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Previous Issues > November 2006 > Where In The World? > Turkey
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 Where In The World?
Turkey
Its time to get out your globe! You need to know about the imaginary lines on globes and maps. These lines are called lines of latitude and longitude, and they tell a pilot or ships captain exactly where in the world a certain place is located. Basically, latitude lines (also called parallels) are the horizontal lines on your map. Lines of longitude (also called meridians) are the vertical lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole. This mapping system is written in degrees and uses the symbol . Get ready to travel the world!
It's nearly Thanksgiving, which might make you think of turkeys. So what better month to learn about the country called Turkey? On your globe, find longitude of 35E and latitude of 39N, and you'll find Turkey. This country is unique because it is located on two continents! It is located in Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia. The Asian part of the country is mainly a long peninsula, bounded on the north by the Black Sea and on the south by the Mediterranean. It is bordered by the countries of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Georgia and Armenia. The part of Turkey west of the Bosporus Strait is geographically part of Europe. This European part of Turkey borders Greece and Bulgaria.
Turkey is divided into two main provinces. Turkey in Asia is known as Anatolia, or Asia Minor. Turkey in Europe is called Trakya, or Thrace. The country of Turkey is a little bit bigger than our state of Texas. Most of Anatolia consists of a large plateau, or raised flat area, which rises from about 2,000 feet in the west to more than 6,500 feet in the east. It is surrounded by many mountain ranges. The highest mountain in Turkey is Mount Ararat, at 16,853 feet. In the center of the plateau there is a large salt lake, Tuz Lake, which dries up in the summer. There are no active volcanoes in Turkey, but the country does have earthquakes.
The population of Turkey is over 70 million. The largest city is Istanbul with about 8 million inhabitants. Istanbul has many historic buildings of the Christian and Muslim periods. It was known as Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, and is located on the shore of the Bosporus in Europe. Ankara, with about 3 million people, has been the capital of Turkey since 1923. It is located on the western plateau. It was selected as the capital because its location was more secure from attack than Istanbul.
Source: The World Factbook prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency; Turkey. Britannica Student Encyclopedia. Encyclopdia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-209125
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