Turkey Overview, Facts, Vacation Information of Turkey

The restored façade of the Celsus Library is one of the most famous ruins in the ancient city of Ephesus.
Lyn Gateley

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Turkey is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in western Asia and Trakya in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. Turkey borders eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea and island of Cyprus lie to the south, the Aegean Sea and Archipelago are to the west, and the Black Sea is to the north. Separating Anatolia and Trakya are the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus, which are commonly reckoned to delineate the border between Asia and Europe, thereby making Turkey transcontinental.

Because of its strategic location astride two continents, Turkey’s culture has a unique blend of Eastern and Western tradition. Tourism in Turkey is focused largely on a variety of archaeological and historical sites, and on seaside resorts and beaches along its Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. Turkey's largest city, Istanbul, has a number of major attractions derived from its huge historical status as capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. These include the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (the “Blue Mosque”), the Hagia Sophia, the Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern and the Grand Bazaar.

Cultural and historical attractions elsewhere in the country include the sites of Ephesus, Troy, Pergamon, House of Virgin Mary, Pamukkale, Hierapolis, Konya (where the poet Rumi had spent most of his life), Didyma, Church of Antioch, religious places in Mardin (such as Deyrülzafarân Monastery) and the ruined cities and landscapes of Cappadocia.