Seas of Turkey - All About Turkey Home > Tourist Info > Seas of Turkey Seas of Turkey Black Sea Black Sea (Karadeniz in Turkish ) lies to the north of Turkey , bordering with two regions ; Marmara and Black Sea . Besides Turkey , other countries that circle the Black Sea are; Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia. It's connected to the Sea of Marmara with the Bosphorus Strait in the southwest. Some of the important ports on the Black Sea are; Istanbul , Trabzon , Samsun , Sinop , Burgas, Varna, Constanza, Yalta, Odessa, Sevastopol, Kerch, Novorossiysk, Sochi, Sukhumi, Poti, and Batumi. Black Sea is an inland sea covering an area of about 420 thousand square kilometers reaching at 2206 meters in its deepest point. Below 200 meters the oxygen level in the water is very low so marine life is very limited below this depth. Most known fish they catch in the Black Sea are; Black Sea turbot, gurnard, and small sharks.

Its waters are warm in the summer, very cold in the winter. Its salinity is around 0,18% because of a constant inflow of fresh water from rivers surrounding it, the excess water flows on the surface through the Bosphorus meanwhile the warm and salty waters of the Mediterranean reach the Black Sea with deep water currents, maintaining the stratification and salinity levels. The most important rivers flowing into the Black Sea are Danube from north east, Kizilirmak, Sakarya and Yesilirmak from Anatolia in the south. Black Sea is one of the youngest seas on the Earth, its used to be a big fresh water lake some 8000 years ago. The name is probably derived from the color of its deep waters. Sea of Marmara Sea of Marmara (Marmara Denizi in Turkish ) is an inland sea within the Marmara region connecting to the Black Sea with the Bosphorus Strait in the northeast, and to the Aegean with the Dardanelles Strait in the southwest. It lies between Thrace and Anatolia parts of Turkey , covering an area of over 11thousand square kilometers.

It is approximately 280 km long from northeast to southwest and about 80 km wide at its greatest width. Its maximum depth reaches 1355 meters near the center. There are many marble sources on its islands which gave its name to the Sea; marble is Marmaros in Greek and Mermer in Turkish . Some of the main islands in the Sea of Marmara are; Avsa, Marmara, Imrali, and Princes Islands near Istanbul (Buyukada, Heybeli, Burgaz, Kinali, and Sedef). The salinity level is little bit over that of the Black Sea , but much less than the oceans. However, sea-bottom waters are much more saline almost as of the Mediterranean , but like in the Black Sea these two layers do not get combined. Aegean Sea Aegean Sea (Ege Denizi in Turkish ) is a part of Mediterranean Sea lying between Turkey and Greece. There is Mediterranean Sea to the south, Greek Peninsula to the west, Anatolia and part of Thrace to the east. It's connected to the Sea of Marmara by Dardanelles Strait to the northeast.

It covers an area of 214thousand square kilometers, stretching for about 660 kilometers from north to south, and reaching at a maximum depth of 3543 meters. Tides are very limited in the Aegean Sea. Aegean Sea gave its name to the Aegean region and shows a typical Mediterranean climate characteristics; summers are dry and winters are rainy but not much cold. The water temperature during summer months reaches 23-24 degrees Celsius, and usually northern part of the Sea is a little bit cooler than its southern part. In contrary, northern part is abundant about the fish than its southern part. There were many ancient civilizations who settled on its shores in the past, such as Minoans, Mycenaean, Trojans , Persians , Romans , Byzantines , Seljuks , Ottomans and so on. It's said that its name is coming either from Aegea, an Amazonian queen who died in the sea, or from Aegeus, the father of Theseus , who drowned himself in the sea. There are approximately 3000 big and small islands in the Aegean Sea, most of them belong to Greece today.

Some of the most famous Greek islands in the Aegean are; Crete, Rhodes, Lesbos, Chios, Santorini, Mykonos, Patmos, Delos, Paros, Kos, Symi, Samos and so on. Turkey has very few small islands and only two mid-size islands in front of the Dardanelles ; Bozcaada and Gokceada. Because of this high concentration of islands and rockies, there are also many gulfs and bays in the Aegean which attracts many people for sailing in this crystal clear waters. Aegean Sea and some of the Aegean islands brought several controversial issues between Turkey and Greece, both NATO countries, regarding mostly sovereignty and related rights in the area. Relations between Turkey and Greece were very sour between 1970's and mid 1990's because of these disputes on territorial waters, national airspace and FIR lines, military flights, demilitarization of some of the islands, and islets that had an unknown status of sovereignty. But in the last 10 years both countries are working hard to improve bilateral relations reducing tensions and holding diplomatic lines always open.

Mediterranean Sea Mediterranean Sea (Akdeniz in Turkish ) is surrounded by Asia to the east, Europe to the north and Africa to the south. It's connected to the Atlantic Ocean to the west with Gibraltar Strait. It's also connected to the Red Sea in the southeast with the Suez Canal in Egypt, a man-made canal built in 1869. And to the east it's connected to the Sea of Marmara by Dardanelles Strait . Aegean and Marmara Seas are often considered as a part of the Mediterranean Sea. The sea gave also its name to the Mediterranean region of Turkey . Mediterranean covers about 2,5million square kilometers, its shores were home to many ancient civilizations in the history, such as Phoenicians, Egyptians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Lycians , Arabs, Persians , Romans , Byzantines , Seljuks , Ottomans and so on. The name comes from Latin; Medi means middle, Terra means land or place. The Romans called it Mare Nostrum, Our Sea. In Turkish it's called Akdeniz, White Sea. There aren't much tides in the Mediterranean because of its narrow connection with the Atlantic.

