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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 approximately 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,
Kücük 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 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.
The mountains in the Black Sea region run parallel to
the coastline and the coasts are fairly smooth without too many
indentations or projections. The Black Sea coastline in Turkey is 1,595
kilometers and the salinity of the sea is 17%.
The Mediterranean coastline runs for 1,577 kilometers
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 are perpendicular to the Aegean Sea. As a result, the Aegean Sea
coast is over 2,800 kilometers long. The coastline faces 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 kilometers long; it is
connected to the Black Sea through the Bosphorus and to the
Mediterranean through the Dardanelles.
Rivers
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. Around
the Sea of Marmara are the lakes of Sapanca, Iznik, Ulubat, Manyas,
Terkos, Kucukcekmece and Buyukcekmece. In Central Anatolia is the second
largest lake in Turkey: Tuzgolu. This lake is 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 Atatürk 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 cause
significant differences in climatic conditions between regions. While
the coastal areas enjoy milder climates, the inland Anatolian plateau
experiences extremes of hot summers and cold winters with limited
rainfall.
For more information:
http://www.turkishembassy.org/
http://www.tourismturkey.org/
http://www.kultur.gov.tr/EN/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey
http://www.metu.edu.tr/turkey/
Content of this
page is taken from http://www.turkishembassy.org/ |
