GEOGRAPHY
• Situated on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, in South Anatolia,
• The Antalya Gulf covers an area of 20.815 square kilometres.
• Over three quarters of the region is covered by mountainous terrain called the Taurus Mountains.
• Some ten of these mountains are over 2500 metres high with two exceeding 3000 metres .
• About 60 % of the region is covered within pine forest and Mediterranean plant life.
• There are many independent rivers flowing down from the mountains into the sea.
• The Antalya plains offer fertile soil for agriculture.
• 290 km of the 590 km coast is natural beach.
• The geographical richness of Antalya has attracted many diverse civilizations over the centuries.
CLIMATE
Antalya province has Mediterranean climate with hot summers and moderately warm and rainy winters.
The area has sunny weather for 10 months a year, in summer the average temperature is between 28-36 degrees. In January the average temperature varies between 10-20 degrees. Snow doesn’t fall in Antalya center except for the high mountains which surrounds Antalya. It is very rare for the temperature to drop below zero. During the last 40 years the highest recorded temperature was 44.6 °C. In Antalya the average humidty rate is 64%, whereas the seat temperatures are 17.6 °C in January, 18.0 °C in April, 27.7 °C in August and 24.5 °C in September.
HISTORY
• Evidence of human habitation dating back over 200 000 years has been unearthed in the Carain caves 30 km to the north of Antalya city. Other findings dating back to Neolithic times and more recent periods show that the area has been populated by various ancient civilizations throughout the ages.
• Records from the Hittite period (when the first recorded political union of Anatolian cities was set up calling itself the Lycian league) refer to the area as the Lands of Arzarwa and document the lively interaction going on between the provinces in 1700 BC.
• Historical records document how cities developed independently, how the area as a whole was called Pamphilia and how a federation of cities was set up in the province. There is also a record of the migration of the Akha Clan to the area after the Trojan war.
• The reign of the Kingdom of Lydia in the west Anatolia came to an end in 560 BC after the Persians defeated it during the battle of Sardis in 546 BC.
• From 334 BC until his death, Alexander the Great conquered the cities of the area one by one - leaving out Termessos and Silion- and so continued the sovereignty of the Persians.
• With the defeat of the Seleucid army at Apamaea began the reign of the Kingdom of Pergamon. In 150 BC Attalos the 2nd, king of Pergamon, founded the city of Attalaia (today’s Antalya) to base his powerful naval fleet.
• When Attalos the 3rd, the last king of Pergamon, died in 133 BC he left his kingdom to the Romans. The Roman and subsequent Byzantine Empires ruled the area for the next 13 centuries.
• In 1207 A.D. the Selchuk Turks conquered Antalya and then Alanya in 1220 A.D.This marked the end of Roman/Byzantine rule.
• Ottoman rule began in 1391. The brief occupation of the area by the Italians came to an abrupt end after the First World War with the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923. The area is now registered as a province of the Republic of Turkey.
ECONOMY In terms of social, cultural and economic development, Antalya is one of the leading provinces of Turkey. When a variety of indicators are examined for Antalya in comparison with Turkey, Antalya’s potential can be clearly defined. Over recent years, Antalya has had the highest population growth rate of any other Turkish province, reflecting the fact that its dynamic economy is attracting settlers from other provinces. Details Information : www.atso.org.tr/eng Turkey ’s tenth most developed province Antalya is one of Turkey’s most developed provinces with respect to economic, demographic and social factors. This trend is rising at an increasing pace. In the State Planning Organisation’s 2003 report entitled “Socio-economic Development Ranking Study for Turkish Provinces”, Antalya ranks tenth in terms of economic and social structure and development level among 81 provinces of Turkey. It is preceded by seven western provinces such as Ankara, the capital city and Adana. If the level of development is analysed with reference to the Mediterranean Region of Turkey, Antalya tends to be the leader of Turkey’s southern provinces, as a result of rapid development following Adana. Eight In Terms of Contribution to Turkey’s National Income Antalya is among the Turkish provinces with the highest rate of increase in its share of Turkey’s national income over the past decade. According to the latest figures Antalya accounts for 2,6 dollars in every 100 dollars generated nation-wide, making the province eight in terms of contribution to national income. When a variety of some sub-sectors are examined, Antalya’s importance can be better understood. In terms of value added, Antalya’s contribution to different sectors can be given as follows; 5% to trade, 2.7% to agriculture, 2.8% to construction and 3.2% to communication and transport. Per capita GDP in Antalya has risen significantly over recent years, from 1.833 dollars in 1987 to 2.193 dollars in 2001. The latter figure is higher than the Turkish average of 2.146 and places Antalya 20 th among Turkish provinces for this indicator. Details Information : www.antalyaborsa.org.tr/en Agriculture and Tourism Lead in Income Generation Over half of Antalya’s income is generated by agriculture and commerce, the greatest share of the latter being an offshoot of the tourism sector. Commerce accounts for 39.4% of the provincial GDP, agriculture for 12.3%, and industry for 5.6% and construction for 9.2%.Tourism is the principal factor behind the development in other commercial sectors. Antalya as a Tourism Centre Just as tourism is the backbone of Antalya’s economy, Antalya is regarded as the backbone of Turkish tourism sector. Antalya attracts visitors throughout the year and an increasing number of hotels remain open for 12 months. This trend is encouraged by the rapid diversification taking place in tourism sector to encompass such areas as hunting, trekking, winter sports, health and convention organisations. Specialisation in these sub-sectors of tourism is increasing at the same time. The Glass Pyramid and Talya Convention Centre, which opened in 1997 and Antalya Expo Centre which opened in April 1999, are all important jump-off points for the expansion of fair and convention tourism. As tourism investment continues, the number of tourists visiting Antalya increases by leaps and bounds. The number of tourists visiting Antalya increased from 204 thousand to 7 million in 2005. when the latter is compared with the number of tourist arrivals in Turkey, which is 20 million, Antalya accounts for 35 % of the total tourist arrivals. TOURISM
Development trends in tourism, agriculture and agriculture-based industry, combined with expanding domestic and foreign trade volumes, ensure that Antalya will continue to be the attraction centre of Turkey in the next millennium.
Details Information : www.aib.gov.tr/htmleng
Antalya, also known as the Turkish Riviera, where the pine-clad Toros (Taurus) Mountains sweep down to the sparkling clear sea, is the tourism capital of Turkey. The region, bathed in sunshine for 300 days of the year, is a paradise for sunbathing, swimming and water sports, yachting, trekking, mountaineering and golf. If you come to Antalya in March or April, you can even ski at Saklıkent in the mornings and in the afternoons swim in the warm waters of the Mediterranean.
The tourism sector in the region of Antalya had small beginnings in the 1960 and was first confined mainly to the domestic market with state holiday camps and holiday homes, but it was in the mid 1980s that the fledgling international tourism sector started to take off.
Today we are confident that all your requirements and more can be satisfied here. There are not many places that can boast both, extreme good value for money and high standards of accommodation and service, a warm, sunny climate and an exhaustive range of leisure facilities.
The over 600 km long coast features about 1,000 classified hotels with a capacity of 500,000 beds.
The people are friendly and welcoming, the food is delicious and excellent shopping opportunities, a rich culture and fascinating history are waiting to be explored