The average depth is about 1500 meters and the deepest point reaches at 5267 meters. The coastline is approximately 46,000 kilometers long. Countries that border with the Mediterranean are; In Europe, from west to east; Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, Albania, Greece, and European shores of Turkey . In Asia, from north to south; Asian shores of Turkey , Syria, Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Egypt. In Africa, from east to west; Egypt, Libya, Tunis, Algeria, and Morocco. Biggest islands in the Mediterranean are; Cyprus, Crete, Rhodes, Lesbos, Chios, Corfu in the eastern Mediterranean; Sardegna, Corsica, Sicily, Malta in the central Mediterranean; Ibiza, Majorca, Minorca in the western Mediterranean. All About Turkey © Burak Sansal 1996–2016, a certified professional tour guide in Turkey. Contact Burak at info@allaboutturkey.com for all kinds of regular and/or private travel services throughout the country. What countries border the Black Sea?

| Reference.com What countries border the Black Sea? A: Quick Answer The Black Sea in southeastern Europe is bordered by Ukraine to the north, Russia and Georgia to the east, Turkey to the south and Romania and Bulgaria to the west. This 168,500-square-mile inland sea separates Eastern Europe from Western Asia, and is one of the four bodies of water that are named after English terms for common colors. There are more than 10 islands situated within the Black Sea. Full Answer Free passage for civilian ships across the international waters of the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea was provided by the terms of the 1936 Montreux Convention. Turkey maintains exclusive control over the straits that connect the two bodies of water. Amendments that were made to the Montreux Convention in 1982 permit Turkey to close the connecting straits during war or peacetime and to do so at its own discretion. The Strait of the Dardanelles, the Bosphorus Strait and the Sea of Marmara are collectively referred to as the Turkish Straits, and represent an important means of access to the Mediterranean Sea by Black Sea shipping.

Throughout history, the Black Sea has been a busy and vital link accommodating trade between Eastern Europe and Western Asia throughout history. The oldest artifacts made from gold, which are believed to have been left there by Old Europeans, were found in the city of Varna on the Bulgarian coast of the Black Sea. There are about 2,400 commercial ships in operation in the Black Sea, as reported by a 2013 study prepared by the International Transport Workers' Federation. Turkey Turkey Official name: Republic of Turkey Area: 780,580 square kilometers (301,382 square miles) Highest point on mainland: Mount Ararat (5,166 meters/16,949 feet) Lowest point on land: Sea level Hemispheres: Northern and Eastern P.M.

= noon GMT Longest distances: 1,600 kilometers (994 miles) from southeast to northwest; 650 kilometers (404 miles) from northeast to southwest Land boundaries: 2,627 kilometers (1,632 miles) total boundary length; Armenia 268 kilometers (167 miles); Azerbaijan 9 kilometers (6 miles); Bulgaria 240 kilometers (149 miles); Georgia 252 kilometers (157 miles); Greece 206 kilometers (128 miles); Iran 499 kilometers (310 miles); Iraq 331 kilometers (206 miles); Syria 822 kilometers (511 miles) Coastline: 7,200 kilometers (4,474 miles) Territorial sea limits: 11 kilometers (6 nautical miles) in the Aegean Sea, 22 kilometers (12 nautical miles) in the Black and Mediterranean Seas 1 LOCATION AND SIZE Turkey is located in the Middle East, with territory in both Europe and Asia. The country shares borders with Bulgaria, Greece, Iraq, Syria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Georgia.

It also has coastal borders on the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Aegean Sea. With a total area of about 780,580 square kilometers (301,382 square miles), the country is slightly larger than the state of Texas. Turkey is administratively divided into eighty provinces. 2 TERRITORIES AND DEPENDENCIES Turkey has no outside territories or dependencies. 3 CLIMATE The southern part of Turkey enjoys a Mediterranean climate, with a mean annual temperature of 17°C to 20°C (63°F to 68°F). In Istanbul, temperatures average 4°C (40°F) in winter and 27°C (81°F) in summer. The northern area along the Black Sea is slightly cooler, with a mean annual temperature range from 14°C to 16°C (57°F to 60°F). In the north, winter temperatures average about 7°C (45°F) and summer temperatures average 23°C (69°F).

The central plateau region experiences wider daily and seasonal temperature variation, with cold winters and hot summers; annual mean temperatures range from 8°C to 12°C (46°F to 54°F). The eastern region has higher elevations and temperatures there are cooler, with the yearly mean between 4°C to 9°C (39°F to 48°F). Winters can be severe in the east, with 120 days of snow cover and minimum temperatures of -30°C to -38°C (-4°F to 3°F). The average winter temperature in the east is -13°C (21°F) and in summer, the average is 17°C (63°F). Adequate rainfall of about 58 to 130 centimeters (23 to 51 inches) occurs along the Mediterranean coast and the western coast of the Aegean Sea. The region bordering the Black Sea is also well watered, with annual rainfall in the range of 71 to 220 centimeters (28 to 87 inches).

