Geography

Introduction

Turkey is located at the nexus of Asia and Europe. The two continents are separated by the Marmara Sea and the Turkish Straits-the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. A small part, Turkish Thrace, falls within Europe. The rest of the country, Anatolia (Asia Minor), lies within continental Asia. Turkey is bounded by seas with substantial variation in salinity levels. This is reflected in the diverse forms of aquatic life that inhabit them, from seaweeds to fish and marine mammals such as dolphins. The topography is equally varied, ranging from snow-capped mountains to sandy beaches.