Eps 12: Turkey Human Geography
Four main regions can be identified: the northern folded zone, the southern folded zone, the central massif, and the Arabian platform.
The northern folded zone comprises a series of mountain ridges, increasing in elevation toward the east, that occupy a belt about 90 to 125 miles (145 to 200 km) wide immediately south of the Black Sea.
West of Antalya a complex series of ridges with a north-south trend reaches 6,500 to 8,200 feet (2,000 to 2,500 metres), but the most prominent feature is the massive Taurus (Toros) mountain system, running parallel to the Mediterranean coast and extending along the southern border.
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Jerry Wright
Podcast Content
Turkey, officially called the Republic of Turkey, is located in the Middle East and North Africa and has a population of about 1.5 million people.
As such, it is seen as an emerging regional and world power, and in 2005 negotiations with Turkey to join the European Union began. Turkey is located in the Middle East and North Africa, a region with a high degree of political, economic and cultural diversity. It is one of the most populous countries in Europe and the second largest country in Africa, and also has the largest economy and army. There are eight countries bordering the country: Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Syria.
Almost the entire country is located in Asia, which includes the elongated peninsula of Asia Minor, also known as Anatolia , and the mountainous region, sometimes known as the Armenian Highlands, as well as the Long Sea, a long peninsula in the Middle East. It is the largest country in the region in terms of territory and population, but its land area is larger than that of a European state.
The country stretches from north to south over an area of 480 to 640 km, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea, the Middle East and the Aegean Sea. The altitude of the plains and plateaus of Central Anatolia varies between 700 and 1100 metres, rising to 1100 to 1900 metres in Eastern Anatolia and falling to 700 to 500 metres in South-Eastern Anatolia.
The topography is mostly hilly and mountainous, and Turkey has 129 peaks that exceed 3,000 meters. Turkey's strategic position, which spans the continents of Europe and Asia, made it the cradle of Stone Age civilisation.
Turkey is located in the Paleartic zone and can be easily divided into three regions: the Middle East, Asia Minor and North Africa. In ancient times, the region that makes up the present region was called "Asia Minor," and the indigenous species include typical oriental and Ethiopian regions. Turkey's soaring mountain ranges, stunning coastlines and natural beauty are fascinating destinations to explore during your holiday.
If we remember the vast area covered by these bio-geographical regions, we can appreciate the diversity of species and distribution areas that are drawn from different regions. Similar diversity can be observed in other parts of the world, where, over the centuries, many different people have settled in the same regions, built civilizations and crossed other continents.
The ground has been contested for centuries, not only in Turkey, but also in other parts of the world, such as the Middle East and Africa.
Many different terms are used to describe this area of the world, and different regions are excluded from the various geographical and cultural descriptions that have large overlaps. The Islamic world includes neighbouring Turkey and Iran, as well as parts of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Yemen and Syria. The Arab world linguistically includes all Arab-speaking countries, but excludes Iran and Turkey . It covers the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, South America, Europe, Africa and South Asia.
The cultural border areas of Turks and Kurds are also the cultural border areas of Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Armenians and Muslims.
In this vast, virtually barren and wild area, agriculture is limited to irrigated valleys, where wheat, rice, vegetables and grapes are the main crops. Gigantic projects such as dams are designed to turn this area into a green and prosperous breadbasket.
The southern coast of Turkey stretches from the Great Plain, where the city of Tarsus was founded, to Bodrum in the west and extends along the coast in the southwest. This region is dominated by a chain of the Taurus Mountains, which in some places descends into the sea and in other places rises well above the coast. The resulting large fertile valleys offer a peasant paradise, which includes a large number of small towns and villages as well as large farms.
The mountain ranges run parallel to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea and stretch over a distance of 1,000 km from the coast in the west to the east at a speed of about 1.5 km per year. The mountain slopes are located directly on the coast and run along the coast, which is divided into wide valleys that allow a maritime climate several hundred kilometers inland. This creates a barrier against rain clouds moving inland and a buffer against the effects of the sea.