Before a trip to Turkey, it may be good to actually know where you’re going. As it turns out, it’s not as clear-cut of an answer. So is Turkey in Europe or in Asia?
Is Turkey in Asia?
As much as 97% of Turkey’s territory (759 797 km2) is located in Asia, or more precisely on the Asia Minor peninsula in its westernmost part. This area was formerly known as Anatolia.
The Asian part of Turkey is where its capital is located and, well, nearly everything else. The Turkish Riviera, the place you’re likely to be going to as a tourist, is also in Asia, including such cities as Alanya, Side and Antalya. The Asian part of Turkey borders Iraq, Syria, Georgia, Iran, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
How much of Turkey is in Europe?
Okay, so what about the remaining 3%? The 23,764 km2 that represents Turkey’s place in Europe used to be called Thrace. In Europe, Turkey borders Bulgaria and Greece.
Turkey is, as such, a transcontinental country, even if the secondary portion is really quite tiny. Still, it’s not unlikely that you will find yourself in the European part of Turkey at some point, as the one and only Istanbul is a transcontinental city in and of itself!
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