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Nature
Aplenty
Turkey is a vast peninsula, covering an area of 814,578 square
kilometres or 314,510 square miles and linking Asia to Europe
through the Sea of Marmara and the Straits of Istanbul and Çanakkale.
Across the Sea of Marmara, the triangular shaped Trace is the
continuation of Turkey on the European continent. Anatolia is
rectangular in outline, 1500 kilometres long and 550
kilometres wide.
Agri
Mountain
 It
is characterised by a central plateau surrounded by chains of
mountains on the north, west and south and a rugged
mountainous region in the east with an average elevation of
1050 metres. In the west, the mountains descend gently towards
the sea. The northern Anatolia mountain range, and the Taurus
range in the south, stretches like arcs, becoming ever denser
in the east. Turkey's highest mountain peak at 5165 metres or
16,946 feet is Agri Dagi (Mount Ararat), situated in the
north east. It is believed to have been the resting place for
Noah's Ark.
Turkey has a quite large river system that allows for
important hydroelectric power generation and irrigation. The
country's longest rivers, the Sakarya, the Kizilirmak and
the Yesilirmak, flow from the Central Anatolia towards the
Black Sea. The famous Dicle (Tigris) and Firat (Euphrates)
flow from the eastern Anatolia south into Syria and Iraq. Four
other rivers: the Buyuk Menderes and Gediz flow from the
Anatolian Plateau into the Aegean Sea; the Meric, which forms
the border between Turkey and Greece; and the Seyhan, which
runs from the eastern highlands all the way into the
Mediterranean, all round out the major rivers of Turkey.
Van
Lake
 Turkey has over 300 natural and 130 artificial lakes. In terms
of numbers of lakes, the Eastern Anatolian region is the
richest including Lake Van, (the largest of the country with
its 3,713 square kilometres surface), and the lakes of Ercek,
Cildir and Hazar. There are also many lakes in the West Taurus
Mountains area: the Beysehir and Egirdir lakes, Burdur and
Acigoller lakes. The lakes of Sapanca, Iznik, Ulubat, Manyas,
Terkos, Kucukcekmece and Buyukcekmece are in Marmara region,
and the  second largest lake of Turkey, Tuzgolu and The lakes
of Aksehir and Eber are located in the Central Anatolia region.
A number of dams have been constructed during the past thirty
years, which have resulted in the formation of several large
dam lakes including the Ataturk, Keban and Karakaya.
Turkey is like a mosaic made up of many different reliefs and
formations: parallel mountain ranges, extinct volcanoes,
plateaux fissured by valleys and plains. Surrounded on its
three sides by warm seas, it falls in the temperate climate
zone. The climate varies considerably however from region to
region: a temperate climate in the Black Sea Region, a
Mediterranean climate on the southern coast and the Aegean, a
continental and arid climate on the central plateau and a
harsh mountain climate in eastern Turkey. Because of these
variations in climate, the fauna and flora are some of the
richest in Europe and the Middle East.
Turkey is separated into seven geographical regions, which are,
in order of size: East Anatolia (21 %), Central Anatolia
(20%), Black Sea (18%), Mediterranean (15%), Aegean (10%),
Marmara (8.5%) and Southeast Anatolia (7.5%).
White Narcissus
 There are more than 10,000 species of plants in Turkey, 20% of
which are found only in these lands. The abundant rainfall in
the Black Sea region allows the growth of rich forest
vegetation. The Çanakkale Strait forms a transition between
the Black Sea and the Aegean regions and therefore has a
mixture of temperate and Mediterranean type of vegetation.
Thrace has fine forests which are subject to the continental
influence of the Balkans. The coasts of the Aegean and the
Mediterranean, from the Canakkale Strait to the Gulf of Iskenderun,
have typically Mediterranean vegetation which extends to the
plains and western slopes of mountains as high as 1000 metres.
The southern coast has very hot and dry summers and the
vegetation in some places is subtropical with banana trees and
date palms. In the Taurus Mountains, the vegetation consists
of pine and cedar forests, with even junipers at higher
altitudes.
Central and eastern Anatolia are isolated from all
maritime
influence by mountains. Rainfall is low, the summers hot and
dry and the winters harsh. In certain areas, the vegetation is
steppe-like but also with forests of pine, oak and beech. The
region around the Salt Lake is almost entirely barren. The
climate in eastern Turkey is even harsher, although the
rainfall in the Southeast allows birches, walnuts and oaks to
thrive.
Turkey has a great variety of wild animals, with over 114
species of mammals. The forest belt in the north is home to
grey hears and in the south to wild goats. Sea turtles and
seals play in the waters of the Mediterranean and the Aegean,
just as in other parts of the world, some species have become
extinct or on the verge of extinction such as the wild Asian
donkeys, lions and tigers. Some 400 species of indigenous or
migratory birds live in Turkey, some of which are extinct in
Europe such as the black vulture.
Turkey is an important stopover for birds migrating between
Africa, Asia and Europe, with the predatory birds stop in
these places before continuing on Istanbul Strait and Artvin
being the preferred sites. According to the International
Office of Aquatic Birds and Areas, there are some 800 aquatic
species in Turkey spanning sixty different areas.
The shores
of Lake Manyas near Balikesir are home to over 200 species of
indigenous or migratory aquatic birds. This lake is considered
to be one of Europe s richest aquatic bird centres. Over 250
indigenous or migratory birds live in the Sultan Marshes
(Sultan Sazligi) near Kayseri; 20 of these are considered
endangered species, although they come here to mate and breed.
The Sultan marshes are thought to be the only place where
flamingos, cranes, herons and pelicans breed together. The
protected salt marshes near Izmir are like a natural museum,
with some 190 species of birds living in its marshes, lakes
and hills. The hills also shelter rabbits, foxes and even
boars. The Iztuzu sand beaches near Dalyan are the main
breeding area for sea turtles.
Note
: quoted from goturkey.com |
