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The territory of Turkey extends from 36° to 42° N and from 26° to 45° E in
Eurasia. It is roughly rectangular in shape and is 1,660 kilometers (1,031 mi)
wide. Turkey's area inclusive of lakes is 814,578 square kilometres
(314,510 sq mi), of which 790,200 square kilometres (305,098 sq mi) occupies the
Anatolian peninsula (also called Asia Minor) in Asia, and 3% or 24,378 square
kilometres (9,412 sq mi) are located in Europe. Many geographers consider Turkey
politically and culturally in Europe, although it is a transcontinental country
between Asia and Europe. The land borders of Turkey total 2,573 kilometres
(1,599 mi), and the coastlines (including islands) total another 8,333
kilometres (5,178 mi).
Mount
Erciyes is the second highest mountain and a ski resort in central Anatolia
Turkey is generally divided into seven regions: the Marmara, the Aegean, the
Mediterranean, Central Anatolia, East Anatolia, Southeast Anatolia and the Black
Sea region. The uneven north Anatolian terrain running along the Black Sea
resembles a long, narrow belt. This region comprises approximately 1/6 of
Turkey's total land area. As a general trend, the inland Anatolian plateau
becomes increasingly rugged as it progresses eastward
Turkey forms a bridge between Europe and Asia, with the division between the two
running from the Black Sea (Karadeniz) to the north down along the Bosporus
(Istanbul Boğazı) strait through the Sea of Marmara (Marmara Denizi) and the
Dardanelles (Çanakkale Boğazı) strait to the Aegean Sea (Ege Denizi) and the
larger Mediterranean Sea (Akdeniz) to the south. The Anatolian peninsula or
Anatolia (Anadolu) consists of a high central plateau with narrow coastal
plains, in between the Köroğlu and East-Black Sea mountain range to the north
and the Taurus Mountains (Toros Dağları) to the south. To the east is found a
more mountainous landscape, home to the sources of rivers such as the Euphrates
(Fırat), Tigris (Dicle) and the Araks (Aras), as well as Lake Van (Van Gölü) and
Mount Ararat (Ağrı Dağı), Turkey's highest point at 5,137 metres (16,853 ft).
The climate is a Mediterranean temperate climate, with hot, dry summers and
mild, wet and cold winters, though conditions can be much harsher in the more
arid interior.
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Average Temp
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High Temp
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Low Temp
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Average Hum.
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Average Rain
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Marmara Region
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13.5°C
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44.6°C
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-27.8°C
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71.2 %
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564.3 mm
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22.2 in
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Aegean Region
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15.4°C
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48.5°C
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-45.6°C
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60.9 %
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706.0 mm
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27.8 in
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Mediteranian Region
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16.4°C
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45.6°C
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-33.5°C
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63.9 %
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706.0 mm
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27.8 in
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Black Sea Region
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12.3°C
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44.2°C
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-32.8°C
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70.9 %
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828.5 mm
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32.6 in
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Central Anatolia
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10.6°C
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41.8°C
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-36.2°C
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62.6 %
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392.0 mm
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15.4 in
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East Anatolia
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9.7°C
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44.4°C
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-45.6°C
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60.9 %
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569.0 mm
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22.4 in
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Southeast Anatolia
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16.5°C
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48.4°C
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-24.3°C
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53.4 %
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584.5 mm
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23.0 in
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GEOGRAPHY
