The territory of Turkey extends from 36° to 42° N and from 26° to 45° E in Eurasia. It is roughly rectangular in shape and is 1,660 kilometers (1,031 mi) wide. Turkey’s area inclusive of lakes is 814,578 square kilometres (314,510 sq mi), of which 790,200 square kilometres (305,098 sq mi) occupies the Anatolian peninsula (also called Asia Minor) in Asia, and 3% or 24,378 square kilometres (9,412 sq mi) are located in Europe. Many geographers consider Turkey politically in Europe, although it is rather a transcontinental country between Asia and Europe. The land borders of Turkey total 2,573 kilometres (1,599 mi), and the coastlines (including islands) total another 8,333 kilometres (5,178 mi).
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. Turkey is generally divided into seven regions; the Black Sea region, the Marmara region, the Aegean, the Mediterranean, Central Anatolia, the East Anatolian 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 one-sixth of Turkey’s total land area.
The Marmara region covers the area encircling the Sea of Marmara and 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), a major winter sports and tourist center. 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 the 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 suddenly rise up behind 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 Anatolian Region is Turkey’s largest and highest region. About three-fourths of it is at an altitude of 1,500-2,000 meters. Eastern Anatolia is composed of individual mountains as well as of whole mountain ranges, with vast plateaus and plains. There are numerous inactive volcanoes in the region, including Nemrut, Suphan, Tendurek and Turkey’s highest peak, Mount Agri (Ararat), which is 5,165 meters high. Several plains extend along the course of the River Murat, a tributary of the Firat. 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.