Geographical and Political Location. Turkey, a country of utmost strategic importance in the world due to its geopolitical location, is on the crossroads between the continents of Asia, Europe and Africa, which are referred to as the “Lands of the Old World”. This country, enjoying a wealth of divine gifts of all kinds of scenic wonders, is a unique bridge between all faiths as well as Eastern and Western civilizations.

Turkey is linked to the oceans through the Black Sea, Marmara and Mediterranean Seas, which encircle it on three sides. It is like a neighbor to the entire world and has been the epicenter of major trade and migration routes throughout history. The Black Sea is linked to the world via the Straits and momentous shipping routes pass through the Marmara, an interior sea. The country borders Georgia, Armenia, Nakhichevan and Iran to the east, Bulgaria and Greece to the west, and Iraq and Syria to the south.

Turkey is a member of a variety of international organizations such as the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,World Trade Organization (WTO), Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization, and the Economic Cooperation Organization and it is also a candidate for full EU membership.

Area and Surface Formations. Turkey, rectangular in shape, has a surface area of 814,578 square kilometers. In this respect, it is greater than all of its neighbors except Iran, and all European countries except the Russian Federation. The land segment on the European continent with 3% of its total area is called Thrace, and the remaining 97% landmass in Asia is called Anatolia.

The length of the land borders of the country is 2,875 kilometers; its coastline is 8,333 kilometers long, while its landmass is approximately 550 kilometers wide and about 1,500 kilometers long.

Turkey is  located  in  the  temperate  zone between the   36  and 42^nd degrees of northern latitudes and 26 and 45^th degrees of eastern longitudes; and there is a  time difference of 76 minutes between its easternmost and westernmost tips.

Turkey, an elevated and mountainous country with all types and ages of geological formations, is even higher than the highest continent Asia with an average altitude of 1,132 meters, the latter being 1,010 meters. It is surrounded by high mountains in the north and south. The North Anatolian Mountains along the Black Sea coast and the Taurus Mountains in the south set Turkey’s high elevation characteristics. The Kaçkar Peak, the highest summit in the North Anatolia Mountains, is followed by the Ilgaz and Köroğlu mountains. The Samanlı Mountains, Uludağ, Istranca Mountains and Tekir Mountains are located in the Marmara Region; the Kozak, Yunt and Aydın Mountains in the Aegean; the Kızıldağ, Mount Hasan and the İdris, Elma and Ayaş mountains in Central Anatolia; and the Karacadağ and Raman Mountain in Southeastern Anatolia. The Great Ağrı Mountain is the highest peak in Turkey with 5,137 meters, and located in Eastern Anatolia along with the inactive volcano Mount Süphan as well as Nemrut and Alacadağ peaks.

Turkey is replete with seas, rivers and plains as well as lands fit for agriculture and raising livestock. The mountain ranges in the north and south are separated from each other by the large plains in Central Anatolia. The most fertile lands in the Black Sea Region are the Bafra, Çarşamba and Merzifon plains in addition to the Konya plain in Central Anatolia, the Çukurova Plain in Southern Anatolia, the Muş Plain in Southeastern Anatolia and the Bakırçay, Gediz, Büyük Menderes and Küçük Menderes plains in the Aegean Region.

Turkey is located within the Alpine-Himalayan zone, one of the most prominent seismic belts in the world, and eight major earthquakes have taken place along the North Anatolian Fault since 1939 .