Area comparison map:

slightly larger than Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 2,816 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (8): Armenia 311 km, Azerbaijan 17 km, Bulgaria 223 km, Georgia 273 km, Greece 192 km, Iran 534 km, Iraq 367 km, Syria 899 km

Coastline:
7,200 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

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

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

Terrain:
high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges

Elevation:
mean elevation: 1,132 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Ararat 5,137 m

Natural resources:
coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite, borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable land, hydropower

Land use:
agricultural land: 49.7% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 26.7% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 4% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 19% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 14.9% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 35.4% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
52,150 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population distribution:
the most densely populated area is found around the Bosporus in the northwest where 20% of the population lives in Istanbul; with the exception of Ankara, urban centers remain small and scattered throughout the interior of Anatolia; an overall pattern of peripheral development exists, particularly along the Aegean Sea coast in the west, and the Tigris and Euphrates River systems in the southeast

Natural hazards:
severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van; landslides; flooding

volcanism: limited volcanic activity; its three historically active volcanoes; Ararat, Nemrut Dagi, and Tendurek Dagi have not erupted since the 19th century or earlier

Environment - current issues:
water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; land degradation; concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic; conservation of biodiversity

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:
strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link the Black and Aegean Seas; the 3% of Turkish territory north of the Straits lies in Europe and goes by the names of European Turkey, Eastern Thrace, or Turkish Thrace; the 97% of the country in Asia is referred to as Anatolia; Istanbul, which straddles the Bosporus, is the only metropolis in the world located on two continents; Mount Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's ark, is in the far eastern portion of the country