Ayvalık is a district in Turkey´s Balıkesir Province on the Aegean Sea coast, facing the Greek island of Lesbos. It is situated on a narrow coastal plain surrounded by low hills to the east which are covered with pine and olive trees.The region is under the influence of a typical Mediterranean climate with mild and rainy winters and hot, dry summers.
Ayvalık and the numerous islets encircling the bay area are popular holiday resorts. The most important and the biggest of these islets is Cunda Island (Alibey Island) which was connected to Lale Adasi, and thence to the mainland, by a bridge in the late 1960s. This was the first and is currently the oldest surviving bridge in Turkey which connects lands that are separated by a strait. Today, the population of Ayvalık is close to 30,000, which significantly increases during the summer due to tourism. Ayvalık is also close to Bergama (ancient Pergamon) which is another important attraction for tourists with its ruins, dating back to antiquity.