The Taurus Mountains along the Mediterranean prevent rain from reaching the heart of the country, which is therefore much drier, with annual rainfall between 56 to 71 centimeters (22 to 28 inches). 4 TOPOGRAPHIC REGIONS About 3 percent of the territory in Turkey belongs to the European region known as Thrace. This region shares borders with Greece and Bulgaria. It is separated from the Asian portion of Turkey by a series of waterways that connect the Black Sea with the Aegean Sea. The rest of the country is located in Asia, mostly on the peninsula of Asia Minor, which is the westernmost extension of the continent. This region is also called Anatolia, or simply Asiatic Turkey. Turkey's terrain is structurally complex and divides into five regions: the Black Sea region in the north; the Sea of Marmara region in the northwest; the Aegean Sea region in the far west; the Mediterranean Sea region in the south; and the Anatolian Plateau region in the country's center. All of the regions share a generally mountainous terrain, and many large lakes and rivers appear throughout the country.

Turkey is located on the Eurasian Tec-tonic Plate; however, the southern borders of the country rest atop the boundaries with the Arabian Tectonic Plate and the African Tectonic Plate. There is also a major fault line beneath the northern part of Asia Minor. As a result of its geological location, the country is subject to a very high level of seismic activity. The tremors cause massive damage to buildings and numerous deaths and injuries, especially if they occur at night during the winter months. The most earthquake-prone region centers on an arc that stretches from the general vicinity of the Sea of Marmara to the area north of Lake Van (Van Gölü), on the border with Georgia and Armenia. 5 OCEANS AND SEAS Seacoast and Undersea Features Turkey has coastlines on four different seas: the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. The northern coast of Turkey is on the Black Sea, an inland body of water that separates Europe from Asia. The Black Sea contains calm waters that are free of tides and dangerous marine life.

Called the "Hospitable Sea" by the ancient Greeks, the Black Sea is only half as saline as the Mediterranean Sea and has gentle sandy slopes, making it ideal for swimming. The Mediterranean Sea, which lies on Turkey's southern coast, is an almost completely landlocked sea. It links to the Atlantic Ocean at its western point through the Strait of Gibraltar and to the Red Sea at its southeastern shore though the Suez Canal. The Aegean Sea to the west of Turkey is an extension of the Mediterranean. The Sea of Marmara (Marmara Denizi) is a small inland sea that is situated between Asiatic and European Turkey. It has a surface area of about 11,350 square kilometers (4,382 square miles). DID YOU KNOW? The term "Middle East" was coined by western Europeans as a geographic designation for those countries of southwest Asia and northeast Africa that stretch from the Mediterranean Sea to the borders of Pakistan and Afghanistan, including nations on the Arabian Peninsula. This area was considered to be the midpoint between Europe and East Asia, which was usually called the Far East. In a cultural sense, the term sometimes includes all the countries in the region that are primarily Islamic.

In this sense, the Middle East includes the countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as some of the North African countries that border the Arabian Peninsula. Sea Inlets and Straits The Dardanelles Strait (also known as Çanakkale Boğazi) connects the Sea of Marmara to the Aegean Sea in the west, while the Bosporus Strait (also known as Istanbul Boğazi or Karadeniz Bogazi) connects it to the Black Sea in the northeast. The great city of Istanbul (formerly known as Constantinople and Byzantium) is located on the Golden Horn (Haliç) estuary of the Bosporus. These two straits and the Sea of Marmara itself are what separate Europe and Asia. Along the Aegean Sea coast are a number of inlets, including the Gulf of Edremit. This protected gulf encloses clear Aegean waters. The shores lining the gulf feature sandy beaches surrounded by olive groves. The Gulf of Antalya indents the middle of the southern coast and the Gulf of Ịskenderun marks the southeastern edge of Asia Minor.

Islands and Archipelagos There are numerous islands off the western coast in the Aegean Sea, but almost all of them belong to Greece. One of the few exceptions is the island of Gökçeada (Ịmroz). Turkey's largest island, located not far from the Dardanelles, is covered with pine and olive trees and surrounded by sparkling clear water. There is also an archipelago of nine small islands in the Sea of Marmara, where wealthy Turks have summer homes. Coastal Features There are narrow coastal lowlands along the Black Sea and Mediterranean coasts. The Aegean coastline is extremely irregular, with dramatic mountain faces rising perpendicularly from the sea and many islands just off shore (most of which belong to Greece). The Gallipoli Peninsula extends southwest from Thrace to form the northern side of the Dardanelles. 6 INLAND LAKES The largest lake in the country, Lake Van (Van Gölü), is situated near the border with Iran. It covers an area of about 3,713 square kilometers (2,545 square miles). Other lakes in this eastern region include Ercek, Cildir, and Hazar.

Turkey's second-largest lake, the shallow and salty Lake Tuz (Tuz Gölü), lies in central Anatolia directly south of Ankara. Lakes Akşehir and Eber lie west of Lake Tuz. Further to the southwest, in the Taurus Mountains west of Konya, are Lakes Beyşehir and Eğridir. Lying around the Sea of Marmara are numerous small lakes, the largest of which are Kuş, Ulubat, and Iznik. DID YOU KNOW? but it was later rebuilt on the same site; this second temple also burned in 262 A.D. Sculptures and other surviving artifacts are currently owned by the British Museum in London. The foundation site still remains mostly intact. Along with the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, also located in Turkey, the Temple of Artemis is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Turkey has extensive wetlands, most of which provide protected habitat for birds. The most important wetland area forms part of Kuscenneti National Park near Lake Kuz, where the habitat supports more than 225 bird species and an estimated three million individual migratory birds.

