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Turkey is the only
country in the world that is divided over two continents.
Thracia is the European part. It covers only 3% of the total surface
of Turkey. The larger part is Anatolia which lies on the Asian
continent. The total surface of the country is 780.000 km². Those who want
to cross the country have to cover a distance of about 1.900 km. Most of
the country's frontiers are formed by the Mediterranean Sea and the Black
Sea. The two main cities are Istanbul (European Part) and Ankara
(Asian part).
The second feature of Turkey's geography is the enormous diversity of its
landscapes : fertile valleys, dense pine woods, subtropical beaches,
deserts, prairies and rough mountains. Based on the climate, relief and
farm grounds the following areas can be discerned :
- Thracia,
with its rolling hills, pine forests and broad-leaved forests.
- Marmara,
which is more hilly. The highest mountain here is the Uludap (2.554 m)
near Bursa. This region is also known as the garden of Istanbul.
- The Aegean
area and the shores of the Mediterranean are also hilly with
numerous pines forests.
- The heart of
Turkey is formed by the Central Anatolian upland plains with an
average altitude between 800 en 1.500 m. The Eastern and South-Eastern
part of Anatolia displays a wild and rough beauty. The highest mountain
in Turkey can be seen here : the Ararat, an extinguished volcano. The
largest interior lake of Turkey is the Van-Gölü.
- The coast of the
Black Sea, with the Pontian mountains.
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