Turkey has a very unique geographical position that is accompanied by even more unique geographical features. Turkey stretches about 1,000 miles west to east and about 300-400 miles north to south and has about a 4,000-mile boundary. Unsurprisingly, Turkey is one of the largest countries in its surrounding area, both in terms of territory and in terms of population. Turkey has the largest land area in Europe and the ninth largest land area in Asia with a staggering 302,535 mi² of territory (World Population Review) (Britannica). Turkey also has the third largest population in Europe and the ninth largest population in Asia with a substantial 82,887,000 citizens as of 2019 (WorldOMeters) (World Atlas). Turkey is bordered on the north by the Black Sea, on the northeast by Georgia and Armenia, on the east by Azerbaijan and Iran, on the southeast by Iraq and Syria, on the southwest and west by the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea, and on the northwest by Greece and Bulgaria. Since Turkey is bordered by the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the narrows that connect the Blac
k Sea and the Aegean Sea (the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles) about ¾ of Turkeys 4,000-mile boundary is maritime. Because of Turkeys massive size, it lies in both Europe and Asia, however, 95% of the country is within Asian territory and only 5% is in European territory. The section of Turkey within Asian territory is referred to as Asia Minor and is also known as Anatolia/Anadolu. The far eastern portion of Asia Minor is also very mountainous and is often referred to as the Armenian Highlands of Eastern Anatolia/Anadolu. The other 5% of Turkey lies in far southwestern European territory, this area is referred to as the Turkish Thrace or just the Trakya and is just a small remnant of the once mighty Ottoman Empire that ruled over most of the Balkans (Britannica). Throughout Turkeys history, it has acted as a source of both protection and transportation because it is in both Europe and Asia and bridges the gap between the two continents (History World). Turkey is a very large country that contains unique geographical features and is situated in a unique geographical position.