Generalities Geographical Regions Rivers Natural and Dam Lakes Climate

GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS

Main cultures Main pastures Volcanic features Forests Steppes and nomadic animal husbandry

		THE BLACK SEA REGION is a mountainous area (the Pontic Chain) covered with dense forests where numerous rivers and torrents flow through gorges into the rocky coasted Black Sea. Eastern Black Sea coastlands and the lower slopes, characterized by heavy rainfall, humid summers and mild winters, have the richest type of woodland with hornbeam, chestnut, spruce, and alder trees and a rich shrub layer of rhododendron, laurel, holly, myrtle, hazel- and walnut. It is a mainly agricultural region, where corn, flax, fruit trees (hazelnuts, cherries, plums...), tobacco (Samsun, Trabzon), and tea in the eastern part (Rize) are grown. The higher slopes are covered with humid deciduous
forest, with oriental spruce, beech, hornbeam, alder, oak, fir, and yew trees and with oak and pine in drier parts. Coniferous species become dominant above 1,000 meters, giving way to alpine grassland above 2,000 meters (Kaçkar mountains). The region is also famous for its dairy products.

THE MARMARA REGION extends from the European part (Thrace) to the North-West of Anatolia, encircling the Marmara Sea. Thrace is covered by steppe grasslands and also by forests which are subject to the continental influence of the Balkans. Vineyards and sunflowerfields stretch in the south of Thrace along the Marmara Sea. The Dardanelles form a transition between the Black Sea and the Aegean regions and therefore has a mixture of temperate and Mediterranean type of vegetation. In the south-east, the Uludağ Chain forms a barrier between Anatolia and the Marmara Sea. Mount Uludag (old Olympus of Bythinia) is the highest point (2,540m / 8,333 ft) over Bursa.
Although the region is the smallest after South-Eastern Anatolia, its plains have the highest density of population. It is economically the most developed area of Turkey. Agriculture mainly includes olives, wheat, rice, fruit trees and mulberry trees for silk production (Bursa). Fishing is well developed in the Marmara Sea and in the Straits. Near Balikesir is the National Park of Manyas known as "Kus Cenneti" (Bird Paradise) which is a bird sanctuary sheltering over two thousand species of birds.

		THE AEGEAN REGION extends from the Aegean coast to the western part of Central Anatolia. Forest lands are dominant together with fertile alluvial plains carrying the same name as the rivers flowing through (Menderes, Gediz...). The plains make the wealth of the region, which rests on tobacco production (50% of Turkey's total production), cotton (30%), olives (50%), grapes and figs (suitable for drying). Along the Aegean coast runs a maquis belt of white myrtle, wild olive, laurel, carob, oak, pine, and cypress. The magnificent coastline bathed by the clear water of the Aegean Sea and abounding in vast beaches and creeks surrounded by olive grove and pine woods, the idyllic fishing harbors, the popular holiday villages,
the famous historical and natural sites located hinland, all this make the region extremely attractive to the tourists.

THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION spreads in the South of Anatolia. The Taurus mountain range, immediatly rising from the coastline, is covered with forests and often exceeds 2,000 m / 6,562 ft. Except for the wide plains of Pamphylia (Antalya) and Çukurova (Adana), the fertile coastal plains are usually narrow. In this region, cotton (60% of the total production), sesame seeds, citrus fruit (over 90%), early vegetables and small bananas are grown. Grain is grown in the lake district in the north-west where the climate is continental. In the Taurus mountains, the vegetation consists of pine and cedar forests, fir, oak, maple trees and even junipers at higher altitudes.
With its beautiful beaches, its waters which are warm most of the year, its fantastic holiday resorts, its numerous ancient cities and historical sites, the Mediterranean Region has become one of Turkey's main tourist centers.

		THE CENTRAL ANATOLIA REGION roughly varies in altitude from 600 to 1,200 m / 2,000 to 4,000 ft. The high plateaus of steppe landscapes undergo a heavy erosion. A few volcanic cones and both Mount Erciyes (Erciyes Dag) at an altitude of 3,916 m/ 12,848 ft, and Mount Hasan (Hasan Dag) at an altitude of 3,953 m / 12,970 ft, are situated in the lunar-shaped landscapes of Cappadocia. The two largest basins are the plain of Konya , where wheat is cultivated, and the basin occupied by Tuz Gölü (Salt Lake). The arid grassland is favourable for grazing sheeps, cattle, horses and for the famous Angora goats which are all intensively raised in the north of the region.
There are several lakes of fresh water and marshes such as Sultan Sazlik, a place of great interest for the naturalist.

THE EASTERN ANATOLIAN REGION, where the Pontus and Taurus Mountains converge, is Anatolia's largest and highest region at an atitude of 1,500 m / 5000 ft to 2,000 m / 6,600 ft. The two highest points are Suphan Dag (4434 m / 14,548 ft) in the north-west of Lake Van, and Mount Ararat (5165 m / 16,945 ft) near the Iranian frontier, where, the legend says, Noah's Ark ran aground. The region has the lowest density of population of the country. Summers are hot an dry, but heavy and long winters make life conditions, farming and agriculture (wheat) difficult. In the humid north-east, beef and dairy cattle are raised, whilst in the south pastoral nomads raise graze sheep and goat.

		THE SOUTH-EASTERN ANATOLIA REGION reveals a uniform landscape with vast stretches of wild or barren wasteland. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers rise in eastern Turkey and meander through the Southeastern Region. Agriculture (wheat, rice, vegetables, fruits and most of all pistachio nuts which are a prime product) is confined mainly to valleys and irrigated basins, and develops considerably due to the vast irrigation project of the south-east (GAP). This project is boosting the economy of the region and the agricultural output of a country which is already one of the few food exporters in the world. The principal oil fields are found in this region (Batman).