History of Turkey History of Turkey The history of Turkey, understood as the history of the region now forming the territory of the Republic of Turkey, includes the history of both Anatolia (the Asian part of Turkey) and Eastern Thrace (the European part of Turkey). For times predating the Ottoman period, a distinction must be made between the history of the Turkish peoples, and the history of the territories now forming the Republic of Turkey, essentially the histories of ancient Anatolia and Thrace. The name "Turkey" is derived from Middle Latin "Turchia", i.e. the "land of the Turks", historically referring to an entirely
Geography of Turkey Geography of Turkey Turkey is situated in Anatolia (97%) and the Balkans (3%), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria. The geographic coordinates of the country lie at: The area of Turkey is ; "land:" , "water:" . Turkey extends more than from west to east but generally less than from north to south. The total area (of about ) consists of about in Western Asia (Anatolia) and about in Southeastern Europe (Thrace). Anatolia () is a large, roughly rectangular peninsula, situated In Asia. The Anatolian