|
Geographical Profile
The lands of Turkey are located at a point where 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, as a country roughly rectangular in shape, has
a width of approximately 550 kilometers and a length of approxiamately
1500 kilometers.
Because of its geographical location, the mainland of Anatolia
has always found favor 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 kilometers, of which 790,200 are in Asia and 24,378
are located in Europe.
Boundaries
The land borders of Turkey are 2,949 kilometers in total,
and coastlines (including islands) are another 8,333 kilometers.
Turkey has two European and six Asian countries for neighbours
along its land borders.
The land border to the northeast with Georgia is 276 kilometers
long; to the east with Armenia is 328 kilometers long and
that with Azerbaijan (Nakhichevan) is 18 kilometers long.
The land border to to the southeast with Iran is 560 kilometers
long; to the south with Iraq is 384 kilometers long, and that
with Syria is 911 kilometer long, which took its present form
in 1939, when the Republic of Hatay joined Turkey. Turkey's
borders on the European continent consist of a 203-kilometer
frontier with Greece and a 269-kilometer 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, Kucuk 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
rise up closely 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 extend 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 eastern
areas.
|
 |
Photo Gallery |
|
|
|
