The Republic of Turkey got into TOP-3 countries with the maximum number of beaches awarded the «Blue Flag» certificate. This certificate is issued to the most well-groomed beaches with high water purity. The first two places in the ranking are occupied by Greece and Spain.
In Turkey, the «Blue Flag» flies over more than half a thousand beaches: there are 531 of it, and every year their number is replenished.
Here is the number of «Blue Flag» beaches in different provinces:
Antalya is definitely the leader: 229 beaches at the moment (four more have recently been added):
Mugla - 111 beaches;
Izmir - 66 beaches;
Aydin - 36 beaches;
Balykesir - 31 beaches;
Samsung - 13 beaches;
Canakkale - 12 beaches;
Mersin - 11 beaches;
Kocaeli - 7 beaches.
There are three more beaches in Bartyn, two each in Ordu, Duzje (where particularly strong tremors were recently recorded), Kyrklareli, Sakarya and Istanbul: one each in Bursa and Van.