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The lands of Turkey are located at
a point where the three continents making up the old world.
Asia, Africa and Europe are closest to each other, and straddle
the point where Europe and Asia meet. Geographically, the
country is located in the northern half of the hemisphere
at a point that is about halfway between the equator and
the north pole, at a longitude of 36 degrees N to 42 degrees
N and a latitude of 26 degrees E to 45 degrees E. Turkey
is roughly rectangular in shape and is 1,660 kilometers
wide.
Because of its geographical location the mainland of Anatolia
has always found favour throughout history, and is the birthplace
of many great civilizations. It has also been prominent
as a centre of commerce because of its land connections
to three continents and the sea surrounding it on three
sides.
Area
The actual area of Turkey inclusive of its lakes, is 814,578
square kilometres, of which 790,200 are in Asia and 24,378
are located in Europe.
Boundaries
The land borders of Turkey are 2,573 kilometres in total,
and coastlines (including islands) are another 8,333 kilometres,
Turkey has two European and six Asian countries for neighbours
along its land borders.
The land border to the northeast with the commonwealth
of Independent States is 610 kilometres long; that with
Iran, 454 kilometres long, and that with Iraq 331 kilometres
long. In the south is the 877 kilometre-long border with
Syria, which took its present form in 1939, when the Republic
of Hatay joined Turkey. Turkey's borders on the European
continent consist of a 212-kilometre frontier with Greece
and a 269-kilometre border with Bulgaria.
Geographical Regions
Turkey is generally divided into seven regions: the Black
Sea region, the Marmara region, the Aegean, the Mediterranean,
Central Anatolia, the East and Southeast Anatolia regions.
The uneven north Anatolian terrain running along the Black
Sea resembles a narrow but long belt. The land of this region
is approximately 1/6 of Turkey's total land area.
The Marmara region covers the area encircling the Sea of
Marmara, includes the entire European part of Turkey, as
well as the northwest of the Anatolian plain. Whilst the
region is the smallest of the regions of Turkey after the
Southeast Anatolia region, it has the highest population
density of all the regions.
The most important peak in the region is Uludag (2,543
metres), at the same time it is a major winter sports and
tourist centre. In the Anatolian part of the region there
are fertile plains running from east to west.
The Aegean region extends from the Aegean coast to the
inner parts of western Anatolia. There are significant differences
between the coastal areas and those inland, in terms of
both geographical features and economic and social aspects.
In general, the mountains in the region fall perpendicularly
into the sea. and the plains run from east to west. The
plains through which Gediz, Kьcьk Menderes and
Bakircay rivers flow carry the same names as these rivers.
In the Mediterranean region, located in the south of Turkey,
the western and central Taurus Mountains suddenly rise up
behind the coastline. The Amanos mountain range is also
in the area.
The Central Anatolian region is exactly in the middle of
Turkey and gives the appearance of being less mountainous
compared with the other regions. The main peaks of the region
are Karadag, Karacadag, Hasandag and Erciyes (3.917 metres).
The Eastern Anatolia region is Turkey's largest and highest
region. About three fourths of it is at an altitude of 1,500-2,000
metres. Eastern Anatolia is composed of individual mountains
as well as of whole mountain ranges, with vast plateaus
and plains. The mountains: There are numerous inactive volcanoes
in the region, including Nemrut, Suphan, Tendurek and Turkey's
highest peak, Mount Agri (Ararat), which is 5,165 metres
high.
At the same time, several plains extended along the course
of the River Murat, a tributary of the Firat (Euphrates).
These are the plains of Malazgirt, Mus, Capakcur, Uluova
and Malatya.
The Southeast Anatolia region is notable for the uniformity
of its landscape, although the eastern part of the region
is comparatively more uneven than its western areas.
Coastlines
Turkey is surrounded by sea on three sides, by the Black
Sea in the north, the Mediterranean in the south and the
Aegean Sea in the west. In the northwest there is also an
important internal sea, the Sea of Marmara, between the
straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus, important
waterways that connect the Black Sea with the rest of the
world.
Because the mountains in the Black Sea region run parallel
to the coastline, the coasts are fairly smooth, without
too many indentations or projections. The length of the
Black Sea coastline in Turkey is 1,595 kilometres, and the
salinity of the sea is 17%. The Mediterranean coastline
runs for 1,577 kilometres and here too the mountain ranges
are parallel to the coastline.
The salinity level of the Mediterranean is about double
that of the Black Sea.
Although the Aegean coastline is a continuation of the
Mediterranean coast, it is quite irregular because the mountains
in the area fall perpendicularly into the Aegean Sea. As
a result, the length of the Aegean Sea coast is over 2,800
kilometres. The coastline faces out to many islands.
The Marmara Sea is located totally within national boundaries
and occupies an area of 11,350 square kilometres. The coastline
of the Marmara Sea is over 1,000 kilometres long; it is
connected to the Black Sea by the Bosphorus and with the
Mediterranean by the Dardanelles.
Rivers
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| Bridge Over the River Meric.
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Most of the rivers of Turkey flow into the seas surrounding
the country. The Firat (Euphrates) and Dicle (Tigris) join
together in Iraq and flow into the Persian Gulf. Turkey's
longest rivers, the Kizilirmak, Yesilirmak and Sakarya,
flow into the Black Sea. The Susurluk, Biga and Gonen pour
into the Sea of Marmara, the Gediz, Kucuk Menderes, Buyuk
Menderes and Meric into the Aegean, and the Seyhan, Ceyhan
and Goksu into the Mediterranean .
Lakes
 In
terms of numbers of lakes, the Eastern Anatolian region
is the richest. It contains Turkey's largest, Lake Van (3.713
square kilometres), and the lakes of Ercek, Cildir and Hazar.
There are also many lakes in the Taurus mountains area:
the Beysehir and Egirdir lakes, and the lakes that contain
bitter waters like the Burdur and Acigoller lakes, for example.
Around the Sea of Marmara are located the lakes of Sapanca,
Iznik, Ulubat, Manyas, Terkos, Kucukcekmece and Buyukcekmece.
In Central Anatoia is the second largest lake in Turkey:
Tuzgolu: The waters of this lake are shallow and very salty.
The lakes of Aksehir and Eber are also located in this region.
As a result of the construction of dams during the past
thirty years, several large dam lakes have come into existence.
Together with the Atatьrk Dam lake which started to collect
water in January 1990, the following are good examples:
Keban, Karakaya, Altinkaya, Adiguzel, Kilickaya, Karacaoren,
Menzelet, Kapulukaya, Hirfanli, Sariyar and Demirkopru.
The Climate
Although Turkey is situated in a geographical location
where climatic conditions are quite temperate, the diverse
nature of the landscape , and the existence in particular
of the mountains that run parallel to the coasts, results
in significant differences in climatic conditions from one
region to the other. While the coastal areas enjoy milder
climates, the inland Anatolian plateau experiences extremes
of hot summers and cold winters with limited rainfall.
Turkey Profile
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