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Turkey's environment and climate

Aware of the country’s incredible natural wealth, the Turkish authorities have resolutely promoted eco-tourism. ecological tourism.
Pero incluso si el motor de tu viaje es otro distinto a la naturaleza, te vendrá bien conocer cómo es el medio ambiente y el clima de Turquía, para entender cómo afectan ambos factores sobre los paisajes del país y también para saber qué echar a tu maleta de cara a tu estancia aquí.

Table of Contents

Turkey's climate: huge regional variations

Turkey’s climate is, in its main tourist destinations, temperate in character. for most of the year, with warm and pleasant summers.
However, this is only a very generic note, since there are actually
wide regional variations and seasonal.
Therefore, before starting your trip you should be well informed and consult the forecasts, since each region has its own climatic characteristics, in some cases extreme.

Turkey with a temperate Mediterranean climate

We can speak of a Turkey with a temperate Mediterranean climate, mainly on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, as well as in Istanbul and eastern Thrace. Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, as well as in Istanbul and eastern Thrace..
Es decir, veranos calurosos y secos, con el mar aportando ese toque de humedad que potencia la sensación de calor, pero que a cambio templa y estabiliza las temperaturas durante el invierno, que suele ser frío pero no en exceso.
Las temperaturas máximas veraniegas suelen rondar y superar los 30º, mientras que las mínimas invernales rara vez alcanzan grados negativos.
Su precipitación anual se concentra en invierno y primavera, y en muchas ocasiones no llega a los 1300 mm de volumen total.

Turkey's temperate oceanic climate

The northern Anatolian coast falls into this climatic classification. northern coast of Anatoliathat is to say, the Black Sea coast.
Although its winters are not harsh, with temperatures that do not usually fall below 0ºC, the most outstanding feature of this region is its cooler summers, with temperatures that do not usually exceed 30ºC on average.
It is also a wetter region at all times of the year and, precisely for this reason, annual rainfall can reach or exceed 2500 mm.

Medio ambiente Turquia

The arid Turkey of the Anatolian Plateau

Inland, after leaving the coastline and ascending to the plateau that makes up most of the Anatolian peninsula, the the greater part of the Anatolian peninsula, thethe climate becomes harsher.
On the one hand, as far as temperatures are concerned: the climate becomes more continental, with values that climb on the hottest days of the summer (above 30º) but fall sharply in winter (with minimum temperatures below zero, even during the day).
Another key factor is the scarcity of rainfall, which leads to a palpable aridity in the environment: the country’s capital, Ankara, barely reaches 400 mm per year, and the same is true of other cities in the region, such as Kayseri.
Moreover, such precipitation is often in the form of snow.

Extreme Turkey in mountainous regions

The climate becomes even harsher and more extreme in eastern Anatolia: the remoteness from the sea is combined with the elevation of the terrain and the presence of high mountains, resulting in really cold winters, with minimum temperatures below -10ºC on many occasions.
Its rainfall, although not copious or constant (about 90 days a year), is usually in the form of snow, remaining in the landscape permanently in the cold season.

On the other hand, summers are characterized by very hot days and strong sunshine, due to the altitude of its cities, as is the case, for example, with Van, at about 1,700 meters above sea level.

Environment in Turkey: main attractions

If your trip to Turkey is a circuit that takes you to visit different regions, you will discover that the variety of landscapes is spectacular.
A variety and richness that is not only perceptible to the naked eye, but that multiplies its surprises when you delve deeper into the subject.
In this sense, organizations such as WWF speak of
more than a dozen ecoregions, determined by their climatedetermined by their climate, relief and other natural conditions.

Of these ecoregions, the following can be highlighted:

  • Temperate hardwood forests: are mixed or deciduous forests that extend over very varied areas of the country, such as the Black Sea coast, the European region of the country or large parts of central Anatolia.
    Some of the most significant trees in these hardwood forests are eastern beech, birch, oak or hornbeam.
  • Temperate coniferous forests: extend over mountain areas, with a predominance of pines and firs.
  • Mediterranean forestswhich in many cases are also mixed but with numerous perennial species, such as Cyprus pines, Aleppo pines and Lebanon cedars.
  • Grassland areaswith different types of steppes and native fauna associated with them, especially birds and small mammals.

Flora of Turkey

As we have anticipated in the previous section, Turkey is characterized by a great variety of ecoregions, with native flora and fauna associated with them.
A walk through protected natural areas serves to discover first-hand some of the country’s most significant plants and animals.

