The Aegean Region, which constitutes the western part of the Anatolian peninsula, gets its name from the adjoining Aegean Sea and with a surface area of 93,139 sq km (35,961 sq mi); it occupies 11.50% of Turkey’s land.
According to the 2010 Address Based Population Registration System results, the total population of the region is 9,693,594. Of this, 7,084,851 live in urban areas and the remaining 2,608,743 in rural areas.
The Aegean Region ranks 2nd after the Marmara Region, in terms of industrialization. Textiles, food and automotive industries being in the lead, machinery, spare parts and other industrial organizations are concentrated in İzmir, while the cooking oil industry is concentrated around Edremit and Ayvalik. There are sugar plants in Uşak and Afyonkarahisar, and sugar and nitrate factories in Kütahya. The cotton textile industry is widespread in İzmir, Uşak, Aydın, Nazilli and especially in Denizli. Denizli is the most important textile production and export center of the region. Meanwhile, the towns of Uşak, Kula, Gordes, Simav and Demirci are famous for hand-woven carpets.
Afyonkarahisar is renowned for its marble and marble production facilities. The Caralti salt flat in İzmir Bay is the most significant salt production center in Turkey. Considerable contribution is made to the electric power production in Turkey through the thermal power plants in Soma, Tuncbilek and Yatağan, and through hydroelectric power plants in Kemer and Demirkopru. There is also a large petroleum refinery in Aliaga, near İzmir.
The famous historian Herodotus of Bodrum described the region as “having the most beautiful skies and the best climate in the world”.
The climate of the Aegean Region has a Mediterranean climate at the coast, with hot, dry summers and mild to cool, wet winters and a semi-arid continental climate in the interior with hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters.
| Provinces | Population | Area (sq mi) |
Density |
| İzmir | 4,168,415 | 5591 | 908 |
| Manisa | 1,380,366 | 5150 | 268 |
| Aydın | 1,053,506 | 3134 | 336 |
| Denizli | 993,442 | 4685 | 212 |
| Muğla | 908,877 | 4886 | 186 |
| Afyonkarahisar | 709,015 | 5412 | 131 |
| Kütahya | 571,463 | 4492 | 127 |
| Uşak | 353,048 | 2145 | 165 |