Kuscenneti was established as a national park in 1959. Eleven other parks protect wetland bird habitats. 7 RIVERS AND WATERFALLS The Euphrates (Firat) River has its source in eastern central Turkey. With a total length of about 2,800 kilometers (1,750 miles), it is the longest river in Turkey and in all of the Middle East. The Euphrates flows west initially, then curves south, crosses the Taurus Mountains, and enters Syria. It eventually flows southeast through Iraq and into the Persian Gulf. There are two large reservoirs on the Euphrates in Turkey, the Keban and the Atatürk. The Tigris (Dicle) river also has its source in Turkey, somewhat farther south and west than that of the Euphrates in the Taurus Mountains. It follows a southeasterly path and soon exits Turkey for Iraq, where, hundreds of miles later, it joins the Euphrates shortly before reaching the Persian Gulf.

The longest river that flows completely within Turkey is the Kizil (Kizilirmak, Halys) with a length of about 1,355 kilometers (847 miles). It follows a twisting path through central Anatolia. It forms a broad half-circle just east of Ankara, first flowing southwest and then curving all the way to the northeast to empty into the Black Sea at the headland of Bafra. Other rivers that empty into the Black Sea are the Yeşil in the east and the Sakarya in the west. The Çoruh River, renowned for its whitewater rafting, rises in the mountains of eastern Turkey and reaches the Black Sea through neighboring Georgia. The Gediz and Büyükmenderes Rivers flow westward to the Aegean Sea in Anatolia. The Maritsa River also empties into the Aegean in Europe and marks most of Turkey's border with Greece. The Seyhan, Ceyhan, and Göksu rivers flow southward into the Mediterranean Sea.

Lying 76 kilometers (47 miles) south of Kayseri is the Kapuzbasi waterfall, which features a 70-meter (230-feet) cascade that is fed by seven underground springs. Southwest of the Sea of Marmara region lies Gönen, where hot springs bubble from deep underground, reaching the earth's surface at about 82°C (180°F). Gönen has been the site of therapeutic mineral baths since the fifth century. In and around Bursa, thermal springs and therapeutic baths may also be found. 8 DESERTS There are no desert regions in Turkey. 9 FLAT AND ROLLING TERRAIN The Ergene Plain is a lowland region in Thrace that extends along rivers that discharge into the Aegean Sea or the Sea of Marmara. There are many grassland areas in Anatolia. To the east and south of the Sea of Marmara, fertile plains stretch from west to east, following the flow of the Gediz and Bakir Rivers. Grassland plains reach an elevation of about 899 meters (2,967 feet) around Lake Tuz (Tuz Gölü).

Relatively flat land is also found to the east of Konya and south of Ankara. A fertile broad valley lies west of Lake Van, centered on Mus. Slightly more than 10 percent of Turkey is covered by forest, most of which lies in protected national reserves or parks. Forests are found in the mountainous areas near the Black Sea, Sea of Marmara, Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. Small pine forests are found in central Anatolia, but the most common forest type is oak. There are regions of moderate hills in Thrace and in the region along the eastern border with Syria. 10 MOUNTAINS AND VOLCANOES Except for a relatively small segment along the Syrian border that is a continuation of the Arabian Platform, Turkey is part of the great Alpine-Himalayan mountain belt. The intensive folding and uplifting of this mountain belt during the Tertiary Period was accompanied by strong volcanic activity and intrusions of igneous rock material, followed by extensive faulting in the Quaternary Period. As a result, mountain ranges can be found throughout most of the country. The most important mountain range in the south is that of the Taurus Mountains (Toros Dağlari).

They run along the entire Mediterranean coast and extend far inland to the border with Iran. They also include many peaks of over 3,048 meters (10,000 feet). Smaller mountain ranges surround the Taurus on all sides, including the Aydin, Nur, Tahtali, Karagöl, and Mardin Mountains. Another series of mountain ranges runs along the northern coast on the Black Sea. Principal among these are the Köroğlu, Küre, and Pontic Mountains. In the Marmara region of the northwest, the highest peak is Mount Olympus (Ulu Dağ), which rises to 2,543 meters (8,392 feet) and provides a center for winter sports. Further east, the mountains rise as high as 3,931 meters (12,897 feet) at Mount Kaçkar (Kaçkar Dagi). The nation's highest peak is the extinct volcano Mount Ararat (Buyuk Agri Dagi), which rises to 5,166 meters (16,949 feet) in the far east near the border with Iran.

