Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye), known officially as the Republic of Turkey -Türkiye Cumhuriyeti is an Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in western Asia and Trakya (Rumelia) in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. Turkey borders eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west, Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhichevan), and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea, as is Cyprus, is to the south; the Aegean Sea and Archipelago are to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. Separating Anatolia and Trakya are the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus, which are commonly reckoned to delineate the border between Asia and Europe, thereby making Turkey transcontinental.
Because of its strategic location astride two continents, Turkey's culture has a unique blend of Eastern and Western tradition. A powerful regional presence in the Eurasian landmass with strong cultural and economic influence in the area between the European Union in the west and Central Asia in the east, Russia in the north and the Middle East in the south, Turkey has come to acquire increasing strategic significance.
Turkey, a developed country, is a democratic, secular, unitary, constitutional republic whose political system was established in 1923 under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, following the fall of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I. Since then, Turkey has become increasingly integrated with the West while continuing to foster relations with the Eastern world.
7 Regions of Turkey
The Marmara Region
The Marmara Region forms a passage between the Balkan Peninsula and Anatolia. Europe and Asia are connected to each other in this region. It covers 8.5 percent of the country with a surface area of 67,000 km2. It gets its name from the internal sea with the same name, which is entirely surrounded by land and connected to the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea through the straits. The islands of Bozcaada and Gokceada (Imroz), situated in the open sea off the Aegean coast, are also located in the Marmara Region.
The Marmara Region is surrounded by the Black Sea and Central Anatolia Regions to the east, the Aegean Region to the south and Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest. The borders of the Marmara Region are not in conformity with the provincial borders in many places just as in the other regions. Edirne, Kirklareli, Tekirdag, Istanbul, Kocaeli and Yalova Provinces are completely within the borders of the region. Some lands in Sakarya, Bilecik, Bursa, Balikesir and Canakkale Provinces are located within the borders of the Aegean and the Black Sea Regions.
Aegean Region
The blue waters that caress Turkey's western coastline have given their name to the entire region, known as the Aegean. These lands were once home to many great civilizations, empires and states, out of which sprung some of the world's finest mathematicians, scientists, architects and sculptors.
The mountains of the Aegean drop vertically into the sea, crossing fertile plains and ensuring a temperate climate. The people who once lived here were mostly engaged in agriculture and commerce through which they achieved a certain prosperity. They built beautiful cities and monuments and developed new techniques of both farming and construction. A visitor wandering through the ruins of the region today, spread like an open-air museum, can sense how this land was once a cradle of civilizations, inspiring admiration and fascination throughout the ages. Indeed, the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts of Turkey encompass the world's richest collection of ancient ruins and monuments. The people who live in the region today, now the second most developed area of Turkey, continue to be blessed by nature. The inland cities have also experienced a remarkable growth in recent years.
Mediterrenean Region
The southern coast of Turkey is one of the world's most beautiful regions: sandy beaches offering eight months of swimming, magnificent landscapes and a multitude of historic sites.
The region, which unfolds along a belt 100-200 kilometers wide between the Taurus mountains and the sea, has been a focal point of interaction, commercial relations and political confrontations throughout history. Since early times, this region has seen the founding of heavily populated cities and the area as a whole became rich and prosperous. A period of decline set in due to the decreasing importance of the Mediterranean in world trade, the devastation caused by earthquakes, the deterioration of waterways and the spreading of malaria. The fertile plains were abandoned and became little more than winter quarters for nomads. In recent decades, this region has regained its former importance with the development of commercial agriculture and tourism.
Adana, the metropolis of the eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey, Mersin, Tarsus, Iskenderun and Antalya have all developed and expanded rapidly. The peaks of the magnificent Taurus mountain range, covered with snow in summer as well as in winter, form the southern border of Central Anatolia and extend towards the east, hugging the shores of the Mediterranean itself. To the south of these mountains, the long white sandy beaches, the bays and coves surrounded by pine forests and the turquoise colored sea make this one of the most prominent tourism resorts of Turkey. But tourism is not its sole economic activity. Thanks to its temperate Mediterranean climate, the region has a rich and abundant agriculture and produces citrus fruits, bananas, avocados, cotton, vegetables and flowers.
