About Turkey
Due to its strategic location straddling Europe and Asia, Turkey has been a historical crossroad between eastern and western cultures. The geographic area has been a keystone in the birth and development of many of the world's greatest civilisations.
The capital city of Turkey is Ankara, but the historic capital Istanbul remains the financial, economic and cultural centre of the country. Other important cities include Izmir, Bursa, Adana, Trabzon, Malatya, Gaziantep, Erzurum, Kayseri, Izmit (Kocaeli), Konya, Mersin, Eskisehir, Diyarbakir, Antalya and Samsun. An estimated 68% of Turkey's population live in urban centers.
Tourism in Turkey
Tourism in Turkey is focused largely on a variety of archaeological and historical sites, and on seaside resorts along its Aegean and Mediterranean coasts.
Turkey's largest city, Istanbul, has a number of major attractions derived from its historical status as capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. These include the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (the "Blue Mosque"), the Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace.
Major cultural and historical attractions elsewhere in the country include the Roman Empire sites of Ephesus, Troy, Pergamon, House of Virgin Mary and the ruined cities and landscapes of Cappadocia.
Beach vacations, particularly for Turkish city-dwellers and visitors from Western Europe, are also central to the Turkish tourism industry. Most beach resorts are located along the southern Aegean coast, or along the Mediterranean coast near Antalya. Major resort towns include Bodrum, Fethiye, Marmaris, Kusadasi, and Alanya.
High quality of medical services and skilled physicians, low relative cost and the optimal geographic location between Europe and the Middle East, combined with the tourism attractions, also makes Turkey an emerging medical destination.
Foreign tourist arrivals increased substantially in Turkey between 2002 and 2005, from 12.8 million to 21.2 million, which made Turkey a top-10 destination in the world for foreign visitors. 2005 revenues are US$17.5 billion.
Climate of Turkey
The climate is a Mediterranean temperate climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, wet and cold winters, though conditions can be much harsher in the more arid interior. Mountains close to the coast prevent Mediterranean influences from extending inland, giving the interior of Turkey a continental climate with distinct seasons. The central Anatolian Plateau is much more subject to extremes than are the coastal areas. Winters on the plateau are especially severe. Temperatures of -30°C to -40°C can occur in the mountainous areas in the east, and snow may lie on the ground 120 days of the year. In the west, winter temperatures average below 1°C. Summers are hot and dry, with temperatures above 30°C. Annual precipitation averages about 400 millimeters, with actual amounts determined by elevation. The driest regions are the Konya plain and the Malatya plain, where annual rainfall frequently is less than 300 millimeters. May is generally the wettest month and July and August, the driest.
