landscape
Turkey is a vast country, with a dramatic landscape as varied
as her history
Turkey is roughly rectangular and has an
area of 814,578 square kilometres or 314,510 square miles,
approximately 3.5 times the size of the UK. It is situated
on two continents – 3% in Europe and the remainder in
Asia – which are separated by the Bosphorus, which runs
from the Black Sea through IÏstanbul, and the inland Sea of
Marmara which flows through the Dardanelles and out to the
Aegean. It has a coastline of 8333 kms or 5178 miles in length,
and is bordered by the Black Sea (Karadeniz ) to the north,
the Sea of Marmara (Marmara Denizi ) and the Aegean ( Ege
) to the west and the Mediterranean (Akdeniz ) to the south.
Turkey is a huge country and the distance from IÏstanbul in
the north west to Hakkari in the south east is approx. 1814
kms or 1217 miles.
Turkey is an extremely mountainous country with an average
altitude of 1,132 metres. The NorthAnatolian mountains run
along the north of the country, parallel to the Black Sea,
with the Taurus Mountains sweeping along the Mediterranean
in the south. Turkey’s highest mountain peak at 5165metres
or 16,946 feet is MountArarat (AgðrÝ DagðÝ) , situated in
the north east. MountArarat is a snow-capped inactive volcano,
which rises above the surrounding plains. It is said to have
been the resting place for Noah’s Ark.
There are a large number of lakes in Turkey, some such as
Lake Van, which is the largest natural lake at 3,713 square
kms, covering as much area as an inland sea.Anumber of dams
have been constructed during the past thirty years, which
have resulted in the formation of several large dam lakes
including theAtatürk Dam lake which started to collect
water in January 1990.Amongst themany rivers which flow through
Turkey, the KÝzÝlÝrmak, which flows into the Black Sea is
the longest at 1355 kms. The Euphrates (FÝrat) and Tigris
(Dicle) both originate in Turkey and flow through other countries
before reaching the Persian Gulf.
Turkey is separated into seven geographical regions, which
are, in order of size: East Anatolia (21%), CentralAnatolia
(20%), Black Sea (18%), Mediterranean (15%), Aegean (10%),
Marmara (8.5%) and SoutheastAnatolia (7.5%).
Climate
Turkey is such a large country with such diverse terrain
that the climate varies greatly from one region to another.
The s outhAegean and Mediterranean coasts of Turkey have a
typical Mediterranean climate with hot summers andmild winters.As
you head north towards IÏstanbul, summers become shorter and
the winters colder. The Black Sea coast is Turkey’s
wettest region, and t he only region which receives rainfall
throughout the year. The eastern part can receive up to 2,200
mms annual rainfall, with warm summers and mild winters. In
central Anatolian the summers are hot and dry and the winters
cold, and as you head east towards Eastern Anatolia the summers
become milder and the winters harsher - temperatures can drop
as low as -30°Cto -38°Cin the mountains and snowmay
lie on the ground 120 days of the year.
Natural Reserves
Turkey ranks 10th in the world in terms of the diversity
of minerals produced in the country. One of the richest mineral
deposits is boron salts andTurkey’s reserves amount
to 63%of the world’s total. This ranks second in Turkey’s
exports of mining products after marble and natural stones,
which has been rapidly developing since 1985, and has registered
an average annual growth rate which is twice the world average.
There are over 120 marble deposits of different colours, design
and quality in 80 districts. In 2003 the total export value
of this sector was $431 million.
Agriculture
Turkey is one of the world’s fewself-sufficient countries
in terms of agricultural production in general and food stuffs
in particular. Almost 15% of Turkey’s land consists
of meadows and pastures; 29.5% is forest; and 35.5% arable
lands. Wheat is Turkey’s leading crop and in 2002 Turkey
was the world’s biggest producer of hazelnuts, figs
and apricots and 4th biggest producer of fresh vegetables,
grapes and tobacco. Approximately 30% of the population is
employed in the agricultural sector.
Turkey is the world’s sixth largest cotton producer
and almost 85% of its textile and ready-to-wear exports are
made of cotton. It is no surprise then that almost every T-shirt
you buy in the UK bears the legend ‘made in Turkey’.
Turkey is the world’s fourth largest ready-to-wear clothing
exporter and exports of the textile sector made up 34% of
total industrial exports amounting to $15 billion in 2003.
The Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP)
In 1989 the GAP (Güney Dogðu Anadolu Projesi) Regional
Development Organisation was established to promote development
in this region with an envisaged budget of $32 billion of
public expenditure. It is an integrated project including
22 dams and 19 hydroelectric plants and irrigation facilities
to be built along the Tigris and Euphrates. It not only encompasses
infrastructure, in terms of energy and irrigation projects,
but also places emphasis on human development aiming to improve
the lives of those in the area, particularly women and children.
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