Geography of Marmaris

Geography of Marmaris The town of Marmaris is located at the meeting place of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, on the world’s largest natural harbour, surrounded by pine-clad hills. Situated in southwest Turkey, in the province of Mugla, Marmaris is one of Turkey’s biggest tourist resorts. To the north lies the Gulf of Gokova, to the south the Mediterranean. On the west is Datca peninsula and to the east Koycegiz lake; all year round Marmaris is surrounded by blue and green. The hills running in to the sea and the beautiful bays make Marmaris very special. The old part of town is a residential area around the castle. The old houses, all under preservation order and the narrow streets leading to them are a delight to explore: there are some classic examples of Mugla architecture on display. Marmaris later began to spread out around the castle hill and along the shore, but the growth of tourism resulted in housing being prohibited along the shoreline and planning permission granted only to tourist hotels. Marmaris is a year-round home for many foreigners, a large number of whom have yachts in the modern 700-berth marina. The population rises from 15 000 in winter to around 75 000 in summer due to available hotel accommodation. Marmaris is 60 kilometres away from the provincial capital Mugla, and the mountainous landscape of the surrounding countryside shows that forestry plays an important part in the area’s economy. The town boundaries enclose and area of 86 000 hectares, 65 000 of which are forested. The beauty of Marmaris stems from this just as much as from the natural harbour. Distances from Marmaris ( in km ) Marmaris – Icmeler ( İçmeler ) 10 km Marmaris – Turunc ( Turunç ) 20 km Marmaris – Bodrum 156 km Marmaris – Fethiye 144 km Marmaris – Antalya 367 km Marmaris – Alanya 507 km Marmaris – Izmir ( İzmir )806 km