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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.
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