Turkey is a country that straddles two continents, lying partly in Asia and partly in Europe. It has served as both a barrier and a link between the two continents throughout its long history.

Turkey is located at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, and the Caucasus. It is one of the biggest countries in the region in terms of size as well as population and landmass. The majority of Turkey is in Asia, comprising Anatolia—also known as Anadolu—the oblong peninsula of Asia Minor—also known as Anatolia—and, to the east, a mountainous region sometimes referred to as Armenia Highland.

The remaining section—Turkish Thrace (Trakya)—is located in the extreme southeastern corner of Europe, a minor portion of the once vast Ottoman Empire.

The country’s total length is around 1,000 miles from west to east and 300 to 400 miles north to south (480 to 640 kilometers).Turkey is bordered on the north by the Black Sea, on the northeast by Georgia and Armenia, on the east by Azerbaijan and Iran, on the southeast by Iraq and Syria, on the southwest and west by the Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Sea, and northwest by Greece and Bulgaria. Ankara is Turkey’s capital city, while Istanbul is its largest city with a population of about 16 million people.