To its southwest is a 3,896-meter- (12,857-feet-) high peak known as Little Mount Ararat. A plateau of lava covers the territory between the two peaks. DID YOU KNOW? In about 353 B.C. , the Greek architects Satyrus and Pythius built a huge white marble tomb in the ancient city of Halicarnassus to hold the remains of King Mausolus (a ruler of the Persian Empire) and his wife Artemisia. It was designed and built to stand about 135 feet tall with a beautiful ornamental frieze (a decorative band or border) sculpted around the top. The grandeur and beauty of Mausolus's tomb became so well known throughout the ancient world that the word "mausoleum" began to be used to indicate any large decorative tomb. In the fifteenth century, an earthquake caused serious damage to the tomb. The structure was eventually dismantled and several of its sculptures are now installed in the British Museum in London. The foundation of the building remains near the modern city of Bodrum, Turkey.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. 11 CANYONS AND CAVES In the central Anatolian region, the Melendiz River has eroded the Ihlara Valley to produce a deep canyon. The walls of the canyon have been carved to form Byzantine chapels, featuring many frescoes. Dwellings and tombs have also been found hewn into the rock. In a nearby region known as Cappadocia, early Christians chiseled villages into the canyons and lived there in hiding to avoid persecution. Archaeologists have uncovered five complete underground settlements here, all of which have been preserved and are open to the public. These rock sites of Cappadocia have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 12 PLATEAUS AND MONOLITHS The large, central Anatolian Plateau is wedged between the northern and southern mountain ranges. It is composed of uplifted blocks and downfolded troughs, covered by recent deposits and giving the appearance of a plateau with rough terrain.

This plateau is the heartland of the country, with altitudes rising from west to east from 600 to 1,200 meters (1,980 to 3,960 feet). Except in the northwest, the mountains act as formidable barriers between the coastal regions and the plateau. The plateau is crossed by many rivers and also contains several large lakes. In the tourist center of Ügrüp, between Lake Tuz and Kayseri, exposed rock has eroded into strange monolithic formations called fairy chimneys. These resemble mushrooms, inverted cones, and obelisks; various civilizations throughout history have further shaped the fairy chimneys to provide living space. 13 MAN-MADE FEATURES Twenty-two dams and nineteen hydroelectric stations along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers distribute irrigation and electricity throughout the country. The largest is the Atatürk Dam, which stands at 184 meters (604 feet) high and 1,820 meters (5,971 feet) long. The Atatürk is one of the tallest dams in the world, as well as one of the largest earth and rock fill dams.

The Bosporus Bridge, which crosses the Bosporus Strait at Istanbul and connects the continents of Europe and Asia, is one of the world's longest suspension bridges. Completed in 1973, the bridge spans 1,074 meters (3,524 feet). Ancient writings indicate that there may have been a type of bridge constructed at this same crossing as early as 512 B.C. ; if this is true, that structure would have been the first intercontinental bridge in the world. In 1988 a second bridge, Bosporus II, was built at a narrower point on the strait, north of the first bridge. 14 FURTHER READING Facaros, Dana. Turkey. London: Cadogan, 2000. Karpat, Kermit H., ed . Ottoman Past and Today's Turkey. Boston: Brill, 2000. Kinzer, Stephen. Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001. Periodicals Allen, Thomas B.

"Turkey Struggles for Balance." National Geographic , May 1994, 2-36. Web Sites The Black Sea coast Guide | Turkey Travel | Rough Guides Europe » Turkey » The Black Sea coast From the northern end of the Bosphorus just east of Istanbul to the frontier with Georgia, the Black Sea region is a real anomaly, guaranteed to smash any stereotypes you may hold about Turkey. The combination of damp northerly and westerly winds, confronting an almost uninterrupted wall of mountains south of the shore, has created a relentlessly rainy and riotously green realm. That said, while the coastline may have cooler water temperatures and cloudier skies, semi-tropical heat still sets in during July and August. The Black Sea (Karadeniz in Turkish) was – and indeed still is – an important maritime route; the ancient civilizations who ruled the waters left behind castles, churches, monasteries and mosques. Alongside these, the region’s charm lies in its craggy beauty, empty beaches, vibrant seaside towns unspoilt by tourism, and its low-key vibe.

Although the region’s characterless central portion is dominated by the hulking port of Samsun , the coast west of the strikingly sited town of Sinop , towards the Byzantine/Genoese harbour of Amasra , is filled with attractive villages and deserted beaches. To the east of Samsun are the old mercantile towns of Ünye and Giresun , and the ancient port city of Trabzon (Trebizond), which has more historical attractions than any other destination on the Turkish Black Sea, including the spectacular nearby monastery of Sumela . Emerging north of Ankara as mere humps, the coastal mountain ranges attain world-class grandeur by the time they reach the Georgian border. Until recently they made land access all but impossible and provided refuge for a complex quilt of ethnic subgroups, pockets of which still exist among the Hemşin valleys and the Kaçkar Mountains . Today these regions provide excellent trekking opportunities and rural retreats among the misty forests, glassy lakes and babbling streams. Black Sea cuisine is strongly influenced by geography and climate.

The Black Sea anchovy (hamsi) has a cult-like fan base as far as Istanbul, and the region produces excellent dairy and locally grown hazelnuts, walnuts and cherries. With the exception of the winding and slow western section between Sinop and Amasra, bus and dolmuş links are excellent along the D010 coastal highway. Brief history The ancient Greeks ventured onto the Black Sea, or as they called it, the Pontos Euxine, at the start of the first millennium BC. They fought with the local “barbarians” and occasionally, as in the semi-legendary tale of Jason and the Argonauts, got the better of them. Between the seventh and fourth centuries BC, the Aegean cities founded numerous colonies. These became the ancestors of virtually every modern Black Sea town, whose names as often as not are Turkifications of their ancient monikers. The region made its first brief appearance on the world stage when a local Pontic king, Mithridates IV Eupator, came close to expelling the Romans from Anatolia. With the arrival of Christianity, relations between natives and imperial overlords hardly changed at all.

