Which city in Turkey is the third most populous?

İzmir is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. Located on the Aegean coast, it is also the largest metropolitan center on the Aegean Sea and the capital of İzmir Province.

The city has an ancient history stretching back thousands of years. Known in antiquity as Smyrna, it was rebuilt in a new location during the Hellenistic period and later became an important Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman port. Its sheltered gulf helped İzmir grow into a major trading center connecting Anatolia with the Mediterranean.

Population rankings can vary slightly depending on whether a source counts the municipality, urban area, province, or metropolitan region. Even so, under the usual city or metropolitan ranking used in general-knowledge quizzes, İzmir clearly follows Istanbul and Ankara. Antalya and Bursa are also major Turkish cities, but neither ranks third nationally by population.

The modern city is known for its port, universities, Mediterranean climate, and the annual İzmir International Fair. Its historic Greek name, Smyrna, remained widely used in English until the early twentieth century.