The number of people continuing to snap property on the Aegean coast is still on the rise, latest figures have revealed.

More than 5,000 homes in the Aydin district, under which Didim and Altinkum falls, have been bought, according to the Land Registry.

According to the data provided by the Land Registry Administration, the real estate sales to foreigners have reached 181,540,772 meter squares as of January 2007. 88 percent of the 63,484 immovables belonging to foreigners are concentrated in 10 cities. Antalya appears in the first place by 14,610 immovables. Antalya is followed respectively by Istanbul (10,695), Mugla (8,251), Aydin (5,839), Izmir (4,572), Bursa (4,310), Hatay (3,852), Mersin (1,740), Ankara (1,034) and Gaziantep (1,013). German residents show the greatest interest in real estate in Turkey. Approximately a quarter of the real estate of foreigners (15,278) belongs to Germans. The British take the second place with 12,749 immovables and the Greeks follow them with 12,183 immovables (11,166 of which belongs to those of Turkish stock).

Citizens of 70 different countries own real estates in Turkey where 82.5 percent of the total number is owned by the citizens of 10 countries. The issue of property sales to foreigners will be assessed on a province-by-province basis as a part of efforts to ensure that the number of properties owned by non-Turkish citizens in any region does not exceed the legal maximum of 0.05 percent by area. A fact-finding committee made up of representatives from relevant ministries and government organizations is currently working on the issue, although the details have not yet been finalized, reported the Anatolia news agency. Criteria such as the provinces' strategic positioning, demographic, and natural and cultural heritage will be taken into consideration during the assessment, which will set the sale limit for every province within the framework of the 0.05 percent limit stated by law. The committee will submit its proposals to the Cabinet, which will then have the final say on the issue.

Top 10 foreign property owners in Turkey by nationality: