Protected to the north, west and south by sea, guarded to the east and southeast by impenetrable mountain ranges, Turkey has the varied landscape of a continent complete in itself. Arable plains change over long distances into areas of steppe and pasture suitable only for livestock, surrounded by barren rocky regions or dense swathes of virgin forest. Throughout the course of history, the landscape has played a key role in determining the settlement of civilizations, migrations, invasions and the spread of numerous religions.

Turkey is located in south/western Asia (the part that is west of the Bosphorus is included with Europe, or referred to as the ‘European side’) and borders south eastern Europe. In the north it borders the Black Sea. To the west is the Aegean Sea, Greece and Bulgaria and to the east are Georgia, Armenia and Iran. In the south it borders the Mediterranean Sea, along with Iraq and Syria. It occupies a landmass of 780,580 square kilometres and its capital is Ankara.