Turkey
Turkey: population, cities
Population
Population
According to Countryaah website, Turkey has about 80 million residents.

Ethnic composition
Mainly Turks (approx. 80%) live in Turkey, besides Kurds, Zaza, Arabs,
Circassians, Georgians, Lasen, Armenians, Abkhazians, Chechens, Yezidi, Ubyches,
Greeks, Bulgarians, Albanians, Jews and other ethnic groups.
Religion
About 99% of the Turkish population belong to Islam.
National languages
The national language is Turkish. In addition, numerous dialects such as Kurdish
are also spoken.
Capital, other cities
The capital of Turkey is Ankara with a population of around 4.4 million. According to Abbreviation Finder, TUR stands for Turkey in English. Click to see other meanings of this 3-letter acronym.
Other cities are:
- Istanbul with around 8,800,000 residents
- Izmir with around 2,500,000 residents
- Bursa with around 1,500,000 residents
- Adana with around 1,250,000 residents
- Gaziantep with around 1,050,000 residents
- Konya with around 880,000 residents
- Antalya with around 750,000 residents
Turkey: geography, general map
Turkey has a common border with the following eight countries:
- Bulgaria with a length of about 240 km
- Greece with a length of about 206 km
- Syria with a length of about 822 km
- Iran with a length of about 499 km
- Iraq with a length of about 352 km
- Georgia with a length of about 252 km
- Armenia with a length of about 268 km
- Azerbaijan with a length of about 9 km
The country has a coast to the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea, the Marmara Sea and
the Mediterranean Sea. The total length of the Turkish coast is around 8,335 km. Check
topmbadirectory for politics, flags, famous people, animals and plants of Turkey.

General
Turkey is about twice the size of Germany and extends over the European
(approx. 3%) and the Asian (approx. 97%) continent. The west-east axis is about
1,570 km long, the north-south extension is between 450 and 660 km.
About 2/3 of the country's border is made up of the Black Sea and the
Mediterranean. The country lies on the border of continental plates, which is
what causes the frequent earthquakes in Turkey. Turkey is divided into the
following 7 regions:
- Maramara area
- Area
- Mediterranean area
- Black Sea area
- Inner Anatolia
- Southeast Anatolia
- Eastern Anatolia
Area and land use
Turkey covers an area of 814,578 km².
Thereof:
- Forest
Around 26% of the country is forested.
- Arable land and fields
About 30% of the land area of Turkey is arable land.
- Steppe
Most of Turkey is covered by a barren steppe landscape. It extends at a
height of 1,000 m over the Central Anatolian plateau and is bordered in the
north by the Pontic Mountains and in the south by the Taurus Mountains.
- Mountains
Around 90% of Turkey is covered by mountains. The mountain ranges in the
north of the country are called the North Anatolian Mountains or Pontus
Mountains, while the Taurus Mountains extend in the south. In addition to
Mount Ararat, there are a few large volcanoes in Turkey, but none of them
are active anymore.
Tidal range
In Antalya on the Mediterranean Sea the mean tidal range is only a few
decimeters and in Samsun on the Black Sea it is the same. For detailed
explanations of ebb and flow, see Tides, Ebb and Flow.
Compare
The world's highest tidal range can be found in the Bay of Fundy in
Canada, where it is up to 16 m, and at spring tide even over 20 m. The Bay of
Fundy is located on the Atlantic between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick
and Nova Scotia, which is called Nova Scotia in German and whose capital is
Halifax. On the German North Sea coast it varies between 1 m and 3 m. In the
western Baltic Sea, on the other hand, the tidal range is only 0.3 m, while it
is barely noticeable in the eastern Baltic Sea.
Longitude and latitude
Turkey extends over the following geographical latitude (abbreviation Δφ) and
geographical longitude (abbreviation Δλ):
Δφ = from 35 ° 51 to 42 ° 06 north latitude
Δλ = from 25 ° 40 to 44 ° 48 east longitude |
You can find detailed information on this subject under Longitude and
Latitude.
Legal time
In Turkey, the following applies to Central European Time (CET) or Greenwich
Mean Time (GMT):
The time zone Turkey is in is known as Arabia Standard Time (AST), Eastern
European Time (EET). The country left the Eastern European Time Zone on October
29, 2016.
For more detailed explanations of the time, see Time zones, time.
