İzmir

View of İzmir.

İzmir is a city in the west of Turkey. It has one of the biggest seaports in the Aegean Sea region and all of Turkey. İzmir is a popular destination for tourists, who come for beaches and cultural tours in the region. It has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa in the Köppen climate classification). İzmir is the third largest city in Turkey.

This is an ancient city; many scholars think Homer was born in Smyrna. Earthquakes destroyed the city in 187 AD, 1653, 1688, 1739, and 1778, and it was rebuilt many times. The last big earthquake was in 2020, which caused more than 117 deaths and the collapse of 8 buildings. The Greek name for this formerly Greek city is Smyrna, from which the Turkish name İzmir comes. The Greek name was also used in English until the early 20th century. About 30 km (20 miles) south of İzmir, there is an ancient Greek city named Ephesus.

İzmir was a candidate for Expo 2015. However, Milan had more support, so İzmir lost.