The geographical regions of Turkey comprise seven regions ( tr, bölge) which were originally defined at the country's
First Geography Congress in 1941.
[Ali Yiğit, "Geçmişten Günümüze Türkiye'yi Bölgelere Ayıran Çalışmalar ve Yapılması Gerekenler", ''Ankara Üniversitesi Türkiye Coğrafyası Araştırma ve Uygulama Merkezi, IV. Ulural Coğrafya Sempozyumu, "Avrupa Birliği Sürecindeki Türkiye'de Bölgesel Farklılıklar"'']
pp. 34–35.
These seven regions are subdivided into twenty one sections ( tr, bölüm), which are further split into numerous areas ( tr, yöre) as defined by microclimate and bounded by local geographic formations.
"Regions" as defined in this context are merely for
geographic
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
,
demographic
Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings.
Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...
, and
economic purposes, and do not refer to an
administrative division.
Regions and subregions
*
Aegean Region
The Aegean Region () is one of the 7 Geographical regions of Turkey, geographical regions of Turkey. The largest city in the region is İzmir. Other big cities are Manisa, Aydın, Denizli, Muğla, Afyonkarahisar and Kütahya.
Located in w ...
**Aegean Section
***
Edremit Area
***
Bakirçay Area
***
Gediz Area
***
Izmir Area
***
Küçük Menderes Area
***
Büyük Menderes
Büyük means "big" in Turkic languages and may refer to:
People
Given name
* Büyük Jeddikar (born 1929), Iranian retired footballer
* Büyük Vatankhah (born 1943), Iranian retired footballer
Surname
* Adem Büyük (born 1987), Turkish fo ...
Area
***
Mentese Area
**
Inner Western Anatolia
Interior may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas
* ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck
* ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See
* Interior de ...
Section
*
Black Sea Region
The Black Sea Region ( tr, Karadeniz Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Samsun. Other big cities are Trabzon, Ordu, Tokat, Giresun, Rize, Amasya and Sinop.
It is bordered by the Marmara Region to the ...
**
Western Black Sea
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
Section
***
Inner Black Sea
Interior may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas
* ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck
* ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See
* Interior de ...
Area
***
Küre Mountains Area
**
Central Black Sea
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
Section
***
Canik Mountains
Canik Mountains ( tr, Canik Dağları) are mountains in Turkey. The western part is in Samsun Province and eastern part in Ordu Province extending to the Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying ...
Area
***
Inner Central Black Sea
Interior may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas
* ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck
* ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See
* Interior de ...
Area
**
Eastern Black Sea
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
* Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
* Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
*Eastern Air ...
Section
***
Eastern Black Sea Coast Area
*** Upper
Kelkit
Kelkit is a town and district of Gümüşhane Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. According to the 2010 census, population of the district is 39,547 of which 13,784 live in the town of Kelkit. The district covers an area of , and the town ...
-
Çoruh Gully
The Chorokh ( ka, ჭოროხი ''Ch'orokhi'', tr, Çoruh, hy, Չորոխ ''Ch’vorokh'', el, Άκαμψις, ''Akampsis'') is a river that rises in the Mescit Mountains in north-eastern Turkey, flows through the cities of Bayburt, İ ...
*
Central Anatolia Region
**
Konya Section
*** Plateau
*** Konya -
Eregli Vicinity
** Upper
Sakarya Sakarya may refer to:
Places
* Sakarya Province, in Turkey
** Sakarya (electoral district)
** Sakarya University
* Sakarya (continent), a small continent 90 million years ago
* Sakarya River, in Turkey
* Sakarya, Polatlı, a village in Ankara Pro ...
Section
***
Ankara Area
***
Porsuk Gully
***
Sündiken Mountain Chain Area
***
Upper Sakarya
Upper may refer to:
* Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot
* Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both
* ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found fo ...
Area
***
Konya - Eregli
Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it D ...
Vicinity
**
Middle Kizilirmak Section
**
Upper Kizilirmak
Upper may refer to:
* Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot
* Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both
* ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found fo ...
Section
*
Eastern Anatolia Region
**
Upper Euphrates
Upper may refer to:
* Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot
* Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both
* ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found fo ...
Section
**
Erzurum - Kars Section
**
Upper Murat
Upper may refer to:
* Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot
* Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both
* ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found f ...
- Van Section
*** Upper Murat Area
*** Van Area
**
Hakkari Hakkari or Hakkâri may refer to:
*Hakkari (historical region), a historical region in modern-day Turkey and Iraq
*Hakkâri (city), a city and the capital of Hakkâri Province, Turkey
*Hakkâri Province
Hakkâri Province (, tr, Hakkâri ili, ...
