Because of its location, Turkey was a region through which ancient Asian Turkish culture moved into Europe, and also a window of Western culture opening to meet the east.

Turkey is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Aegean Sea, which connects the country to the whole world. Because of these long coastal borders and the bridge between Asia and Europe, Turkey has been the centre of major commercial and migration routes.

Turkey is located between Europe and Asia and is roughly a rectangular shape. The largest section is the Anatolian Peninsula at 790,200 km2, known as Asia Minor. Thrace (Trakya) is the smaller area, at 24,378 km2, and is located at the east of Balkan peninsula, bringing the total area of the country to 814,578 km2. With a coastline measuring 8272km, Turkey is a naval country in a central position to the world’s prominent continents.

Regions The First Geographical Summit gathered in Ankara in 1941, and separated Turkey into seven major geographic regions after a carefuk study. The first four pre-determined regions are named after their neighbouring seas (Black Sea, Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean Region). The remaining three are named in accordance with their geographic locations within Anatolia (Central Anatolia, Eastern Anatolia and Southeastern Anatolia Region).

Turkey is considered a high-altitude country, as the mountains cover the majority of the surface even though there is a significant area which is made up of plains, plateaus and sediment areas. These geographical variations mean that the climate is also varied, and affects the location of settlements and economic conditions.

Turkey is separated into seven major geographic regions according to climate, natural plantation and distribution of the agricultural activities.

In the north are the Northern Anatolia Mountains, and in the south the Taurus (Toros) Mountains, which are separated by the wide plains of Central Anatolia. The highest mountain in Turkey, and Europe, is Great Ararat (Buyuk Agri) which is 5137m, and Suphan is an extinct volcano located inside the borders of Eastern Anatolia. Karacadag, Raman and Sof are the major mountains of Southeastern Anatolia.

Rivers
There are numerous rivers in Turkey, the majority of which are used in energy production processes. The Firat and Dicle rivers in Eastern Anatolia flow into the Basra Gulf; Yesilirmak, Kizilirmak and Sakarya rivers in Central Anatolia into the Black Sea, Susurluk Creek, Biga and Gonen creeks into the Marmara Sea; and Gediz and Big and Small Menderes rivers into the Aegean Sea.

Lakes
The total surface area of the lakes in Turkey is 9200 km2, with Eastern Anatolia having the largest area. Lake Van is the biggest, (3713 km2) and Ercek, Cildir and Hazar lakes are also in this region. The largest in Central Anatolia are mostly shallow with high salt content, hence the name of the second biggest in the country, Tuzgolu (Salt lake) at 1500 km2. There is a boat service which operates across the lake Van.

THE SEAS OF TURKEY

The Sea of Marmara, which is completely within the national borders, is connected to the Black Sea by Istanbul Bosphorus, and connected to Aegean and Mediterranean by the Straits of Canakkale Strait.

Three sides of Turkey are surrounded by sea. Three of the four - Black, Aegean and Mediterranean Sea – flow into the Atlantic Ocean. The Sea of Marmara, between the Black Sea and the Aegean, is within the borders of Turkey.

Black Sea
With characteristics of an enclosed sea, the Black Sea has a coastline of 1695km, the deepest point 2244m, with a surface area of 424,000 km2. The shelf area is very steep and the depth suddenly reaches 1500m within a short distance. As there are many adjoining rivers feeding into the sea, and there is little evaporation, the level of salinity is relatively low. Average Salinity: 18 %, at the river entrances: 15 - 16 %

Sea of Marmara
The Marmara is a small enclosed sea between the Black and Mediterranean Sea, and connects the two. The coastline is 1189km, and the depth is 760m-3500 m. Average Salinity Ratio: 26 %

Aegean Sea
The Aegean has the longest and most indented coastlines of Turke, 2805km long and with a deepest point of 1000 m. Average Salinity Ratio: 38 % in North, 39 % in South

Mediterranean Sea
Located at the southern part of Turkey, this is the eastern part of the entire Mediterranea Sea. The coastline is 1577km, with a surface area of 2,890,000 km2.