Only the Byzantine urban centres by the sea became thoroughly Hellenized. The Byzantine defeat at Manzikert in 1071 (see The arrival of the Turks) initially meant little to the Black Sea, safe behind its wall of mountains; the fall of Constantinople to the Fourth Crusade in 1204 had far greater immediate effects, prompting the Black Sea’s second spell of historical prominence. For two and a half cultured (and ultimately decadent) centuries, the empire-in-exile of the Komnenos dynasty, centred on Trebizond (today’s Trabzon), exercised influence grossly disproportionate to its size. After Manzikert, Turkish chieftains had begun to encroach on the coast, especially at the gap in the barrier ranges near Sinop and Samsun. The Trapezuntine dynasty even concluded alliances with them, doubtless to act as a counter to the power of the Genoese and Venetians who also set up shop hereabouts. Most of this factionalism came to an end under the Ottomans, though even they entrusted semi-autonomous administration of the Pontic foothills to feudal derebeys (“valley lords”) until early in the nineteenth century.

The equilibrium was upset when the Black Sea area entered the history books for the third time, as a theatre of war. Imperial Turkey and Russia clashed four times between 1828 and 1915, and the Tsarist regime gave aid and comfort to various regional separatist movements after 1877. Between 1918 and 1922, Greeks attempting to create a Pontic state fought with guerrillas loyal to Atatürk’s Nationalists. Following the victory of the Republic, the Greek merchant class was expelled, and the Black Sea experienced temporary economic disarray, verging on famine during the 1930s. Most of the credit for the modern decades of recovery must go to hamsi (the Black Sea anchovy caught here in large numbers during winter) and hazelnuts – Turkey meets some 75 percent of the world demand for hazelnuts, and the Black Sea coast is the principal area of production. The most visible sign of the post-Soviet era, since Turkey’s eastern border opened up in the early 1990s, is a coastal highway and a further bout of urbanization.

The Black Sea and its six bordering countries – Bulgaria and Romania to the west, Ukraine to the north, Russia and Georgia to the east, and Turkey to the south – today is a major trade hub, with a bottleneck exit point through the Bosphorus Strait. The Black Sea coast Black Sea Geography Map courtesy of the Black Sea Web Project. The Black Sea lies between southeastern Europe and Asia Minor. Excluding its northern arm, the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea occupies about 168,500 square miles (436,400 square kilometers). It is connected to the Aegean Sea through the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles, and has been of critical importance to regional commerce throughout the ages. This major inland sea is bordered by six countries — Romania and Bulgaria to the west; Ukraine, Russia, and Georgia to the north and east; and Turkey to the south. Additionally, it is impacted by another 10 nations through the five major rivers that empty into the Black Sea, the largest of which is the Danube River. The Bordering Countries The following is a brief geographic overview of the nations that border the Black Sea.

Also see the History and Culture section to learn more about them. Bulgaria. This mostly mountainous nation, slightly larger than Tennessee, occupies 42,823 square miles (110,912 sq km) and is home to an estimated 7.6 million people. The capital city is Sofia. About 85% of the people are ethnic Bulgarians, and nearly 10% are Turkish. The Golden Sands Resort along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. The Balkan Mountains cross the northwestern corner of Bulgaria to the Black Sea, sloping gradually to a plateau that ends at the Danube, the country's chief river. The southern side of the mountain range is bounded by narrow plains, such as the Thracian Plain, an important agricultural region. Forests cover about a third of Bulgaria, and the country has a wealth of minerals, mainly iron ore and coal. Bulgaria has mild summers and cold, snowy winters.

In addition to agriculture (primary products: vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets), Bulgaria has major industries for the production of electricity, gas and water, food and beverages, machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, refined petroleum, and nuclear fuel. A major emphasis on the development of heavy industry occurred in the country after World War II. Chief exports include clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, and fuels. Varna , the country's largest city, is Bulgaria's principal port on the Black Sea. Romania. With a total land area of about 91,700 square miles (237,500 sq km), Romania is slightly larger than the state of Oregon. More than 89% of the country's 22.3 million people are ethnic Romanians. Hungarians are the largest minority (about 8%), living chiefly in Transylvania. Romania's capital and largest city is Bucharest. A forest-lined lake fringes the Black Sea coast at Neptun, Romania. Romania is shaped roughly like an oval.

The central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the lowlands of Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps. Wild boar, wolves, bears, and deer may be found in the mountainous regions. The lowlands serve as important agricultural areas. The country's most important river, the Danube, flows through a delta in the Dobruja region into the Black Sea. More than 43% of Romania is cultivated. The chief agricultural products include wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, potatoes, grapes, eggs, and sheep. The country's major industries include textiles and footwear, light machinery and auto assembly, mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, food processing, and petroleum refining. Constanta is one of Romania's principal Black Sea ports. Monument to the scuttled ships of the Black Sea Fleet, Sevastopol. Ukraine. The second largest country in Europe, Ukraine is mostly a broad, flat plain.

