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Aegean Turkey, Türkiye
Photo: Benh LIEU SONG, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Central Aegean is the central section of the Aegean coast of Turkey. Although it's named for the bordering sea, this region stretches over 200 km inland, comprising the provinces and cities of Izmir, Manissa and Uşak. It has a string of beach resorts along its convoluted coastline, and historic sites such as Ephesus.
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İzmir is a port on the Central Aegean coast of Turkey, known in antiquity as Smyrna. It's the country's third-largest city, with a population of 3.12 million in 2024.
Alaşehir is a city in the Central Aegean region of Turkey. It's agricultural, stands about 100 km east of Izmir and the coast, and in 2022 had a population of 104,717.
Akhisar is a city in the Central Aegean region of Turkey. The city and district had a population of 174,850 in 2020.
Birgi is an attractive village overlooking the Küçükmenderes Valley in the Central Aegean Region of Turkey, with a population of 1832 in 2022. Its name derives from Greek "Pyrgion" (Πυργίον, "little tower") and from the 13th to 15th century it was capital of the Aydınoğulları principality or petty kingdom, one of several formed in the power vacuum between the collapse of the Seljuks and the rise of the Ottomans.
Alaçatı (pronounced aa-LAA-chaa-tuh) is a small town on the Central Aegean coast of Turkey, on the peninsula projecting from Izmir towards Çeşme. In 2022 the population was just over 10,000.
Çeşme (pronounced chaysh-may) is a beach resort in the Central Aegean region of Turkey. It's at the tip of a peninsula 85 km west of Izmir, but only 10 km from the Greek island of Chios.
Foça is a town in the Central Aegean region of Turkey, 60 km north of Izmir. It's a beach resort easily within a day-trip of the city and in 2019 it had a population of 32,264.
Kula is an inland town and municipality in the Central Aegean region of Turkey, with a population in 2022 of 43,227. It has an extensive historic quarter and remarkable volcanic areas on its outskirts known since antiquity as the "burnt land", recognized as a UNESCO global geopark.
Kuşadası is a beach resort in the Central Aegean region of Turkey, 95 km south of Izmir. It has a resident population of 113,580 (as of 2018), which doubles in summer with tourists and seasonal workers.
Manisa is a city in the Central Aegean region of Turkey, on the slopes of Mount Spil or Sipylus 65 km northeast of Izmir. It's modern and industrial but has many old mosques.
Selçuk is a town in the Central Aegean region of Turkey, with a population of 36,360 in 2018. It's the original site of the city of Ephesus - those Roman ruins lie 4 km west and are described on a separate page.
Uşak is a city in the Central Aegean region of Turkey, with a population in 2022 of 236,366. It has a historic quarter, but the main drawcards are its museum featuring the Lydian treasures, and the canyons and antiquities in the surrounding countryside.
Kuşadası is a beach resort in the Central Aegean region of Turkey, 95 km south of Izmir. It has a resident population of 113,580 (as of 2018), which doubles in summer with tourists and seasonal workers.
Ephesus (Turkish: Efes) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with magnificent Roman ruins. It's in the Central Aegean region of Turkey 4 km west of Selçuk and 19 km northeast of the beach resort of Kuşadası.
Şirince, formerly Kirkince or Çirkince, is a village nestled in the hills in Central Aegean Region, Turkey, 15 minutes from Selçuk, 20 minutes from the ancient site of Ephesus. Şirince today is very popular with Turkish tourists, especially on weekends.
Sart is a small farming village in the Central Aegean Region of Turkey, better known as Sardis the ruined capital of Lydia.
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