Turkey is aiming to be the world leader in the number of Blue Flag beaches as part of its 2023 targets to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said. According to the results for 2015, Turkey closes the gap by surpassing Greece in the total number of Blue Flag beaches and ranked at the second position.
“Blue Flag” is an exclusive eco-label awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) to beaches and marinas that meet certain criteria, such as water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management and safety.
In 2014, Turkey was ranked third in the world after Spain and Greece however this year the country moves one position up to second place with 436 beaches, 22 marinas, and 14 yachts.
As in past years, Spain continues to be at top place list with 578 marinas.
Blue Flag Beaches, 2015
| Number of beaches | |
| Spain | 578 |
| Turkey | 436 |
| Greece | 395 |
| France | 379 |
| Portugal | 299 |
| Italy | 283 |
| Denmark | 250 |
| Croatia | 99 |
| Ireland | 83 |
| UK | 61 |