At 233,090 square miles (603,700 sq km), Ukraine is slightly smaller than Texas and has an estimated population of 48.3 million. Over 73% are ethnic Ukrainians, while Russians represent the largest minority, at 22%. The capital and largest city is Kyiv (Kiev). Mountains are found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south. Deer, beaver, marten, vultures, and the steppe eagle are among the wildlife found in Ukraine. In the fertile soil of the central and southern regions, agriculture is a top industry, producing wheat, sugar beets, potatoes, beef, milk, vegetables, and sunflower seeds. Other industry is based on the country's rich mineral resources, including coal, iron ore, manganese, bauxite, and salt. Odessa and Sevastopol are Ukraine's largest ports on the Black Sea. Russia. At nearly 6.6 million square miles (17 million sq km), Russia is the largest country in the world in geographic size, occupying more than one-ninth of the world's total land area.

It is just slightly less than 1.8 times the size of the United States. Russia has a population of nearly 145 million. The majority live in European Russia, but sizable communities also live near mining and industrial centers. Russians are the predominant nationality at over 80%, with Tatars, Ukrainians, and Chuvash the largest minorities. Russia's three major geographic regions include European Russia, consisting of the territory west of the Ural Mountains; Siberia, stretching east of the Urals nearly to the Pacific Ocean; and far eastern Russia, including the extreme southeast and Pacific coast. Russia's capital and largest city is Moscow. European Russian is primarily a rocky, rolling plain with broad marshes. Its southern border includes the Caucasus Mountains, which extend between the Black and Caspian seas. While the winters may be cool along the Black Sea coast, this part of Russia has a much more temperate climate than Siberia, where temperatures average -59°F in January and have reached as cold as 90 degrees below zero. Novorossijsk is Russia's only deep-water port on the Black Sea. It is a major oil port.

Forests cover over two-fifths of Russia, amounting to nearly one-fourth of the world's forest area. The taiga, or boreal forest, in the north contains the world's largest coniferous forest, representing about half the Earth's softwood timber. Lowland areas have a natural vegetation of grasslands with scattered groves of trees. Russia's chief agricultural products include grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables, fruits, beef, and milk. The country has a complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, food stuffs, and handicrafts. Novorossijsk is Russia's primary Black Sea port. The port of Batumi on Georgia's Black Sea Coast. Georgia. The Caucasus Mountains dominate this country, which is slightly smaller than South Carolina, with a total area of 26,900 square miles (69,700 sq km).

The main ridge of the Caucasus Mountains forms most of the northern boundary of Georgia, while the Lesser Caucasus Mountains occupy the southern regions. The Kolkhida Lowland opens to the Black Sea in the west. The uplands are dry, while the coastal climate along the Black Sea is very Mediterranean-like — warm and pleasant. The coastal climate and soils are conducive to growing tea, citrus fruit, hazelnuts, and grapes, which are important agricultural products. Other industries include the mining of manganese and copper, the production of steel, aircraft, appliances, machine tools, chemicals, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, wood products, and wine. Nearly 5 million people live in Georgia. Georgians form about 70% of the population, followed by numbers of Armenians, Russians, and Azeris. The capital and largest city is T'blisi. Batumi, Poti, and Sokhumi are the country's primary Black Sea ports. Turkey. The main area of Turkey, known as Anatolia, is in Asia while Turkish Thrace, representing about 3% of the nation's total area, is in Europe.

At nearly 301,000 square miles (780,000 sq km), Turkey is a little larger than Texas. Its capital is Ankara, and Istanbul is the largest city. Istanbul, Turkey, links Europe and Asia. Copyright R. A. Taylor, Images of the World. Turkey is mostly mountainous, with a narrow coastal plain and high central plateau (Anatolia). The country is located in several active seismic zones and is subject to frequent earthquakes.Thrace and the lands bordering the Sea of Marmara is a region of gently rolling hills rising in the east to Mount Ulu (Olympus) at 8,343 feet (2,543 meters). The Aegean and Mediterranean coastlands are narrow and hilly with little arable land, except for a plain in the east where cotton is grown. The steep slopes of the Black Sea coastline rise directly to the Pontic Mountains. The most mountainous area is the eastern highlands. This is where Mount Ararat is located, noted in the Bible as the place where Noah's ark came to rest. Over 67 million people live in Turkey.

About 69% live in urban areas compared to only 21 % in 1950. Turks form about 80% of the population, while Kurds constitute most of the remaining 20%. Turkey is one of the few countries of the world that is self-sufficient in providing basic foods. Nearly half the work force is engaged in farming. The chief crops include wheat, sugar beets, barley, tobacco, olives, cotton, citrus, tomatoes, melons, grapes, maize, livestock, and apples. Fishing also is important, with most of the catch coming from the Mediterranean and Black seas. In addition to rich agricultural resources, Turkey has significant deposits of lignite, coal, iron ore, and chromium. Its most important industry and largest export is textiles and clothing. Other major industries include food processing, automobiles, mining, steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, and paper. Turkey's principal port on the Black Sea is Istanbul . Turkey: Maps, History, Geography, Government, Culture, Facts, Guide & Travel/Holidays/Cities Turkey Initially Resists the Fight Against ISIS but Changes Course Geography Turkey is at the northeast end of the Mediterranean Sea in southeast Europe and southwest Asia.

