İzmir is a large metropolis in the western of Anatolia and the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. İzmir’s Metropolitan area extends along the outlying waters of the Gulf of İzmir and inland to the north across Gediz River’s delta, to the east along an alluvial plain created by several small streams and to a slightly more rugged terrain in the south. The ancient city was known as Smyrna, and the city was generally referred to as Smyrna in English, until the Turkish Postal Service Law of 28 March 1930 made “İzmir” the internationally recognized name.

The Municipal Office in İzmir officially has begun to operate in 1868. After İzmir became a metropolitan city, the Municipality took the title of “İzmir Metropolitan Municipality”. İzmir Metropolitan Municipality is an institution that provides service to nearly 4 million population with its approximately 4050 workers. The service area of the Municipality involves 30 districts. İzmir has local government tradition for more than 140 years.
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality acts in its strategy as “governing the city together with its residents” while striving to allow the people of Izmir to live in a well-planned, healthy clean and more modern environment. The Municipality, aiming to improve the urban and living standards of its city and the citizens directs its investments and projects in line with this objective.

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality undersigns a great many urban and social projects in a goal of a liveable environment preserving historical and cultural assets, a fast and reliable transport, a well-planned settlement, a systematic infrastructure and in a modern concept of government which places human in the centre of each and every matter.

• Implementing master plans
• Urban services like cleaning, fire fighting
• Preservation of heritage and cultural assets
• Transportation
• Maintenance of infrastructure
• Social and cultural responsibilities are all within the scope of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality’s duties

İzmir Metropolitan has become a member of great many international organisations so that the international events in Izmir shall be enhanced and thus it shall be a city of international character.  Among such organisations are Organisation of Islamic Capitals and Cities (OICC), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and Western Asia Regional Organisation (UCLG-MEWA), Balkan Cities Network (BALCINET), The Network of Major European Cities (EUROCITIES), Med-Cities Network (MEDCITIES), World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM), World Health Organization (WHO) Healthy Cities Association and Cities for Mobility (CFM).

İzmir has “Sister City” relations with different cities from all over the world in order to improve exchange of experience and cooperation in such subjects as social, economy, education/training, health, tourism, local governmental services and sports.