Regional Information

The province of Kocaeli is located in the north-western part of Turkey, and it can be classified as a gateway between the Europe, the Middle East and the Central Asia. Kocaeli neighbors one of the world’s largest metropolitan centers, Istanbul. Its proximity to two international airports, Istanbul Ataturk International Airport and Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (45 and 80 km from the city center) also serves as logistics advantage for the city. Kocaeli’s population is 1.490.358, which is increasing at the rate of 3.66 % annually. Also, it is one of the most densely populated cities of Turkey with 436 people per km2. Today, along the commercially active Black Sea and the Marmara Sea shorelines, Kocaeli boasts 5 ports and 35 industrial docks, thus making it a logistics heaven and a gate to the global markets. The main transportation routes form an intercontinental passage through this province.

Kocaeli ranks number one according to GDP Per Capita in Turkey. With approximately 1900 industrial enterprises active in the region, Kocaeli accounts for 13% of the national manufacturing industry and 9.4% of the foreign trade volume of Turkey. Foreign capital establishments are on steady rise in Kocaeli. Today, 124 foreign capital establishments are present in the province. Turkey’s largest enterprise, Tupras Refinery Plant, is also located in Kocaeli, where the province captures 27% of the national chemical industry. Moreover, 27 of the 100 largest enterprises of Turkey are located in Kocaeli.

With its 307.244 people workforce and an average of 15% unemployment rate (as of February 2009) Kocaeli provides sufficient human resources to meet the demand of the local industry. 2 universities in Kocaeli with 50 thousand students and Scientific Research Centers play an important role in providing highly skilled managers and engineers. Furthermore, 32.149 students from 43 technical vocational high schools in the province receive training to meet the demands of the industry’s intermediate personnel.

For the full report on Kocaeli region , please kindly contact with the Commercial and Economic Department of the Consulate-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Istanbul.

Tel: +90 212 393 21 34-29-04
Fax: +90 212 292 50 31
Email: ist-ha@minbuza.nl
Website: www.minbuza.nl/ist
www.hollandturkeytrade.com

Related Links:
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www.kosano.org.tr -Kocaeli Chamber of Industry (KSO)
www.gumruk.gov.tr - Republic of Turkey Prime Ministry Undersecretariat of Customs
www.kocaeli.bel.tr - Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality
www.gebze.bel.tr - Gebze Municipality
www.kocaeli.gov.tr/stm - Governorship of Kocaeli- Directorate of Industry and Trade
www.kosgeb.gov.tr - Small and Medium Industry Development Organization

Sakarya, is located about 150km to the east of Istanbul. It has historically been an important province due to its geographical location. It is close to Istanbul, Bursa and Kocaeli, and linking Istanbul with Ankara. It has a population of about 851.292, which is spread over 16 provincial towns, 25 counties and more than 400 villages, covering a landmass of 4,838 km2.

It started out with a main focus on agriculture but has increasingly become the home of many factories, and was in 2009, 7th in terms of export, with a total volume of US$ 1,7bn and an import volume of US$ 900,000,000 making it 12th in terms of import. Combined this amounts to a total volume of foreign trade of US$ 2.6bn (total foreign trade nationally US$ 243bn). Its GDP per capita is US$ 6,300 and its contribution to the country’s GDP is 1.1%. Almost 40% of the population is employed; 354.137.

For the full report on Sakarya region , please kindly contact with the Commercial and Economic Department of the Consulate-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Istanbul.

Tel: +90 212 393 21 34-29-04
Fax: +90 212 292 50 31
Email: ist-ha@minbuza.nl
Website: www.minbuza.nl/ist
www.hollandturkeytrade.com

Related Links:
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www.satso.org.tr - Sakarya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SATSO)
www.stb.org.tr - Sakarya Commerce Exchange (STB)
www.adapazari.bel.tr - Adapazari Municipality
www.sasiad.org.tr - The Association of Industrialists and Businessmen Sakarya (SASIAD)
www.sakarya.bel.tr - Sakarya Metropolitan Municipality

Bursa is the 4th most populated province in the country with 2.5 million inhabitants. The province consists Bursa city and 17 towns which has a landmass of 10,819 km2 altogether. According to a onetime survey held by the State Planning Organization (SPO), Bursa ranked 5th out of 81 provinces with regard to social-economic development back in 2003.

Bursa economy is industry and trade oriented. In terms of contribution to GDP, Bursa had the 5th place in 2008 with US$ 29.3 billion share in US$ 731.3 billion GDP. The per-capita income for the region is slightly higher than Turkey, which is about US$ 9,600. Last year, Bursa generated 8.8 % and 5% of Turkey’s exports and imports, respectively. Total volume of foreign trade in Bursa is approximately US$ 16 billion (Bursa exports: US$ 9 bn, Bursa imports: US$ 7 bn). The participation to the work force is as high as 50.2%. Overall, there are 48,328 enterprises located in the province employing 438,209 workers.

For the full report on Bursa region , please kindly contact with the Commercial and Economic Department of the Consulate-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Istanbul.

Tel: +90 212 393 21 34-29-04
Fax: +90 212 292 50 31
Email: ist-ha@minbuza.nl
Website: www.minbuza.nl/ist
www.hollandturkeytrade.com

Related Links:
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www.btso.org.tr - Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTSO)
www.uib.org.tr - Uludag Exporters’ Union (UIB)
www.busiad.org.tr - Bursa Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (BUSIAD)
www.bugiad.org.tr - Bursa Young Businessmen’s Association (BUGIAD)
www.bursa-bld.gov.tr - Bursa Metropolitan Municipality
www.bursaray.com.tr (Municipal Rail Transportation Company)
www.buski.gov.tr (Water and Sewage Directorate)