Understand
Eastern Marmara is bordered by Istanbul Province, Southern Marmara, Central Anatolia, and Western Black Sea Region to northwest, southwest, south/southeast, and east respectively. To the north, it occupies part of Turkish Black Sea coast, while to the west, the Gulf of Ä°zmit, part of the Sea of Marmara, makes a long indentation into the region.
Eastern Marmara more or less corresponds to Bithynia of ancient times.
Being the cradle of Ottoman Emirate, later to become Ottoman Empire, this region is dotted by historical towns and villages maintaining traditional Ottoman architecture, if a bit weary. North of the region is the Black Sea coast with some resort villages largely missed by travellers, while on the coasts of Lake Sapanca and Lake Ä°znik, two of the biggest lakes of the vicinity, are a number of summer resorts and beaches mostly frequented by Turkish mid-class families who prefer a milder and tamer alternative to Aegean and Mediterranean coasts.
Most of the region is mountainous, or at least hilly, and covered with verdant forests.
