The Roman province of Trakya (Thrace) is separated from the rest of Turkey by the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara and the Dardenelle Straits. Edirne, lying close to the borders of Greece and Bulgaria, is best known for the masterpieces of local architectMimar Sinan, with wonderful examples from the Ottoman Empire. The area is also famous for the lush rolling fields, filled with vineyards and sunflowers grown for their seeds and oil. The cities in this region are Balikesir, Bilecik, Bursa, Canakkale,Edirne, Istanbul, Kirklareli, Kocaeli, Sakarya,Tekirdag and Yalova. (more…)

The Marmara Region forms a passage between the Balkan Peninsula and Anatolia. Europe and Asia are connected to each other in this region. It covers 8.5 percent of the country with a surface area of 67,000 km2 and It gets its name from the internal sea with the same name, which is entirely surrounded by land and connected to the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea through the straits. The islands of Bozcaada and Gokceada (Imroz), situated in the open sea off the Aegean coast, are also located in the Marmara Region. (more…)