ABSTRACT
Geographically, Turkey is located in two continents, Asia and Europe, forming a natural bridge between them. The country extends more than 1600 km from east to west and about 800 km from north to south, and its total area covers about 783,562 km2 of which 756,816 km2 is in Anatolia and the rest in Europe. The Anatolian peninsula is the westernmost point of Asia and is also known as Asia Minor. The European part is called Thrace and is located on the Balkan Peninsula. Half of the country is higher than 1000 m and two-third is higher than 800 m above sea level, with 129 peaks exceeding 3000 m. The land surface has rough, broken, and deep gorges in many regions (www. allaboutturkey.com). The diverse nature of the landscape and topography results in signi‹cant differences in climatic conditions in the country. Annual precipitation ranges from about 300 mm in the Salt Lake (Tuz Gölü) district of Konya Province to nearly 2200 mm in Rize Province in the Northeastern corner of the country. The Aegean and Mediterranean coasts have a typical Mediterranean climate with mild rainy winters and hot dry summers. Annual precipitation in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions varies from 500 to 1300 mm. The mountain chains located parallel to the northern and southern coasts create barriers for the penetration of rain clouds to the inland and cause abundant rainfall on the mountain slopes facing the coasts. In contrast, the mountain ranges located perpendicular to the coast are divided by broad valleys such as Menders and Gediz, which allow the maritime climate to prevail several kilometers inland in the Aegean Region. The Anatolian Plateaus in the Central Eastern and Southeastern parts of the country have a typical continental climate with cold winters and dry hot summers. In these regions, a minimum temperature of –30˚C or even lower can often be experienced. Temperature differences between day and night and between summer and winter are very sharp, rain is infrequent and the climate diverse due to topography along with unique geographical location of these regions.
