Bursa is a province located in the Marmara Region of Turkey. It is the fourth most populous city in the country in terms of population and the second largest in the Marmara region after Istanbul; It hosts 3,238,618 people by the end of 2024. The province, formerly known as Hüdavendigar, is located between 40° north latitude and 29° east longitude, at an altitude of 155 meters above sea level.
Its neighbors are bordered by the Marmara Sea and Yalova to the north, Kocaeli and Sakarya to the north-east, Bilecik to the east, Kütahya to the south and Balıkesir to the west; The license plate code is 16.
According to the data of the Turkish Statistical Institute on February 9, 2026, the population of Bursa at the end of 2025 reached 3,263,011 and the surface area of the province was recorded as 10,811 km²; This is approximately 302 people per square kilometer. 17 districts and municipalities within the province cover a total of 1,060 neighborhoods. The annual population growth rate was 0.75%; While the fastest growing district was Nilüfer (2.91%), the district with the largest population loss was recorded as Büyükorhan (‑4.67%).
When the population changes of the districts are examined in detail, it is seen that Nilüfer reached 578,059 people and Yıldırım reached 654,589 people at the end of 2025. 9,148 in Büyükorhan, 124,400 in Gemlik, 105,799 in Gürsu, 6,089 in Harmancık, 306,004 in İnegöl, 45,510 in İznik, 86,543 in Karacabey, 10,939 in Keles, 77,374 in Kestel, 112,225 people were registered in Mudanya, 103,652 in Mustafakemalpaşa, 18,963 in Orhaneli, 81,997 in Orhangazi, 886,111 in Osmangazi, 55,609 in Yenişehir and 654,589 in Yıldırım. Population increases between these districts vary from ‑4.67% to 2.91%, while the most densely populated district is Yıldırım with 5951 people per square kilometer, the lowest density is 15‑18 people/km² in districts such as Keles and Harmancık.
In ancient times, Bursa was located within the borders of the Misya and Bithynia regions, and there are traces of a number of historical settlements in these lands. There are ancient cities such as Adraneia/Hadriani in Orhaneli, Apollonia in Gölyazı, Kios/Prousias ad Mare in Gemlik, Lopadion around Uluabat, Miletopolis/Mileda in Mustafakemalpaşa, Myrleia/Apameia/Montaneia in Mudanya and Nikaia in Iznik.
In addition, important mounds such as Aktopraklık Mound in Nilüfer-Akçalar, Ilıpınar Mound in Orhangazi and Kurşunlu Mound in İnegöl also reveal the archaeological richness of the region.