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| TURKEY |
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| General Information |
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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.
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| Area |
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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.
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| Geographical
Regions |
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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 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.
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| Coastlines |
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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
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| Rivers |
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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.
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| Lakes |
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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 Ataturk 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.
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| The Climate |
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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.
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Forecast For Muğla
  
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