Central Anatolia
With yellow wheat fields, its young volcanoes and its infinite steppe, the plateaus of Anatolia offers a stern landscape. But a look at this history reveals millennia rich with emotive episodes.
Because of its location in the center of the country, the region has been a historical junction of major trade routes and a crossroads of the migrations of people and nations.
The two superpowers in antiquity were Egypt and the Hittite Empire that emerged in Central Anatolia. The Hittites distinguished themselves not only through the civilizations they created, but also through the state structure they evolved and their tolerant respect for human rights.
Throughout history, the steppes of Anatolia have witnessed battles between powerful armies in quest of domination. It has been invaded by Alexander the Great as well as Timurlane. The Seljuk Turks left their mark in Central Anatolia through their remarkable architecture and decorative arts. In recent history, the struggle for independence was launched here and the first National Assembly met in Ankara, a landmark in the history of Turkey and of the region. Finally, after the turbulence of thousands of years, Central Anatolia achieved peace and stability. Now, this region, with Ankara as its capital and other booming cities, is rapidly catching up with the developed world.
Black Sea
The mountain range which runs parallel to the coast in the north of Turkey has erected a veritable wall between the Black Sea and the plateaux of Anatolia. The geographical formation of this past of Turkey is quite different from that of western Anatolia, where mountain ridges radiate from the central plateau like the fingers of a hand. Here, a single range virtually hugs the coast, with often no more than 50 kilometers between the two. Rivers have conformed in configuration and flow parallel to the coast, until rifts in the range open a way of escape to the sea.
On crossing the Black Sea Mountains, one suddenly descends into a world of dense forest vegetation and flowers, into rich foliage from alder, lime, walnut, elm, beech and chestnut trees. The cities, towns and villages are squeezed along the narrow coastal strip. It is perhaps for this reason that the inhabitants of the region are known for their temper, obstinacy, fighting spirit and a self-deprecating sense of humor.
Nevertheless, these coastal lands are productive. The region's hazelnut production is the main source of supply to the European market and practically all the tea consumed in Turkey is grown here. Because of its geographical peculiarities and turbulent history, a somewhat different and interesting culture has emerged in the Black Sea region. The animated energy of the Black Sea inhabitant is reflected in the rhythm of the music and the playful movements of their dances.
Eastern Anatolia
Some of the oldest and most remarkable civilizations that history has recorded were founded in Eastern Anatolia, a rugged area covered by high mountains and plateaus. The altitude in this part of Turkey starts at 1,600 meters, reaching 5,165 meters on the peak of Mount Ararat. Not surprisingly, the people living here are aware of the dominant position they occupy; they call it "the roof of the world". In such high and rugged lands, the winters are long and cold. But nature, while inflicting hardship on men with its severe climate, also endowed them generously with rich resources. Rivers bringing fertility not only to Turkey, but also to neighboring countries, have their sources in the region. The Kura, Aras and & Coruh, flowing northward, and the Euphrates and Tigris reaching the sea in the south at Basra on the gulf, are powerful rivers which move immense volumes of water. They lend themselves marvelously to the construction of dams and hydroelectric power plants.
The Heritage of Urartu of Lake Van
A plain which can be irrigated, the greatest lake of Anatolia and a nearby mountain facilitating the defense of the city. With these advantages, Van has been a major center of population since prehistoric times. The city itself, founded many centuries before Christ, is like an oasis in this semiarid region. Van, renowned for the beauty of its gardens, was the capital of the kingdom of the powerful state of Urartu. The citizens developed a rich agriculture by building excellent irrigation systems. Some of the canals built by the Urartus are still used in the city of van.
Monuments and Churches
Eastern Anatolia has been, since the dawn of time, the cradle of civilizations whose magnificence is visible in Byzantine monasteries and churches, Seljuk monuments and caravansaries, elegant Ottoman mosques and monumental palaces.