To the north is the Black Sea and to the west is the Aegean Sea. Its neighbors are Greece and Bulgaria to the west, Russia, Ukraine, and Romania to the north and northwest (through the Black Sea), Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east, and Syria and Iraq to the south. The Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosporus divide the country. Turkey in Europe comprises an area about equal to the state of Massachusetts. Turkey in Asia is about the size of Texas. Its center is a treeless plateau rimmed by mountains. Government Republican parliamentary democracy. History Anatolia (Turkey in Asia) was occupied in about 1900 B.C. by the Indo-European Hittites and, after the Hittite empire's collapse in 1200 B.C. , by Phrygians and Lydians. The Persian Empire occupied the area in the 6th century B.C. , giving way to the Roman Empire, then later the Byzantine Empire.

The Ottoman Turks first appeared in the early 13th century, subjugating Turkish and Mongol bands pressing against the eastern borders of Byzantium and making the Christian Balkan states their vassals. They gradually spread through the Near East and Balkans, capturing Constantinople in 1453 and storming the gates of Vienna two centuries later. At its height, the Ottoman Empire stretched from the Persian Gulf to western Algeria. Lasting for 600 years, the Ottoman Empire was not only one of the most powerful empires in the history of the Mediterranean region, but it generated a great cultural outpouring of Islamic art, architecture, and literature. After the reign of Sultan Süleyman I the Magnificent (1494–1566), the Ottoman Empire began to decline politically, administratively, and economically. By the 18th century, Russia was seeking to establish itself as the protector of Christians in Turkey's Balkan territories.

Russian ambitions were checked by Britain and France in the Crimean War (1854–1856), but the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) gave Bulgaria virtual independence and Romania and Serbia liberation from their nominal allegiance to the sultan. Turkish weakness stimulated a revolt of young liberals known as the Young Turks in 1909. They forced Sultan Abdul Hamid to grant a constitution and install a liberal government. However, reforms were no barrier to further defeats in a war with Italy (1911–1912) and the Balkan Wars (1912–1913). Turkey sided with Germany in World War I, and, as a result, lost territory at the conclusion of the war. Geography of Turkey, Aegean, Black sea, Marmara and Istanbul Blacksea (Karadeniz) Central Anatolia (Ic Anadolu) The total area Turkey covers is a bit less than 800.000 sq km ( 774,815 sq km ), which makes it one of the biggest countries in Europe and the Middle East.

The neighbours are Greece and Bulgaria on the norhtwest,Armenia and Georgia on the northeast, Iran and Irak on the southeast and Syria on the south. Of all, the Turkish-Syrian border is the longest.Turkey has no direct border with Russia, but the Black Sea on the north.The other seas that cover Turkey are the Aegean on the west and the Mediterrenean on the south. In other words, Turkey is a huge big peninsula wrapped up by seas on three sides that looks like the head of a horse, as a Turkish poet has put it. The highest mountain of Turkey is the Mount Ararat in the east, on which Noah's Ark is believed to be ,and it is not far from the lake Van , the biggest lake of the country. Other known mountains are Mount Erciyes, Mount Hasan, Bursa Uludag ,and the mountainchain "The Tauruses". The Asian part of Anatolia comprises a large part of the present day Turkey, although the area mentioned above was only a small portion of the pre World War I. Once the Ottoman Empire had its widest borders from the Adriatic Sea to the Persian Gulf i.e. Indian Ocean.

The eastern region of Turkey, Thrace, lies in Europe and has 23,000 sq km surface area. The elevation rises from west towards east and stabilizes at around 800m above sea level in the Central Anatolian Plateau. Further east, the elevation increases and reaches 2,000-2,200m on the average in eastern Anatolia. In the South, the taurus Mountains lay parallel to the Mediterranean with average elevations around 2,500m, sometimes reaching 4,OOOm above sea level. In Western Anatolia, the mountain ranges lie from east to west, perpendicular to the Aegean Sea creating fertile valleys and fields washed by the rivers of famous ancient times legends such as the Great Meander, Castros, Pactole and Selinus. These mountain ranges, perpendicular to the sea, created many peninsulas and bays and thus, a coastal line full of natural wonders. The high plateaus east of the sunken salt lake bowl contain many volcanoes with elevations of 3,000-4,OOOm and higher. The highest of these mountains is Mt. Ararat (5,165m).

The largest lake in the country, Lake Van (3,600 sq km ) is also in this region. The high plains of Eastern Anatolia are generally large areas for animal husbandry, but there are lower, warmer and more fertile plains such as the Igdir plain. The rivers that originate in this region, like Euphrates and Tigris, flow south as the elevation decreases rapidly. They water the South Eastern Anatolia region and, forming Upper Mesopotamia, they leave Turkey. In the Black Sea, it is noticeable that the mountains generally lie close to the sea. As a result of this, only several (Carsamba, Bafra, etc.) fertile plains were formed, and other than these plains, the mountains are almost perpendicular to the coastline. The region around the Marmara Sea, both in Anatolia and in Thrace has very few changes in elevation , and is comprised of large, flat, fertile lands.

Question: What sea borders Turkey to the north?
Answer: Black Sea