Highest level of the sun in Ankara
Ankara lies at a northern latitude of around φ = 40 °
If the sun is at the tropic, i.e. at δ = 23.5 °, summer begins in Ankara, this
is June 21. Then, for the highest position of the sun at noon, according to
Eq. 1 (see position of the sun):
40 ° = (90 ° - h) + 23.5 °
so:
This is the highest level above the horizon (exactly: above the chimney) that
the sun takes within the year in Ankara.
Mountains, Ararat
Büyük Ağrı Dağı (Ararat)
The highest mountain in the country is the Büyük Ağrı Dağı (Great Ararat) with a
height of 5,137 m. According to legend, Noah's Ark was stranded here after the
end of the flood.
The mountain is a stratovolcano that probably last erupted 4,000 to 5,000 years
ago. What is known, however, is the great earthquake of 1840, which resulted in
a mud and debris avalanche that destroyed an entire village. Although the
mountain is entirely on the territory of Turkey, there is a symbolic
representation of it in the national coat of arms of Armenia. The mountain was
climbed for the first time in 1829 under the direction of Johann Jakob Friedrich
Wilhelm Parrot - Rector of the University of Tartu (Estonia) from 1831 to 1834.
Other mountains with a height of over 3,500 m are:
Surname |
Height |
Location |
Particularities |
Uludoruk Tepe (Cilo Sat) |
4,135 m |
In the Taurus Mountains
in Eastern Anatolia |
|
Cilo Dağı |
4,116 m |
In the Taurus Mountains
in Eastern Anatolia |
|
Süphan Dağı |
4,058 m |
Eastern Anatolia
on the north bank of Lake Van |
Stratovolcano |
Kaçkar Dağı |
3,933 m |
In
the east Pontic mountains in the northeast of the country |
|
Erciyes Dağı |
3,917 m |
In the province of Kayseri
in Central Anatolia |
Stratovolcano, winter sports area |
Little Ararat |
3,897 m |
Neighbor of the Great Ararat |
Together with the Great Ararat
part of the Ararat National Park |
Mor Dağı |
3,807 m |
In the province of Hakkari |
|
Demirkazık Dağı |
3,756 m |
In the Niğde Province
in Central Anatolia |
|
Karadağ |
3,752 m |
In the province of Hakkari |
|
Emler Zirvesi |
3,723 m |
In the Niğde Province
in Central Anatolia |
|
Gökdağ |
3,604 m |
In the province of Hakkari |
|
Kepce Dağı |
3,550 m |
In the province of Van
in the vicinity of Lake Van |
|
Dilek Dağı |
3,550 m |
In the Eastern Pontic Mountains
in the provinces of Rize and Erzurum |
|
Keşiş Tepesi |
3,548 m |
In the province of Erzincan |
|
Tendürek Dağı |
3,533 m |
In the province of Kayseri
near the Iranian border |
Shield volcano
last erupted in 1855 |
Medetsiz Zirvesi |
3,525 m |
In the Niğde Province
in Central Anatolia |
|
Hüdavendigâr Dağı |
3,510 m |
In the provinces of Ağrı and Van |
|
Rivers, Euphrates, Tigis
Kizilirmak
The longest river in the country - which flows exclusively in Turkey - is the
Kizilirmak with a length of around 1,355 km. The river has its origin east of
the provincial capital Sivas on the slopes of the Kızıl- and Kumanlı Dag - about
150 km west of the headwaters of the Euphrates. The Kizilirmak flows into the
Black Sea north of the village of Bafra in the province of Samsun. According to
the Ramsar Convention, the delta of the river's mouth is a particularly
protected wetland area.
The Ramsar Convention is a treaty under international law, the conclusion of
which was initiated by UNESCO. It protects wetlands, especially as a habitat for
waterbirds and waders.
The convention was concluded on February 2, 1971 and entered into force in
1975. The treaty is named after the Iranian city of Ramsar, where the
negotiations took place
Euphrates, Firat
Euphrates and Tigris are considered to be one of the cradles of human
culture. In Turkish the Euphrates is called Firat. The river has a length of
2,735 km - but together with its source river, the Murat, it has a length of
3,455 km. The other source river of the Euphrates is the Karasu (black
water). Both have their source in Eastern Anatolia in Turkey. Initially, the two
rivers flow roughly parallel in a westerly direction and then merge near the
city of Malatya to form the Euphrates. At the end of its journey, it joins the
Tigris at Al Qurnah in Iraq to form the approximately 195 km long Shatt al-Arab,
which then flows into the Persian Gulf after Basra in Iraq.