Section
*
Marmara Region
**
Çatalca
Çatalca (Metrae; ) is a city and a rural district in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the largest district in Istanbul by area.
It is in East Thrace, on the ridge between the Marmara and the Black Sea. Most people living in Çatalca are either farmers or ...
-
Kocaeli Section
***
Adapazarı Area
***
Istanbul Area
**
Ergene Section
** Southern Marmara Section
***
Biga -
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...
Area
***
Bursa
( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...
Area
***
Karesi Area
***
Samanli Area
**
Yildiz Section
*
Mediterranean Region
**
Adana Section
***
Çukurova
Çukurova () or the Cilician Plain (''Cilicia Pedias'' in antiquity), is a large fertile plain in the Cilicia region of southern Turkey. The plain covers the easternmost areas of Mersin Province, southern and central Adana Province, western Osman ...
-
Taurus Mountains Area
***
Antakya -
Kahramanmaras
Marash (Armenian: Մարաշ), officially Kahramanmaraş () and historically Germanicea (Greek: Γερμανίκεια), is a city in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey and the administrative center of Kahramanmaraş Province. Before 1973, Kahrama ...
Area
**
Antalya Section
***
Antalya Area
***
Göller Area
***
Taseli - Mut Area
***
Teke Area
*
Southeastern Anatolia
The Southeastern Anatolia Region ( tr, Güneydoğu Anadolu Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The most populous city in the region is Gaziantep. Other examples of big cities are Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Mardin and Adıyaman.
It is ...
Region
**
Middle Euphrates
Middle or The Middle may refer to:
* Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits.
Places
* Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man
* Middle Bay (disambiguation)
* Middle Brook (disambiguation)
* Middle Creek ...
Section
***
Gaziantep Area
***
Sanliurfa
Urfa, officially known as Şanlıurfa () and in ancient times as Edessa, is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. Urfa is situated on a plain about 80 km east of the Euphrates River. Its climate features e ...
Area
**
Tigris Section
***
Diyarbakir Area
***
Mardin
Mardin ( ku, Mêrdîn; ar, ماردين; syr, ܡܪܕܝܢ, Merdīn; hy, Մարդին) is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for the Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on ...
-
Midyat
Midyat ( ku, Midyad, Syriac: ܡܕܝܕ ''Mëḏyaḏ'', Turoyo: ''Miḏyoyo'', ar, مديات) is a town in the Mardin Province of Turkey. The ancient city is the center of a centuries-old Hurrian town in Upper Mesopotamia. In its long history, the ...
Area
Distinctions of the regions
The
Aegean Region
The Aegean Region () is one of the 7 Geographical regions of Turkey, geographical regions of Turkey. The largest city in the region is İzmir. Other big cities are Manisa, Aydın, Denizli, Muğla, Afyonkarahisar and Kütahya.
Located in w ...
has:
* the longest coastline
250px, , East of the Blacksea Region">Artvin Province, East of the Blacksea Region
The
Black Sea Region
The Black Sea Region ( tr, Karadeniz Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Samsun. Other big cities are Trabzon, Ordu, Tokat, Giresun, Rize, Amasya and Sinop.
It is bordered by the Marmara Region to the ...
has:
* highest annual precipitation
* largest forest area
* fewest sunshine hours
* most landslides
250px, and famous fairy chimneys rock formation">Cappadoccia and famous fairy chimneys rock formation
The
Central Anatolia Region has:
* lowest annual precipitation,
* most erosion
The
Eastern Anatolia Region has:
* largest area
* highest elevation
* lowest annual temperature
* coldest winters
* highest temperature difference between seasons
* most volcanic activity
* smallest population
* highest mineral resources
250px, is crowded city of the Marmara Region and all Turkey">İstanbul is crowded city of the Marmara Region and all Turkey
The
Marmara Region has:
* smallest area
* lowest elevation
* most climate diversity
* highest energy consumption,
* coolest summers,
* largest population
250px, Mediterranean Region is well-known sea-tourism zone because of own climate
The
Mediterranean Region has:
* highest annual temperature
* mildest winters
* wettest winters,
* most greenhouse farming
The
Southeastern Anatolia Region has:
* hottest summers
* driest summers
* smallest forest area
* most sunshine hours
Population by region
Sources
{{Europe topic, Regions of
1941 establishments in Turkey
*
Regions of Turkey
Regions