The bird's flight distance between Bozburun and the tip of the northern gulf is about 100 km (62 mi).

Gölcük, a town in Kocaeli Province, best known for the Turkish Navy's main naval base with shipyard and the Ford Otosan automobile plant, is located at the northern gulf of the peninsula.

Historically, it was an important Ottoman naval base and during the Cold War era, the town hosted a United States naval air station, which operated a special antenna to intercept Soviet Union radio transmissions.

Another notable location is Gemlik, a district of Bursa Province, situated at the peninsula's southern gulf.

The entire peninsula was hit by the İzmit earthquake on August 17, 1999, that occurred along the western portion of the North Anatolian Fault Zone.