"Balkesir li es una de las 81 provincias en que está dividida Turquía, administrada por un Gobernador designado por el Gobierno central. * Capital: Balkesir * Población (2007): 649.423 * Distritos (ilçeler):"
"Balkesir Province (Turkish: Balkesir ili) is a province in northwestern Turkey, having coastlines on both the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean. Its adjacent provinces are Çanakkale to the west, zmir to the southwest, Manisa to the south, Kütahya to the southeast, and Bursa to the east. The provincial capital is Balkesir City. Most of the province lies in the Marmara Region except the southern parts of Bigadiç Edremit, Kepsut, vrindi, Savatepe and Sndrg districts and ones of Ayvalk, Burhaniye, Dursunbey, Gömeç and Havran, that bound the Aegean Region. Kaz Da (pronounced [kaz da]), known also as Mount Ida, is located in this province. Balkesir province is famous for its olives, thermal spas, and clean beaches, making it an important tourist destination. The province also hosts immense deposits of kaolinite and borax, with some open-pit mines. The Kaz mountains are also threatened with the expansion of gold mining using cyanide which puts the villagers' lives, the agricultural economy, and tourism at risk."