Tigris
The Tigris is a 1,900 km long river in the Middle East. Its origin lies in the
eastern part of the Taurus in eastern Turkey. Later a sückweit depicts the
border with Syria. Then it flows through Iraq. At the end of its journey, it
joins the Euphrates at Al Qurnah in Iraq to form the approximately 195 km long
Shatt al-Arab, which then flows into the Persian Gulf after Basra in Iraq. The
Euphrates and Tigris together form the Mesopotamia - one of the cradles of human
culture.
Aksu
The Aksu has a length of 162 km. Its source is in the western Taurus Mountains
and it flows east of Antalya into the Gulf of Antalya.
Afrin
The Afrin has a length of around 150 km. It rises west of Gaziantep in the
Kartal Mountains, flows through the northwest of Syria and flows into the Nahr
al-Asi (Orontes) near Antakya in the Turkish province of Hatay.
Botan
The Botan is a km long river. It rises in the mountains west of the Nordüz
plateau. This plateau forms the border between the provinces of Siirt, Hakkari
and Van. It flows into the Tigris near Çattepe in the province of Siirt.
Ceyhan
The Ceyhan with a length of around 510 km arises near the city of Elbistan in
the province of Kahramanmaraş in the Taurus Mountains. It forms a large delta in
the Çukurova lowland, over which it flows into the Iskenderun Gulf near the city
of Karataş in the Adana province. The Gulf of Iskenderun is located in the
extreme southeast of Turkey and is a bulge of the Mediterranean Sea. A little to
the west is the city of Issus (Issus), where Alexander the Great against the
Persians under their King Dareios III in 333. won. It should be mentioned that
the Ceyhan flows partly underground.
Chabur
The 320 km long Chabur is fed by several sources. Some tributaries have their
source in the limestone mountains near the Turkish city of Tur Abdin. But the
largest tributaries come from several sources in the area of the
Turkish-Syrian border at Ra's al-'Ayn. It flows into the Euphrates at
Busayra. Busayra is located in Syria in the Dair az-Zaur governorate.
Çoruh
The Çoruh (also: Ch'orokhi) has a length of 375 km. Its source is in the 3,000 m
high Mescite Mountains in the Turkish province of Erzurum - in northeastern
Turkey. It flows into the Black Sea in Georgia south of Batumi.
Gediz
The Gediz - in antiquity the Hermos - has a length of 405 km. The source of the
river is located in the Lydian mountains between the city of Gediz and Murat
Dağı (2,310 m). The river flows over an extensive Delte, the southern part of
which is swamped, about 30 km northwest of İzmir into the Gulf of İzmir.
Göksu
Today's Göksu was called Kalykadnos in antiquity and Saleph in the Middle
Ages. The river has a length of around 260 km and flows through the Turkish
provinces of Antalya, Konya, Karaman and Mersin. The river has two headwaters,
the northern one being the Gökçay (Blue River) and the southern one being the
Gökdere (Blue Stream). Both source rivers have their origin in the Taurus
Mountains. Its confluence with the Göksu is located south of the city of Mut in
the Mersin province. The river then flows into the Mediterranean between the two
cities of Taşucu and Silifke in the province of Mersin. For those interested in
history, it should be mentioned that in this river Emperor Friedrich I
"Barbarossa" (1122-1190) drowned on June 10, 1190 on the Third Crusade near the
city of Seleucia - in today's province of Mersin.
Large meander
The large meander has a length of 550 km and is called the "large meander" to
distinguish it from the "small meander". Since the river is very winding
(meandering) one gave it this name.
The river has its origin in the two source rivers Banaz and the Kufi in the
Phrygia mountains - between the provincial capitals of Uşak (province: Uşak) and
Afyonkarahisar (province: Afyonkarahisar). Their confluence is north of the city
of Denizli in Eastern Anatolia. The river then flows into the Aegean near the
ancient city of Milet - the mathematician "Thales von Milet" is known. On the
site of the old city of Miletus you can see the remains of the old temples, a
bathhouse and other remains of buildings.
Little Meander
The 200 km long Little Meander, in ancient times the Kaystros, rises between
İzmir and the district town of Denizli east of the 2,200 m high Bozdağ.
It has its course in a valley about 30 km to the north - roughly parallel to the
lower reaches of the Great Meander. The river flows into the Aegean Sea near
ancient Ephesus - at today's Selçuk. The ruins of ancient Ephesus have been
partially rebuilt and are definitely worth a visit.
