TURKEY IN BRIEF GEOGRAPHY :

Turkey's land mass is 774.815 sq km.

The European and Asian sides are divided by the Istanbul Bogazl (Bosphorus), the Sea of Marmara, and the Canakkale Bogazi (Dardanelles).

Anatolia is a high plateau region rising progressively towards the east, and is broken by the valleys of about fifteen rivers, including the Dicle (Tigris) and the Flrat (Euphrates).

There are numerous lakes and some, such as Lake Van, are as large as inland seas.

In the north, the eastern Black Sea Mountain chain runs parallel to the Black Sea; in the south, the Taurus Mountains sweep down almost to the narrow, fertile coastal plain along the sea coast.

Turkey enjoys a variety of climates, changing from the temperate climate of the Black Sea region, to the continental climate of the interior, then, to the Mediterranean climate of the Aegean and Mediterranean coastal regions.

The coastline of Turkey's four seas is more than 8333 km long.