Darıca is a town and district of Kocaeli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. It was ceded from Gebze district in 2008. The mayor is Şükrü Karabacak.Darica takes its name from Darıca Castle, which has only one tower. The population of Darıca is approximately 150,000. With population density, Darıca is third district in Kocaeli Region. Darica hosts people of many cultures. It is located 38 km from İstanbul.