Großer Zab
The Große Zab has a length of about 430 km. It rises in southeastern Turkey and
flows into the Tigris in Iraq south of Mosul. It roughly forms the border to the
Kurdish part of Iraq.
The Little Zab does not flow in Turkey!
Kura
The Kura - called Cyrus in ancient times - has a length of 1,364 km long Kura,
making it the longest river in the Caucasus. The river has its origin in the
province of Ardahan in northeastern Turkey. The river then flows through Georgia
and there the capital Tbilisi and then Azerbaijan, where it flows into the
Caspian Sea.
Mariza
The 505 km long Mariza (Maritza) flows through the region of Thrace in
Southeastern Europe, with its lower course forming the border between Greece and
Turkey and partly that between Greece and Bulgaria.
The river has its origin in the Rila Mountains in Bulgaria. Its mouth is near
the Greek city at Alexandroupolis in the Aegean Sea.
Murat
The Murat with a length of 720 km is the eastern source river of the
Euphrates. It rises near Mount Ararat north of Lake Van near the city of
Doğubeyazıt in the province of Ağrı - in the far east of Turkey. Near the city
of Malatya in the province of the same name, it unites with the Karasu to form
the Euphrates.
Nahr al-Asi, Asi Nehri
The Nahr al-Asi - in Turkish Asi Nehri - has a length of 570 km and rises in
Lebanon from a karst spring in the Bekaa plain - north of the city of
Baalbek. In addition to Lebanon, it flows through Syria and flows into the
Mediterranean Sea in Turkey near the city of Samandağ in the Hatay province.
Sakarya Nehri
With a length of around 825 km, the Sakarya Nehri is a river that only flows
through Turkey. Its source is in the eastern Taurus Mountains in the Afyon
province. It flows into the Black Sea in the southwest. In the province of
Eskisehir, the river forms the Gökçekaya dam, which is around 21 km² in size.
Seyhan
The Seyhan has a length of around 560 km. It consists of two main arms: the
Göksu, which rises in the Tahtalı Mountains in the Kayseri province, and the
Zamantı, which rises in the central Tarsus Mountains in the north of the Tahtalı
Mountains in the Sivas province. Both rivers converge near the city of
Aladağ. The Seyhan flows into the Mediterranean about 20 km south of the old
port city of Tarsus - in the province of Mersin. Incidentally, the river crosses
the city of Adana, which has a population of around 2 million. In Adana, by the
way, the stone bridge built under the Roman Emperor Hadrian, the world's oldest
bridge still in use, spans the river.
Tundscha
The approximately 350 km long Tundscha is a river that flows through Bulgaria
and Turkey. It rises in Bulgaria in the High Balkans near the 2,376 m high Botew
summit. The Tundscha is the largest tributary of the Mariza, into which it flows
at Edirne - in the European part of Turkey.
Skamandros
The approximately km long Skamandros rises in the Ida Mountains and flows north
of Kumkale into the Dardanelles. The river is worth mentioning because the Troy,
excavated by Heinrich Schliemann, lies on its bank.
In Greek mythology, the river also plays an important role because it is
personified by the river god of the same name. The river god is a son of Zeus
and the husband of the nymph Idaia. He is considered to be the progenitor of the
Trojans.
Xanthos
Although the Xanthos is only about 40 km long, it is the most important river in
the beautiful region of Lycia in the province of Antalya in Turkey. He also
plays an important role in Greek mythology. Its source is in the Taurus
Mountains on the 3,025 m high mountain "Kizilca Dağ", from where it flows into
the Lycian plain and then flows north of Gelemiş (in ancient times: Patara) into
the Mediterranean Sea.
According to Greek mythology, Leto is said to have immersed her twins Artemis
and Apollon in the holy water of the river while fleeing from Zeus' wife
Hera. Leto is the daughter of the titans Koios and Phoibe and later the lover of
Zeus, who with her fathered the twins Artemis and Apollon. As a reminder, the
Letoon temple complex is located on the river.
Yeşilırmak
The Yeşilırmak (Green River) has a length of around 420 km. The river has its
origin in the province of Sivas, most of which is in central Anatolia. It flows
into the Çarşamba Delta in the province of Samsun in the Black Sea. Samsun is
located in the south of the Black Sea, not quite in the middle between the
eastern and western parts.
