About Turkey
A true vacationer's paradise Turkey has it all sun, sea, mountains, and lakes guaranteed to be a complete break from the stress and routine of everyday life. Starting in April right the way thought to October most resorts in Turkey have an ideal climate which makes for the perfect holiday relaxing on the sandy beaches or enjoying the tranquility of its mountains and lakes. Turkey has got it all not only will you be in awe of its beauty and breathtaking scenery its past is also vast, it is a land full of historic treasures spanning 13 successive civilizations over 10,000 years.
One visit to Turkey will never be enough, you are sure to want to return to this truly diverse country time after time. Even if you can only spend a short time in Turkey there is still a lot of this great heritage to fit into the smallest timetable. Even with its diversity and extraordinarily different places to explore there is one thing that will keep all of them united no matter how different; the friendly and hospitable people of this unique country.
Turkey with one foot in Europe and one in the Middle east this is a rapidly modernising country, truly shows how history, oriental splendor, mystery, intrigue can live in harmony with today's modern and ever-changing world.
However with all its history and beauty Turkey would be nothing without its people, am unrivalled reputation for hospitality and with cuisine is to die for this should be one reason alone to visit and make new friends for life. The Turkish coastline is also like a dream all Turkish cities are dotted with spectacular mosques and many have historic castles to explore. While costs are rising luckily Turkey still remains the Mediterranean's great value destination.
If its water sports, mountain trekking, archeology all the way to nightclubbing that you like there's an enormous variety of things to see even river rafting to raki drinking. Whether you leave Turkey with new magnificent carpets, some belly-dancing tips, a true appreciation of history or just a tan you will more than likely leave with a bunch of new friend's and you will want to go back for more.
General information on areas of Turkey
VARIED REGIONS FOR TURKEY HOLIDAYS - For winter & summer somewhere different.
Turkey is a vast country with a diverse topography & climate & seeing all it has to offer would take a lifetime. With so many different civilisations having passed through it, each leaving their mark upon the landscape, Turkey is unarguably one of the culturally richest countries in the world.
The rise of independent tourism has meant more & more places opening up to foreign travellers & not just in the summer time. A lot of people now enjoy cultural tours of Turkey travelling across the land visiting many places during their holiday, seeing a wide variety of both anthropological & archaeological sites.
Turkey has several large ski resorts & whilst always popular with the Turkish skiing set they are starting now to get noticed internationally as vacation destinations.
The majority of the most popular tourist resorts are located on the Aegean & Mediterranean coasts as these are the sun & sea magnets of the country but there are many other wonderful destinations to visit on a holiday to Turkey eg Cappadocia in Central Anatolia
The four main regions that are most widely visited are. Cheap Holidays to Turkey
Marmara ( Istanbul )
Aegean ( Izmir , Kusadasi, Cesme, Dalaman, Dalyan, Gocek, Fethiye, Hisaronu, Oludeniz )
Mediterranean ( Patara, Kas, Kalkan, Antalya, Alanya, Kemer, Side etc )
Anatolia ( eg Cappadochia ,Konya , Ankara )
Each of these within itself has a wide variety of resorts & towns offering something different to holidaymakers & plenty to discover for those seasoned travellers wanting to get off the beaten track.
TURKEY GEOGRAPHY
Geography & regions of Turkey
THE 7 REGIONS OF TURKEY - Geography varies widely in a country that straddles 2 continents
Turkey actually spans two continents with a small portion if it ( known as Thrace ) on the southeast European side & with its majority ( known as Anatolia ) located in south west Asia. It has the Black Sea to its north, the Aegean to the west & the Mediterranean sea to the South
Unsurprisingly given its size Turkey has a lot of neighbours: Greece and Bulgaria in the west, Russia, Ukraine, and Romania (across the Black Sea), Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east, and Syria and Iraq to the south making it a strategically important country.
Turkey's highest mountain peak at 5,165m is Mount Ararat, situated in the north east not far from the Iranian border. Turkey has over 300 natural (and 130 artificial lakes ) largest of which is Lake Van in the far eastern region, some 3,700 sq km in size. The famous Mesopotamian rivers the Euphrates originating in Eastern Anatolia and the Tigris rising in the Taurus Mountains flow through Turkey into the Persian Gulf
Turkey is separated into seven geographical regions, which are, in order of size: East Anatolia ,Central Anatolia , Black Sea ,Mediterranean , Aegean , Marmara and Southeast Anatolia .
Eastern Turkey
The East of Turkey is generally cooler than other parts of the country & the climate can be harsh. The topography is predominantly mountainous making arable farming hard although there is some wheat production Sheep farming is common here
In the South East close to the borders of Syria and Iraq the weather is warmer with hot summers ( up to 48C ). This part of the country has less rainfall than other areas of Turkey. Both the rivers Tigris and Euphrates originate in this part of Turkey.
Black Sea Area
The Black Sea area of Turkey sees the highest rainfall in the country averaging over 750mm annually making it green & lush. This area is famous for its tea plantations on the mountainous slopes & for its cherry & hazelnut production. The coastline of the Black sea is approx 1595 km
Temperatures in this part of the country fluctuate between 43 C near the coastal areas during summer, right down to -34 C in some of the more high altitude areas.
Central Anatolia
The centre of Turkey is a vast mountain ringed plateau .The capital city of Turkey Ankara is situated here and stands almost 1000m above sea level. The topography of this part of Turkey consists of high land plateaus with some mountain ranges and even some volcanoes. Similar to the Eastern part of Turkey wheat is grown and sheep are grazed here.
Temperatures can drop to as low as -34 C degrees during winter & rise to over 40 C in the summer. This region has a semi-arid continental climate with hot, dry summers and very cold, snowy winters.
Western Turkey - Marmara ( Istanbul )
The Western part of Turkey is known as Marmara and is home to Turkey's largest city Istanbul & has a coastline on the Aegean Sea. The geography consists mainly of rolling hills which are suitable both for livestock & arable farming. The soil here is rich and grapes, apricots, olives, figs, tobacco & peaches all thrive here. Temperatures here are moderate with an average humidity at just under 70%.
Aegean Region (Cesme ,Kusadasi, Bodrum,Marmaris, Icmeler, Dalyan ,Fethiye, Oludeniz )
Mild winters & hot dry summers are the norm in this region that occupies 11% of the country. Its shores are amongst the most beautiful, dotted with picturesque fishing villages & harbour towns. Roughly half of all Turkey's olive trees exist in this region. Fethiye is where the Aegean & Mediterranean seas meet so can be considered to be in either region . In Turkey Fethiye is officially in the Aegean Region
Mediterranean Region Turquoise Coast ( Patara ,Kas, Kalkan, Antalya, Alanya, Side, Belek, Kemer )
This region occupies approx 15% of Turkey's total area. The Taurus mountains run parallel to the coastline creating steep, narrow valleys. The soil is very fertile & the warm climate lends itself to the farming of cereal crops, citrus fruit, grapes & in well watered areas even cotton. Over 80% of Turkeys mandarins are grown here. Unlike other regions bananas can be found growing here too
Because of these large variations in climate, the fauna and flora of Turkey are some of the richest in Europe and the Middle East. There are more than 10,000 species of plants in Turkey, 20% of which are unique to this country
Turkey has a great variety of wild animals, with over 114 species of mammals. Some 400 species of indigenous or migratory birds live or pass through Turkey, some of which are are no longer seen in Europe.
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