güney Marmara Bölümü)
  • Biga - Gallipoli Area (Turkish: Biga - Gelibolu Yöresi)
  • Bursa Area (Turkish: Bursa Yöresi)
  • Karesi Area (Turkish: Karesi Yöresi)
  • Samanlı Area (Turkish: Samanlı Yöresi)
• Yıldız Section (Turkish: Yıldız Bölümü)

Ecoregions

Terrestrial

Palearctic

Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests

• Balkan mixed forests
• Euxine-Colchic deciduous forests

Temperate coniferous forests

• Northern Anatolian conifer and deciduous forests (Turkey)

Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub

• Aegean and Western Turkey sclerophyllous and mixed forests
• Anatolian conifer and deciduous mixed forests

Provinces

Panoramic view of Istanbul

Provinces that are entirely in the Marmara Region:

• Edirne
• İstanbul
• Kırklareli
• Kocaeli
• Tekirdağ
• Yalova

Provinces that are mostly in the Marmara Region:

• Balıkesir
• Bilecik
• Bursa
• Çanakkale
• Sakarya

Panoramic view of Edirne from Selimiye Mosque.

Geography

The Yıldız Mountains and Uludağ are in the Marmara Region. Islands in the Aegean Sea are Gökçeada and Bozcaada, and in the Sea of Marmara are Marmara Island, Avşa, Paşalimanı, İmralı and the Princes' Islands of Istanbul.

Climate

The Marmara region has a hybrid mediterranean climate/humid subtropical climate on the Aegean Sea coast and the south Marmara Sea coast, an oceanic climate on the Black Sea coast and a humid continental climate in the interior. Summers are warm to hot and moderately dry whereas winters are cool, wet and sometimes snowy. The coastal climate keeps the temperatures relatively mild.