Turkey--Geography

CIA FactbookThe World Factbook 1993: Turkey Geography

Location: Southeastern Europe/Southwest Asia, bordering the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Iran

Area: total area: 780,580 km2 land area: 770,760 km2 comparative area: slightly larger than Texas

Land boundaries: total 2,627 km, Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 331 km, Syria 822 km

Coastline: 7,200 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only - to the maritime boundary agreed upon with the former USSR territorial sea: 6 nm in the Aegean Sea, 12 nm in the Black Sea and in the Mediterranean Sea

International disputes: complex maritime and air (but not territorial) disputes with Greece in Aegean Sea; Cyprus question; Hatay question with Syria; ongoing dispute with downstream riparians (Syria and Iraq) over water development plans for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Climate: temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior

Terrain: mostly mountains; narrow coastal plain; high central plateau (Anatolia)

Natural resources: antimony, coal, chromium, mercury, copper, borate, sulphur, iron ore

Land use: arable land: 30% permanent crops: 4% meadows and pastures: 12% forest and woodland: 26% other: 28%

Irrigated land: 22,200 km2 (1989 est.)

Environment: subject to severe earthquakes, especially along major river valleys in west; air pollution; desertification

Note: strategic location controlling the Turkish straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas