Izmit

a town in NW Turkey, on the Gulf of Izmit. Pop.: 306 000 (2005 est.)

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

İzmit

(Izmid, Kocaeli), a city and port in northwestern Turkey, on the bank of the Gulf of İzmit in the Sea of Marmara; administrative center of Kocaeli Vilayet. Population, 123,000 (1970). A railroad and highway from Ankara to Istanbul run through the city, İzmit produces cellulose and paper, chemicals, tires, and piping. Food is processed in the city. It has an assembly plant and an oil refinery; there are large oil reserves in the area. Lead and zinc are concentrated nearby. Turkey’s major naval base is situated in Golcuk, a suburb of İzmit.

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References in periodicals archive

Survivors said the authorities had failed to send any professional rescuers to areas outside Istanbul and Izmit. Damage to power, phone and road networks hampered efforts to reach victims across seven provinces.

Earthquake in Turkey: A NATION LYING IN RUINS; Death toll hits 4,000 as desperate rescuers dig for survivors

Hardest hit was the industrial town of Izmit, where an uncontrolled fire threatened to blow up the Tupras refinery, Turkey's largest, prompting an evacuation of the area while black smoke billowed from the plant.

Boy tells of dreams in quake tomb; Race against time as toll mounts

The focus of the search and rescue operation is Izmit, the north-western industrial city at the epicentre of the quake, which experts have now measured as 7.4 on the Richter scale.

Turkey Earthquake Disaster: More experts fly to quake zone

Some of the most populated areas of Turkey are on an earthquake-prone belt and Izmit is directly on the fault line.

BURIED IN TOMB OF RUBBLE; 1,600 dead and up to 10,000 trapped as quake hits Turkey

In the Thames Water base of Izmit, an industrial city 70 miles east of Istanbul, about 80 people were killed.

DYING IN TOMBS OF RUBBLE; 2,033 dead and up to 10,000 trapped as quake hits Turkey

According to Yazici, Japanese imports could enter Turkey through Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Esenboga Airport in Ankara, and seaports at Ambarli, Haydarpasa, Izmir, Gebze, Izmit, Derince, Dilovasi, Gemlik and Mersin.

TURKEY-JAPAN -Japanese goods will not be able to enter Turkey from every customs gate