TURKEY MAP
Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkiye, is situated at the crossroads of the Balkans, Caucasus, Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean and straddles both European and Asian continents. It borders the Black Sea to the north, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan to the East, the Mediterranean Sea to the South and the Aegean Sea, Greece and Bulgaria to west. The land mass, the majority of which lies within the continent of Asia, stretches up to 640 km from north to south and 1,000 km from west to east. Turkey is home to over 86 million people, most of which are ethnic Turks claiming Turkish as their mother tongue. Ankara is Turkey’s political capital and second largest city, while Istanbul is not only the largest city, but also the economic and financial centre of the country. Other major centres include Izmir, Bursa and Antalya. Much of the country is mountainous with coastal plains rising up to a central plateau and various mountain ranges, the highest point being Mount Ararat in Eastern Turkey with an elevation of 5,137 m. Turkey’s climate is generally a dry Mediterranean variant, with slightly harsher conditions experienced in the interior. With 21 UNESCO World Heritage sites and a rich and diverse cuisine, no wonder Turkey is such a popular destination for world travellers!