Gönen is a municipality and district of Balıkesir Province, Turkey.Büyükşehir İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 8 June 2023. Its area is 1,162 km2, and its population is 74,871 (2022). It lies on the southern part of Marmara Sea. The town is mostly known for its therapeutic hot springs, leather processing and rice production.
Location The town is surrounded by Bandırma in the northeast, Biga and Yenice in the west, Marmara Sea and Gulf of Erdek and Balya in the south. Elevation is above sea level.Green Gönen
Names and etymology The oldest known name of the town is Asepsus (Ασεψούς in Ancient greek). This was also the name of the brook, that flows next to the city center and was crossed by the Roman Aesepus Bridge. Research shows that the subsequent name was Artemea (Αρτεμέα), a derivation of the Greek goddess Artemis.
After the Ottoman conquest the name Gönen was used. The etymological source of that name is still disputed. Widely accepted possibilities are:
Non-Turkish possibilities: Ka-wana : A word meaning "Sheepland/Sheep Country" in Luwian Germenon : A word meaning "Hot Spring" Giunan : A word meaning "Greek" (Yion in ancient Greek), becoming "Giunen" and then "Gonen" in Turkish Possible meanings in Turkish: A small pond that dries in summer, small pond, placid water Humid, wet, well-watered.
Also, some sources indicate that there was a nomadic tribe of the "Yörükan community" bearing the name "Gönen","Gönan" or "Gönenlü". The tribe was loosely based around Adana and Maraş.
History According to Evliya Çelebi's Seyahatname (In which he collected the notes of his journeys), Gönen was used by the governors of Bursa as a summer holiday location, where they enjoyed the therapeutic uses of the hot springs.
On 18 March 1953, Gönen suffered a M7.3 earthquake which left 50 dead in Gönen and hundreds of buildings damaged. a previous devastating earthquake had occurred here in 1440 AD.Kürçer, Akın (2008) "The Yenice–Gönen active fault (NW Turkey): Active tectonics and palaeoseismology" Tectonophysics 453: pp. 263-275
Composition There are 101 neighbourhoods in Gönen District:Mahalle, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
100.Yıl Akçaali Akçapınar Alacaoluk Alaettin Alaşar Altay Armutlu Asmalıdere Atıcıoba Ayvalıdere Babayaka Bakırlı Balcı Balcıdede Bayramiç Beyoluk Bostancı Buğdaylı Büyüksoğuklar Çakmak Çalıca Çalıoba Canbaz Çatak Çifteçeşmeler Çiftlikalanı Çığmış Çınarlı Çınarpınar Çobanhamidiye Dereköy Dişbudak Dumanalanı Ekşidere Fındıklı Gaybular Gebeçınar Gelgeç Geyikli Gökçesu Gündoğan Gündoğdu Güneşli Hacımenteş Hacıvelioba Hafızhüseyinbey Hasanbey Havutça Hodul Ilıcak Ilıcaoba İncirli Kalburcu Kalfaköy Kaplanobası Karaağaç Alanı Karalarçiftliği Karasukabaklar Karşıyaka Kavakalanı Kavakoba Keçeler Killik Kınalar Kocapınar Koçbayırı Körpeağaç Korudeğirmen Köteyli Küçüksoğuklar Kumköy Küpçıktı Kurtuluş Malkoç Muratlar Ömerler Ortaoba Osmanpazar Paşaçiftliği Pehlivanhoca Plevne Reşadiye Rüstem Saraçlar Sarıköy Şaroluk Sebepli Söğütköy Suçıktı Tahtalı Taştepe Tırnova Turplu Tütüncü Tuzakçı Üçpınar Ulukır Üzümlü Yeniakçapınar Yürükkeçidere
Climate
Transport City/Town Distance Bandırma 45 km Balıkesir 145 km Çanakkale 150 km Bursa 155 km Using available high speed ferry services, it takes 2 hours to reach Istanbul. The only train route available is to İzmir, but this is mostly used for cargo, rather than passenger transportation. Local air service is available through Bursa. International flights are handled through İstanbul and İzmir.
References
External links Gönen Kaplıcaları A.Ş. Info about thermal properties of hot springs