Finike | |
|---|---|
 Port of Finike | |
 Map showing Finike District in Antalya Province | |
  Finike Location in Turkey | |
| Coordinates:36°18′N30°09′E / 36.300°N 30.150°E /36.300; 30.150 | |
| Country | Turkey |
| Province | Antalya |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mustafa Geyikçi (CHP) |
Area | 768 km2 (297 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 3 m (9.8 ft) |
| Population (2022)[1] | 49,720 |
| • Density | 64.7/km2 (168/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (TRT) |
| Postal code | 07740 |
| Area code | 0242 |
| Website | www |
Finike (Turkish:[feˈnice]), the ancientPhoenix orPhoinix (Ancient Greek:Φοῖνιξ),[2] also formerlyPhineka,[3] is a municipality anddistrict ofAntalya Province,Turkey.[4] Its area is 768 km2,[5] and its population is 49,720 (2022).[1] It lies on theMediterranean coast ofAntalya Province inTurkey, to the west of the city ofAntalya, along theTurkish Riviera. It is located on the southern shore of the Teke peninsula, and the coast here is a popular tourist destination. However, Finike is best known for its oranges, the symbol of the town.
For centuries Finike, then named Phoenix or Phoinix (Φοῖνιξ) was a port town ofancient Lycia, near themountain of the same name.[6][7] It was a trading port and the main port ofLimyra, the capital city ofLycia. Phoenix was said to have been founded byPhoenicians in the 5th centuryBC, and thus named after its founders.
The area has been inhabited for much longer than that; archaeologists have found evidence near the town ofElmalı showing that the Teke peninsula has been settled since 3000 BC (although on the coast nothing has been uncovered dating before 2000 BC).
Trade along the coast was established first by thePersians, who relinquished Lycia to the armies ofAlexander the Great. However, the coast was always vulnerable to forces fromSyria,Egypt andRhodes until it was brought within the empire of theAncient Romans and the succeedingByzantines. Even then the Byzantines were threatened by the Arabian armies coming from the Arabian Peninsula. TheBattle of the Masts between the Arab and Byzantine fleet took place near Finike in 654. Eventually the area was conquered by theSeljuk Turks in the 13th century. These were succeeded by theOttoman Empire from 1426.
The town was inhabited by Greeks prior to the 1923population exchange between Greece and Turkey.[8]
There are 26neighbourhoods in Finike District:[9]
Finike has ahot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen:Csa),[10] with very hot, muggy, virtually rainless summers, and mild winters with heavy rain.
| Climate data for Finike (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 16.3 (61.3) | 16.7 (62.1) | 19.0 (66.2) | 22.2 (72.0) | 26.4 (79.5) | 31.3 (88.3) | 34.5 (94.1) | 34.8 (94.6) | 31.7 (89.1) | 27.3 (81.1) | 22.2 (72.0) | 17.9 (64.2) | 25.1 (77.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.5 (52.7) | 12.0 (53.6) | 14.1 (57.4) | 17.1 (62.8) | 21.2 (70.2) | 25.8 (78.4) | 28.8 (83.8) | 29.1 (84.4) | 25.8 (78.4) | 21.5 (70.7) | 16.7 (62.1) | 13.0 (55.4) | 19.8 (67.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.8 (46.0) | 7.9 (46.2) | 9.4 (48.9) | 12.1 (53.8) | 16.0 (60.8) | 20.0 (68.0) | 22.9 (73.2) | 23.3 (73.9) | 20.1 (68.2) | 16.5 (61.7) | 12.4 (54.3) | 9.4 (48.9) | 14.9 (58.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 208.92 (8.23) | 144.17 (5.68) | 79.48 (3.13) | 47.91 (1.89) | 21.37 (0.84) | 8.75 (0.34) | 1.91 (0.08) | 1.86 (0.07) | 14.49 (0.57) | 71.36 (2.81) | 129.08 (5.08) | 236.32 (9.30) | 965.62 (38.02) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 10.7 | 8.3 | 6.3 | 4.1 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 4.4 | 6.1 | 10.3 | 59.1 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 67.7 | 66.8 | 66.5 | 67.1 | 67.3 | 62.3 | 59.6 | 60.3 | 61.1 | 63.4 | 64.7 | 68.0 | 64.6 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 142.3 | 158.1 | 212.8 | 247.9 | 297.7 | 339.2 | 362.8 | 336.6 | 286.7 | 242.3 | 176.6 | 135.2 | 2,920.8 |
| Source:NOAA[11] | |||||||||||||
The district has a population of 49,720 (2022).[1] The town itself has 21,765 inhabitants.[12]
The local economy depends on agriculture, particularly oranges and other citrus fruits. This is supplemented by income from tourism in the summertime, although because of the lucrative orange production and the distance from Antalya, Finike has not seen the large-scale tourism boom that has so radically changed the other coastal districts of Antalya. Finike is a quiet district where people buzz around on mopeds going about their daily lives. Indeed, many of the visitors that Finike does attract are retired people in search of relaxation. That's mostly because of the construction policy of 1980. That policy made the land more suitable for investment in agriculture rather than in hotels, luxury apartments and other tourist attractions.
A type of pale limestone is quarried at Limyra, and sold as a decorative building material. It is cream colored with a homogeneous structure. Moreover, it is extremely light and that makes it ideal for building walking alleys and streets where only light vehicles pass by. The geologist classify the Limura limestone as with medium density.[13]
The port of Finike is now a yacht marina, and has a small fishing fleet. The coast is rich in marine life, including sea turtles, and fish, including local specialitiesred porgy (Sparidae) andgrouper (Epinephelus); other fish found along the coast includeleerfish (Carangidae) and the more widespread Mediterranean varieties such asbluefish,sea bream,sea bass, withswordfish,sardines and others found further out to sea. However, the coast suffers from overfishing, and many varieties, including the porgy, are in decline.
The beaches of Finike are an important nesting ground forCaretta caretta sea turtles, and the rocky parts of the coast are used by the rareMediterranean monk seal.
There are doubtless many more places of antiquity that need to be restored.
