Districts of Turkey in the context of "Canik"

Turkey is divided into 81 provinces (Turkish: il). Each province is divided into a number of districts (ilçe). Each provincial government is seated in the central district (merkez ilçe). For non-metropolitan municipality designated provinces, the central district bears the name of the province (e.g. the city/district of Rize is the central district of Rize Province). In the Ottoman Empire, the corresponding unit was the vilayet.

Each province is administered by an appointed governor (vali) from the Ministry of the Interior.

This is a list of the largest cities and towns in Turkey by population, which includes cities and towns that are provincial capitals or have a population of at least 7,000. The total population of Turkey is 85,824,854 according to the 2025 mid-year estimate, making it the 18th most populated country in the world.

Since there are no defined city borders in Turkey and Turkish Statistical Institute publishes only the province and district populations, it is hard to estimate the exact populations of urban areas. However a rough estimate of the top cities are as follows.

Edirne District (also: Merkez, meaning "central" in Turkish) is a district of the Edirne Province of Turkey. Its seat is the city of Edirne. Its area is 844 km, and its population is 191,470 (2022).

Çanakkale District (also Merkez, meaning "Central") is a district of the Çanakkale Province of Turkey. Its seat is the city of Çanakkale. Its area is 1,016 km, and its population is 195,439 (2021).

Altıeylül is a municipality and district of Balıkesir Province, Turkey. Its area is 956 km, and its population is 183,736 (2022).

The district was established in 2012, when Balıkesir Province was declared a metropolitan municipality as a part of the 2013 Turkish local government reorganisation (Law no. 6360). Altıeylül was created out of the former Balıkesir central district, along with Karesi. The name Altıeylül means "6 September", which was the date of recovery of Balıkesir during the Turkish War of Independence in 1922.

Karesi is a municipality and district of Balıkesir Province, Turkey. Its area is 695 km, and its population is 187,362 (2022).

The district was established in 2012, when Balıkesir Province was declared a metropolitan municipality as a part of the 2013 Turkish local government reorganisation (Law no. 6360). Karesi was created out of the former Balıkesir central district, along with Altıeylül. The name Karesi refers to a short-lived -14th-century Turkmen beylik around Balıkesir.

Efeler is a municipality and district of Aydın Province, Turkey. Its area is 124 km, and its population is 303,772 (2022). The district was established as a part of the 2013 local government reorganisation from the former central district of Aydın. The name Aydın was reserved for the metropolitan municipality.

Efeler is the plural of the title Efe and it refers to the irregular soldiers from the Aegean Region who fought during the Turkish War of Independence.

Bodrum (Turkish pronunciation: [ˈbodɾum]) is a town and district of Muğla Province in Turkey. It is a port town at the entrance to the Gulf of Gökova. Known in ancient times as Halicarnassus, the town was once home to the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, also known as the tomb of Mausolus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The town was founded by Dorian Greeks. It later fell under Persian rule and became the capital of the satrapy of Caria. Mausolus ruled Caria from here, and after his death in 353 BC, his wife Artemisia built a tomb, called the Mausoleum, for him. Macedonian forces laid siege to the city and captured it in 334 BC. After Alexander's death, the city passed to successive Hellenistic rulers and was briefly an independent kingdom until 129 BC, when it came under Roman rule. A series of natural disasters and repeated pirate attacks wreaked havoc on the area, and the city lost its importance by the time of the Byzantine era. The Knights Hospitaller arrived in 1402 and used the remains of the Mausoleum as a quarry to build Bodrum Castle. After the conquest of Rhodes by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1522, the town fell under Ottoman control as the Knights Hospitaller relocated to Europe.