In terms of flora, it is estimated that there are around 9,000 species of species present here number around 9,000..
Estas son algunas de las que te gustará conocer durante tu viaje, si en tu lugar de origen no están representadas:

  • Cyprus pine (Pinus brutia): despite its name, it is numerous throughout the Aegean and Mediterranean coastal strip, where it can grow in terrain with an altitude of up to 600 meters above sea level.
    In fact, this tree is also often known as Turkish pine.
  • OaksTrees of the family Quercus are very varied, and some of these varieties are numerous in Turkey.
    For example, the common oak (
    Quercus robur), which is abundant in Eastern Thrace and around the western coast of the Black Sea (northwest of the Anatolian peninsula).
  • Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani): it is a tree native to the eastern Mediterranean mountains, so it is abundant on the slopes of the Taurus Mountains (between 1300 and 3000 meters altitude).
  • Cypress (Cupressus semprevirens): another tree that is widely spread throughout the Mediterranean countries, and in this case it is possible to find it in coastal areas, both in eastern Thrace and the Anatolian peninsula, including the coastal strip of the Turkish Black Sea.
    On the other hand, it is hardly present in the Anatolian plateau.
  • Eastern beech (Fagus orientalis): tree very present in the Caucasus, and by extension in large areas of the Pontic Mountains and the entire coastal strip of the Turkish Black Sea.
  • Mediterranean scrub: In Turkey’s natural areas it is possible to find a great variety of shrubs and bushes, with the presence of typical Mediterranean species in its coastal areas.
    Some of them are myrtle, rosemary, thyme or lavender.
  • Purple bougainvillea: in the plane of flowering plants, we can cite this species that fills with intense colors both urban and natural areas, with its purple explosion especially in spring.

Fauna of Turkey

In Turkey’s environment, animals play a fundamental role, with an important wildlife that continues to balance (not always easily) with the country’s development.
From large mammals to small arachnids, numerous reptiles, insects and even mollusks and fish off its coasts.

Special mention should be made of birds, with between 400 and 500 species present in the country, 250 of which cross it on their migratory routes between Europe and Africa.
Among the families with the greatest variety of species are ducks and waterfowl, pheasants and grouse, pigeons and turtle doves, coots and coots, plovers and lapwings, shorebirds, gulls, birds of prey (eagles, hawks and kites) and owls… just to name a few.

Among the most characteristic species of the country are the Rüppell’s warblers (Sylvia ruppeli), nubian shrikes (Lanius nubicus) or the treecreepers (Certhia brachydactyla).
Y muy especialmente, los ibis eremitas (
Geronticus eremita), which were in serious danger of extinction, have ‘taken flight’ and several hundred specimens have been released into the wild.

Other animals closely related to the country and that unfortunately are still in danger of extinction. in danger of extinction are the leopards.
En el pasado, estos grandes felinos estaban presentes en Asia Menor pero en la actualidad se desconoce si lo siguen estando.
En particular, los leopardos de Anatolia (
Panthera pardus tulliana) and the Caucasian leopard (Panthera pardus ciscaucasica).

According to some sources, the Anatolian ram is another of the animals in danger of extinction, although hunts continue to be organized for its capture, as is the case with gazelles, chamois, roe deer and wild boar, among other species.

In southeastern Anatolia, the striped hyena is very characteristic of the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), which is not considered threatened in this territory.
On the other hand, there is greater concern for the
loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), which usually lay their eggs on some Mediterranean beaches (Anamur).

Parque natural

National parks and other protected areas

Turkey has not traditionally been a leader in environmental conservation.
However, in recent years it has experienced a major boost in this area, largely as a result of its aspirations to join the European Union, where this commitment is a fundamental condition for membership.

At present, there are nearly 300 protected nearly 300 protected areasThe following are the largest ones: national parks, natural parks and other areas.
These are the largest:

  • Mount Ararat National Park: with more than 88,000 hectares, is a huge protected area around this volcanic mountain, as beautiful as mythical for its mention in the Bible.
    Its snows are perpetual.
    In the far east of the country, dominating the border with Iran and Armenia
  • Beyşehir Lake National Park: over 86,000 hectares, around this elevated lake (1100 meters altitude), in the Taurus Mountains (southern Anatolia).
  • Kızıldağ National Park: very close to the previous one, covers over 55,000 hectares and was one of the first in the country (1969).
  • Antitauro National Park: also with a size of about 55,000 hectares, stands out for its environment of high mountains, the highest in the country (except for Mount Ararat), exceeding in many cases 3,000 meters in altitude.

Special mention should be made of two national parks that, in addition to being protected by this state status, are also recognized as World Heritage Sites by Unesco. World Heritage by Unesco, which reflects not only their natural but also their cultural value: Mount Nemrut National Park and Ancient Troy National Park.

Another area in which the country has made great strides is in the protection of avifauna. protection of avifauna.
El clima de Turquía, templado en muchas áreas, y la presencia de grandes humedales, ayudan a que muchas especies pasen aquí parte del año.
De hecho, cuenta con
more than a dozen Ramsar Siteswhich are wetlands of special importance for nesting, breeding or migratory birds.

And even smaller but no less interesting are the natural monuments of the natural monuments which, in many cases, are protected trees for their longevity, beauty or uniqueness.
One can cite cedar trees about 2,000 years old in Finike (about 100 km from Antalya), a plane tree also a thousand years old in Istanbul or junipers and yews with hundreds of years of life.

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