The Armutlu Peninsula ( tr, Armutlu Yarımadası) is a

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

extending westward into Marmara Sea in the Anatolian section of Turkey. In addition to Yalova Province, parts of Kocaeli Province and Bursa Province are on the peninsula.

Geography

Armutlu Peninsula is between Gulf of Izmit in the north and Gulf of Gemlik in the south. The westernmost point of the peninsula is the cape of Bozburun. The bird's flight distance between Bozburun and the tip of the northern gulf is about . But, the distance between Bozburun and the tip of the southern gulf is only about . To the southeast of the peninsula, Lake İznik is situated. The peninsula is actually a part of Samanlı Mountains, a mountain range lying between

Bolu Mountains Bolu is a city in Turkey, and administrative center of the Bolu Province. The population is 131,264 (2012 census). The city has been governed by mayor Tanju Özcan ( CHP) since local elections in 2019. It was the site of Ancient Claudiopolis a ...

and Bozburun. The peak of the mountains within the peninsula is Taz Mountain with an altitude of . The mountains are covered with forests.

Notable places

Yalova, central city of the Yalova Province is at the northern coast. Most district centers of the province are in the coastal area of the peninsula. The peninsula is named after Armutlu district. Gölcük, a town in Kocaeli Province, best known for the Turkish Navy's main naval base with

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

and the Ford Otosan automobile plant, is located at the northern gulf of the peninsula. Also on the northern coastline between Gölcük and Yalova, Karamürsel is located in Kocaeli Province. Historically, it was an important Ottoman naval base and during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

era, the town hosted a United States naval air station, which operated a special antenna to intercept Soviet Union radio transmissions. West of Yalova, Çınarcık is located, a well-known seaside resort. Another notable location is Gemlik, a district of Bursa Province, situated at the peninsula's southern gulf. An important port city, it is renowned for its

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

s and

olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: f ...

. The population density in the mountains at the inner peninsula is low, where there are only small villages.

Geology

Both gulfs at the north and the south are actually on two active tectonic fault lines. The entire peninsula was hit by the İzmit earthquake on August 17, 1999, that occurred along the western portion of the

North Anatolian Fault Zone The North Anatolian Fault (NAF) ( tr, Kuzey Anadolu Fay Hattı) is an active right-lateral strike-slip fault in northern Anatolia, and is the transform boundary between the Eurasian Plate and the Anatolian Plate. The fault extends westward fr ...

References

{{Peninsulas of Turkey Peninsulas of Turkey Landforms of Kocaeli Province Landforms of Yalova Province Landforms of Bursa Province Marmara Region Sea of Marmara