Lakes
Lake Van
The country includes numerous smaller and larger lakes, which together cover an
area of 9,200 km². The largest lake is the Vansee with an area of about
3,525 km². In the lake are the uninhabited smaller islands Arter, Akdamar and
Çarpanak Adası.
Tuz Gölü
The Tuz Gölü is a 1,665 km² salt lake, which is the second largest lake in the
country after Lake Van (3,525 km²). In addition, with a salt content of around
33%, the lake is one of the most salty lakes in the world.
The lake is located in the dry highlands between Ankara, Konya and
Aksaray. The lake is only about 2 m deep and has no runoff - hence the high salt
content - and gets its water from the precipitation and the groundwater. Three
salt mining factories are located on the lake, producing around 70% of the
country's salt consumed. Most of the Turkish greater flamingos nests here and
the second largest colony of Armenian gulls is located on the lake with around
500 breeding pairs.
Beysehir Gölü
The Beyşehir Gölü (Beyşehir Lake) is the third largest lake in Turkey with an
area of around 650 km². Its maximum depth is around 10 m.
It is a fresh water lake. The lake is located on the western edge of Central
Anatolia in the provinces of Isparta and Konya - at an altitude of 1,115 m. It
gets its water from precipitation. The following islands are located in the
lake: İğdeli, Akburun, Kızkulesi, Mada, Yılanlı and Külbent.
It is worth mentioning the large fish population in the lake. The Hittite spring
sanctuary Eflatun Pınar located east of the lake and the Hittite relief Fasıllar
located in the southeast are worth seeing.
In the southwest of the lake are the remains of the Kubadabad Palace, which was
built by the Seljuk Sultan Kai Kobad I (d. 1237).
Egirdir Gölü
The Eğirdir Gölü (Gölü = lake) is the fourth largest lake in the country and the
second largest freshwater lake with an area of around 485 km².
The lake is located in the province of Isparta, about 190 km north of
Antalya. It is divided into two parts by the 1.6 km wide Hoyran Strait - the
smaller northern part and the larger southern part.
The town of Eğirdir with around 18,000 residents is located on the lake,
after which the lake was named. The lake is connected to the 11 km² Kovada Gölü
via an approximately 20 km long canal
Islands
The following islands are offshore or belong to the Black Sea or the Sea of
Marmara
Gökceada
This island covers an area of around 287 km², with a population of around
7,500. The island is located in the Aegean Sea, near the entrance to the
Dardanelles.
Marmara Island (Marmara Adasi)
The island - also known as the marble island - is located in the Marmara Sea and
covers an area of 130 km². It is known for its white marble, along with wine,
grain and olive supplies.
Bozcaada
Bozcaada is located in the Northeast Aegean Sea and covers an area of 45 km²
Imrali
The island covers an area of around 25 km² and is located in the Sea of
Marmara. The island was named in honor of the Ottoman admiral and the
conqueror of the island - Emir Ali. Abdullah Öcalan, who was sentenced to life
imprisonment in 1999, is serving his sentence on the island - the former
chairman of the (illegal) Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK).
Büyükada
The island belongs to the archipelago of the "Prince Islands" (Adalar) and is
the largest of these islands with an area of km². It is located in the Marmara
Sea off Istanbul. Private cars and taxis are prohibited on the island;
horse-drawn carriages or bicycles are used to get around. But you can also rent
riding donkeys.
It should be noted that from 1929 onwards Leon Trotsky spent several years of
his exile here.
Çatalada
This island is located in the Aegean Sea, near the town of Turgutreis west of
Bodrum - in the south-western part of Turkey. The island is a good tip for
divers.
Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Sea
Aegean Sea
In the west, Turkey borders on the Aegean Sea, which is a marginal sea
of the Mediterranean Sea. More about the Aegean Sea at Goruma here >>>
Mediterranean Sea
And in the south the country has a long coast to the Mediterranean Sea. You can
find out more about the Mediterranean from Goruma here >>>
Black Sea
Turkey borders the Black Sea in the north. You can find more information about
this water at Goruma here >>>
Bosperus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles
If you want to take a ship from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, you
first pass the Bosphorus, then the Marmara Sea and after passing the
Dardanelles, you get to the Aegean Sea. Bosperus The Bosperus
is a km long strait between the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea. It separates the
European part of Istanbul from the Asian part.
Marmara Sea
The Marmara Sea is completely surrounded by the Turkish Marmara region.
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