|
Turkey
has seven distinct geographic and
climatic regions (click on
each for a description). You can
get current weather forecasts from
the Turkish
State Meterological Service in
English.
Marmara
The countryside around Istanbul, Edirne, Bursa and
the Sea
of Marmara is low hills and
rolling farmland excellent for fruit
orchards (apricots, grapes, peaches)
as well as vegetables, sunflowers and
grain.
South
of Bursa are higher mountains (2500+
meters/8200 feet).
Rainfall
averages 668 mm/26 inches per year;
temperatures range from a low of
-16C/3F in the depths of winter to
40C/104F on the hottest day in summer.
It's quite humid (average 73%). Back
to Top
Aegean
The Aegean
region centered on Izmir is
a true breadbasket, with low
hills and higher mountains framing
fertile valleys full of rich alluvial
soil. The dependable summer sun
produces bumper crops of tobacco, sunflowers,
olives, figs, peaches, pears and apples.
Rainfall
averages 645 mm/25 inches per year;
temperatures range from -8C/18F to
43C/109F, with average humidity of
69%. Back
to Top
Mediterranean
Turkey's southern shore is hemmed
in by high mountain ranges. There's
little beach from Fethiye to Antalya,
but east of Antalya the littoral broadens
into the fertile Pamphylian plain (which
is where you find Side)
fringed with white sand beach.
Not
far east of Alanya the
mountains come down to the sea again,
all the way east to Antakya,
keeping this coast very hot and
humid in summer: maximum 45C/113F,
minimum -5C/23F; rainfall is 777
mm/31 inches. Back
to Top
Central
Anatolia
The center of Turkey is high
plateau (elevation 900m/3000 feet
at Ankara)
of rolling steppe framed by mountain
ranges, some of which boast snow-capped
dormant volcanoes. (It was the volcanic Mt
Erciyes near Kayseri that
formed the Central Anatolian moonscape of Cappadocia.)
The
land produces summer and winter wheat
and other crops, and feeds millions
of grazing sheep. Temperatures range
from -25C/-13F to 40C/104F, with
rainfall of only 382 mm/15 inches
per year. The average humidity is
62%. Back
to Top
Black
Sea Coast
Turkey's Black Sea coast, 1700
km/1000 miles long, is surprisingly lush
and green because of its 781 mm/31
inches of annual rainfall dropped as
the winds crossing the Black Sea rise
to vault the coastal mountains.
It's
cloudy much of the time, which
seems to suit the tobacco fields. Cherries
originated here, and are still
grown in abundance, as are hazelnuts (filberts),
of which Turkey supplies half the
world's needs.
The
lush grass feeds cattle which produce
Turkey's best milk, cream and
butter. The humid coast east
of Trabzon is
perfect for growing tea bushes.
In the steep evergreen-choked valleys
above, you might think you're in
Central Europe, though warmer.
Temperatures
range from -8C/18F to 40C/104F, with
an average humidity of 72%. Back
to Top
Eastern
Anatolia
Mountainous, rugged and chilly,
eastern Turkey is an elemental place
where temperatures drop to -43C/-45F
in deep winter, and rise to 38C/100F
in summer, though the annual average
is just 9C/48F.
June
to September are the best months
to visit unless you're going skiing
at Palandöken just outside Erzurum.
Rainfall
is 560 mm/22 inches. It's relatively
poor country, with wheat fields,
fruit and nut orchards, and lots
of grazing sheep. Back
to Top
Southeastern
Anatolia
Down near Syria on the banks
of the rivers Tigris (at Diyarbakir)
and Euphrates (near Sanliurfa)
it's hot most of the time: up
to 46C/115F in high summer (and—unusually—a
low of -12C/10F some winters).
It's dry,
with only 576 mm/23 inches of rainfall,
but lots of water from the gigantic Southeast
Anatolia Project (GAP) irrigation
and hydroelectric power system centered
near Sanliurfa. Crops love the heat
and grow fast. People go slow, and
mostly in the shade. The best
time to visit is anytime except
summer (mid-June through mid-September). Back
to Top
|
