The Marmara Region forms a passage between the Balkan Peninsula and Anatolia. Europe and Asia are connected to each other in this region. It covers 8.5 percent of the country with a surface area of 67,000 km2. It gets its name from the internal sea with the same name, which is entirely surrounded by land and connected to the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea through the straits. The islands of Bozcaada and Gokceada (Imroz), situated in the open sea off the Aegean coast, are also located in the Marmara Region.

The Marmara Region is surrounded by the Black Sea and Central Anatolia Regions to the east, the Aegean Region to the south and Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest. The borders of the Marmara Region are not in conformity with the provincial borders in many places just as in the other regions. Edirne, Kirklareli, Tekirdag, Istanbul, Kocaeli and Yalova Provinces are completely within the borders of the region. Some lands in Sakarya, Bilecik, Bursa, Balikesir and Canakkale Provinces are located within the borders of the Aegean and the Black Sea Regions.

The blue waters that caress Turkey's western coastline have given their name to the entire region, known as the Aegean. These lands were once home to many great civilizations, empires and states, out of which sprung some of the world's finest mathematicians, scientists, architects and sculptorsThe mountains of the Aegean drop vertically into the sea, crossing fertile plains and ensuring a temperate climate. The people who once lived here were mostly engaged in agriculture and commerce through which they achieved a certain prosperity. They built beautiful cities and monuments and developed new techniques of both farming and construction. A visitor wandering through the ruins of the region today, spread like an open-air museum, can sense how this land was once a cradle of civilizations, inspiring admiration and fascination throughout the ages. Indeed, the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts of Turkey encompass the world's richest collection of ancient ruins and monuments. The people who live in the region today, now the second most developed area of Turkey, continue to be blessed by nature. The inland cities have also experienced a remarkable growth in recent years.

The southern coast of Turkey is one of the world's most beautiful regions: sandy beaches offering eight months of swimming, magnificent landscapes and a multitude of historic sites.
The region, which unfolds along a belt 100-200 kilometers wide between the Taurus mountains and the sea, has been a focal point of interaction, commercial relations and political confrontations throughout history. Since early times, this region has seen the founding of heavily populated cities and the area as a whole became rich and prosperous. A period of decline set in due to the decreasing importance of the Mediterranean in world trade, the devastation caused by earthquakes, the deterioration of waterways and the spreading of malaria. The fertile plains were abandoned and became little more than winter quarters for nomads. In recent decades, this region has regained its former importance with the development of commercial agriculture and tourism.

Adana, the metropolis of the eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey, Mersin, Tarsus, Iskenderun and Antalya have all developed and expanded rapidly. The peaks of the magnificent Taurus mountain range, covered with snow in summer as well as in winter, form the southern border of Central Anatolia and extend towards the east, hugging the shores of the Mediterranean itself. To the south of these mountains, the long white sandy beaches, the bays and coves surrounded by pine forests and the turquoise colored sea make this one of the most prominent tourism resorts of Turkey. But tourism is not its sole economic activity. Thanks to its temperate Mediterranean climate, the region has a rich and abundant agriculture and produces citrus fruits, bananas, avocados, cotton, vegetables and flowers.

Patara, Xanthos, Letoon

These three Lycian cities are found where the Mediterranean meets the Aegean. Patara, renowned in ancient times for its fortune-telling Oracle, was the principal port of Lycia. The theatre, the Temple of Athena, the triumphant arch and the bath houses still stand in all their majesty. Patara is the birthplace and home of St. Nicholas. Today, its 18-kilometer sandy beach is under environmental protection to safeguard the native sea turtles. Xanthos was also the capitol of Lycia. Here you can visit the monument of the Nereids, whose magnificent friezes have found their way to England, an acropolis, tombs carved in rocks, a well preserved theatre and a large basilica. The third antique Lycian city is Letoon.
According to legend, after the Goddess Leto had given birth to two children, fathered by Zeus, she wanted to bathe them in the thermal waters of Letoon. When the local people tried to stop her, she turned them into frogs.
Thousands of years later, Letoon is still under water and hundreds of frogs live all over the vicinity. In the center of the city are the ruins of three temples dedicated respectively to Leto, Artemis and Apollo.

Kekova

Tourism is a relatively recent industry in Kekova, a town accessible only by sea for centuries. Today it is a meeting place for cruise boats and yachts. Through the crystal clear waters you can see the traces of a sunken antique city.
Kekova's history dates back to the first millennium BC. The Lycians had developed an original civilization here, a civilization which was later enriched through interaction with the Hellenic culture and way of life.

The mountain range which runs parallel to the coast in the north of Turkey has erected a veritable wall between the Black Sea and the plateaux of Anatolia. The geographical formation of this past of Turkey is quite different from that of western Anatolia, where mountain ridges radiate from the central plateau like the fingers of a hand. Here, a single range virtually hugs the coast, with often no more than 50 kilometers between the two. Rivers have conformed in configuration and flow parallel to the coast, until rifts in the range open a way of escape to the sea.

On crossing the Black Sea Mountains, one suddenly descends into a world of dense forest vegetation and flowers, into rich foliage from alder, lime, walnut, elm, beech and chestnut trees. The cities, towns and villages are squeezed along the narrow coastal strip. It is perhaps for this reason that the inhabitants of the region are known for their temper, obstinacy, fighting spirit and a self-deprecating sense of humor.

Nevertheless, these coastal lands are productive. The region's hazelnut production is the main source of supply to the European market and practically all the tea consumed in Turkey is grown here. Because of its geographical peculiarities and turbulent history, a somewhat different and interesting culture has emerged in the Black Sea region. The animated energy of the Black Sea inhabitant is reflected in the rhythm of the music and the playful movements of their dances.

The local cuisine is mainly composed of a variety of corn-based meals and hamsi, a kind of local anchovy; salmon farming has also developed considerably over recent years. The bread here is made of corn and an important ingredient of the local cuisine is black cabbage.

An Impotant Crossroads

Human settlements in the Black Sea region started as early as the 12th century BC. Situated on the transit routes between Europe and Asia, this region has always been a highly coveted land. It has changed hands frequently, with the Romans, the Greeks of Pontus, the Romans, the Turkish tribes and the Mongols all competing to take control of the area and actually ruling it for some time in turn. After the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, the region was gradually absorbed by the Ottomans.

All these cultures have left their mark on the shores of the Black Sea, cultures which are reflected in the lifestyle and traditions of the inhabitants.