Living of the Land
The generosity of nature is also reflected in the mineral riches of the region such as copper. The main economic activity however, is still stock-breeding. Shepherds playing pipes, enveloped in cloaks and leading their large flocks, are among the most picturesque sights in the area.
The Taste of a Golden Fruit - The Apricot
In some regions of Anatolia, people believe that three apricots a day keep the doctor away. This belief is reinforced by medical views which recognize the virtues of the apricot. The apricot is virtually synonymous with the city of Malatya, where more than half Turkey's apricots are grown.
A source of income for a large number of families, the apricot, fresh or dried, has become an important export item. Of course, Malatya is not just an apricot producer. It has enjoyed its fair share of the general development in Turkey over recent years, particularly in the field of health services. This city is on its way to becoming one of the important medical service centres in the Middle East.
Year Round Snow
Palandoken must be one of the closest ski resorts to an airport. Five minutes after your plane has arrived at Erzurum, you reach the slopes of Palandoken where the quality of snow is considered to be on a par with that of the Swiss Alps. Palandoken offers many opportunities to winter sports lovers, and is covered with snow for eight months of the year, from November to early June. For, a great danger for skiers, is unheard of here. The weather is clear, the pistes are the longest in Turkey and ski fanatics can marvel at the savage landscape of Palandoken. It is an ideal place to forget the stress and pressures of daily life.
Southeastern Anatolia
In Mesopotamia, "the land between two rivers", civilizations flourished which were to have the greatest impact on the history of humankind. The mouth of the basin, into which the Euphrates and Tigris rivers inject life, was once known as northern Mesopotamia.
This region in southeastern Turkey, bending like a bow along the slopes of the Taurus mountains and extending to the Syrian and Iraqi borders, has always been a crossroads of peoples and cultures. Invading armies have crossed it for centuries, as did caravans on the famous Silk Road, and many migrant peoples have camped out there.
Agriculture has long been the predominant economic activity here. Some 10,000 years ago, many wild animals and plants were domesticated on these plains, but the climate is harsh, the winters rainy and cold and the summers long, hot and dry.
For centuries, aridity has constrained agriculture in these vast lands, otherwise extremely favorable to mechanized farming. The Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) will radically transform the conditions in this region by setting up a vast irrigation system which will in turn result in a dramatic increase in agricultural production.
The Land Will No Longer Be Thirsty
The Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) is a dream which became a plan and then became reality. It is an investment package which will contribute not only to the development of agriculture and energy resources, but also to industry and infrastructure. It is perhaps the largest project in Europe and one of the most important in the world. GAP cover 13 separate projects including 22 dams, 19 hydroelectric power plants and a 630-km long irrigation canal. When completed in 2005, it will promote a dizzying development in the economic and social life of the region.
Harmony Between Climate and Architecture
Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Seljuks, Mongols, Memluks, Karakoyunlus, Aztukluks, Akkoyunlus, Safevids and Ottomans… all these peoples, states and empires have left their marks on Mardin, the city of rocks. The stone houses, masterfully and elegantly built on the steep slopes, achieve an extraordinary harmony between climate, geography and architecture. The civilizations and culture of thousands of years are reflected in the staircased streets, small squares and the traditional dwellings of the city.
The Eighth Wonder of The World
On the peak of Nemrut Mountain near Adiyaman, colossal statues of divinities salute the sunrise each and every morning. This open-air temple, considered the eighth wonder of the world, is dotted with ten-meter high statues of deities made of cut stone, and pyramid shaped tombs. How these stones were carried to an altitude of 2000 meters remains an unanswered question.
From Handlooms to Factories
In Southeastern Turkey, the modest cities of old times are about to achieve an industrial miracle. Weaving in Gaziantep started in the twenties. At that time, women used to work at the looms in cool caves to escape the summer heat. Now Gaziantep has a highly advanced textile industry with 10,000 enterprises and can compete in terms of production and number of hours with the textile production centers of Italy.
Another textile manufacturing center in Southeastern Anatolia is Kahramanmaras. It ranks among the five top centers in Turkey and exports a large share of its production, employing thousands of people in over one hundred firms. Kahramanmaras is also known for its red pepper, which meets 80% of Turkish demand. |
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