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.
Location: southeastern Europe and
southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west
of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe),
bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and
Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the
Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria
Geographic coordinates: 39 00 N, 35 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total: 780,580 sq km
land: 770,760 sq km
water: 9,820 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than
Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 2,627 km
border countries: Armenia 268 km,
Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia 252
km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 331 km,
Syria 822 km
Coastline: 7,200 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea
only: to the maritime boundary agreed upon with
the former USSR
territorial sea: 6 nm in the Aegean Sea;
12 nm in Black Sea and in Mediterranean Sea
Climate: temperate; hot, dry summers with
mild, wet winters; harsher in interior
Terrain: mostly mountains; narrow coastal
plain; high central plateau (Anatolia)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m
Natural resources: antimony, coal,
chromium, mercury, copper, borate, sulfur, iron
ore, arable land, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 32%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 16%
forests and woodland: 26%
other: 22% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 36,740 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: very severe earthquakes,
especially in northern Turkey, along an arc
extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van
Environment - current issues: water
pollution from dumping of chemicals and
detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban
areas; deforestation; concern for oil spills
from increasing Bosporus ship traffic
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Environmental Modification
Geography - note: strategic location
controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea
of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and
Aegean Seas
