page_title: Geography of Turkey
section_title: Eastern Anatolia Region
hierarchical_section_title: Geography of Turkey / Regions / Eastern Anatolia Region
caption_attribution_description: العربية: الحائط الشمالي لأني تركيا Deutsch: Die Nordwand der historischen Stadt Ani im Grenzgebiet der Türkei und Armenien. Ελληνικά: Βόρειο οχύρωμα του Ανί, Τουρκία. English: North wall of Ani, Turkey. Français&#160;: Mur nord d'Ani, en Turquie. Ani fut la capitale de l'Arménie aux alentours de l'an mille. Русский: Северная стена города Ани
context_page_description: Turkey is situated in Western Asia and the Balkans, 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: 39°00′N 35°00′E
  The area of Turkey is 783,562 km²; land: 770,760 km², water: 9,820 km². It has an Exclusive Economic Zone of 261,654 km².
  Turkey extends more than 1,600 km from west to east but generally less than 800 km from north to south. The total area consists of about 756,816 km² in Western Asia and about 23,764 km² in Southeastern Europe.
  Anatolia is a large, roughly rectangular peninsula, situated in western half of Asiatic Turkey, while Armenian Highland occupies its eastern part and includes mount Ararat, the highest peak of Turkey. The Asiatic part of Turkey accounts for 95% of the country's area.
  Anatolia is also known as Asia Minor or the Anatolian Plateau. The term Anatolia is most frequently used in specific reference to the large, semiarid central plateau, which is rimmed by hills and mountains that in many places limit access to the fertile, densely settled coastal regions.
context_section_description: Eastern Anatolia, where the Pontic and Anti-Taurus mountain ranges converge, is rugged country with higher elevations, a more severe climate, and greater precipitation than are found on the Anatolian Plateau. The western part of the Eastern Anatolia Region is known as the Anti-Taurus, where the average elevation of mountain peaks exceed 3,000 meters; while the eastern part of the region was historically known as the Armenian Highland and includes Mount Ararat, the highest point in Turkey at 5,137 meters. Many of the East Anatolian peaks apparently are recently extinct volcanoes, to judge from extensive green lava flows. Turkey's largest lake, Lake Van, is situated in the mountains at an elevation of 1,546 meters. The headwaters of three major rivers arise in the Anti-Taurus: the east-flowing Aras, which pours into the Caspian Sea; the south-flowing Euphrates; and the south-flowing Tigris, which eventually joins the Euphrates in Iraq before emptying into the Persian Gulf. Several small streams that empty into the Black Sea or landlocked Lake Van also originate in these mountains.
  
  In addition to its rugged mountains, the area is known for severe winters with heavy snowfalls. The few valleys and plains in these mountains tend to be fertile and to support diverse agriculture. The main basin is the Muş Valley, west of Lake Van. Narrow valleys also lie at the foot of the lofty peaks along river corridors.
caption: Panoramic view of Ani in Kars
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