The Marmara Region which covers 8.5% of the country with a surface area of 67,000 km² is named after the internal sea, which is surrounded entirely by land and connected to the Black Sea and the Aegean via the straits. The Marmara Region, which forms a passage between the Balkan Peninsula and Anatolia, and connects Europe and Asia, is surrounded by the Black Sea and the Central Anatolia Regions to the east, the Aegean Region to the south, and Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest. The islands of Bozcaada and Gökçeada (İmroz), situated in the open sea off the Aegean coast, are also located in the Marmara Region. The population of the region has risen to 17,365,027 according to the results of the 2000 census. 13,730,962 of this population reside in cities and 3,634,065 in villages. This is the region with the highest population growth rate which reaches 26.69‰. The constant migration to the region is the principal reason for this high rate.

The people in the Marmara Region, which is Turkey’s most industrialized region, are employed in industry,  trades,  and
 

Akmerkez was chosen "Europe’s and the World’s Best Shopping Mall" by ICSC - İSTANBUL

Covered Bazaar - İSTANBUL

tourism. The most developed industrial zone in the region is the İstanbul-Bursa-İzmit triangle. Among the industrial goods produced in the region are processed foods, textiles, ready-to wear clothing, cement, paper, petrochemical products, automobiles and spare parts, durable household items, railway cars and ships.

The advantageous location of the Marmara Region on the transportation routes, imparts to the region a special trait. The shortest highways connecting Europe and Asia pass through this region. These highways intersect with the waterways that connect the Black Sea countries to the Mediterranean. This location is the reason behind the development, the population density and the wealth of the region. This region, where many great civilizations were born and flourished, comprised the migration routes of the tribes passing between the two continents. Tourism is also very developed in this region, which has various educational institutions, press and information establishments, a cinema industry and theaters, intense cultural activities, and some of the worlds most important works of architecture and art

Language. Turkish is the language of 90% of the population of Turkey. The Caucasian and Kurdish dialects, Greek, Ladino and Armenian are among the other 70 languages and dialects spoken in the country. The Turkish spoken in Turkey is an agglutinative language similar to other Ural-Altaic languages and is the modern form of Otoman Turkish which had borrowed, until the beginning of the 20^th century, many words from Arabic and Persian. Modern Turkish along with the Turkish spoken in Azerbaijan and Turkoman Turkish is derived from the Oghuz dialect which has been spoken since the 11^th century.

The communities which speak Ural-Altaic tongues spread from Central Asia towards the east and northwest and especially to the west. After the adoption of Islam, the influences of Arabic and Persian on the Turkish language were quite significant. Turkish is the 7^th most spoken and widespread   language   among   the   approximately  4.000
 

Association, which later became the Turkish Linguistic Society, produced positive results and important steps were taken to simplify the Turkish language by deleting Arabic and Persian words. Today, The Turkish Linguistic Society continues its activities with a reorganized statute within the structure of the Atatürk Cultural, Linguistic and Historical Supreme Council established in 1983. The most important result of the constructive studies related to the Turkish language is the fact that the ratio of use of Turkish words in the written language, which was 35-40% prior to 1932, is now 75-80%. This fact is the most important proof that the Language Reform made by Atatürk has been embraced by the people who it has reached.

Turkey has a young population.

According to the 2000 census, the population of Turkey amounted to 67 million 844 thousand. 33.6 million of the population are female and 34.2 million are male. While the annual average population increase was 24.9‰ in the 1980-1985 period and 21.7‰ in the 1985-1990 period, this figure dropped to 18.3‰ in the 1990- 2000 period. This figure is expected to drop further to 14.5‰ in the 2000-2005 period.

Since the 1960’s, Turkey has been considered to be among the countries which registered the greatest progress in urbanization. The 2000 census indicated that 4 million people live in provinces and administrative centers, and 23.7 million people live in districts and villages.

In the 1975 census, it was noted that 58% of the population resided in rural areas and 41.81% in the cities. In the 2000 census the number of people living in the cities had increased to a total on 64% and 35% remained in the rural areas.

Of the 81 provinces in the country, the three most densely populated are İstanbul with a population of 10 million, Ankara with a population of 4 million, and İzmir with a population of 3.4 million.

In the last 30 years, the population in the western and southern regions has increased, while it has decreased in the central, northern and eastern regions. The three provinces registering the greatest increase in population growth rate are Antalya with a 41.8‰ increase, Şanlıurfa with a 36.6‰ increase, and İstanbul with a 33.1‰ increase. Tunceli has the lowest population growth rate among the provinces with a 35.6‰ decrease. These changes in the regional distribution of population in Turkey resulted from migration from the eastern and northern regions to the western and southern metropolises.

Turkey is a country with a young population. The 0-14 age group comprises 30% of Turkey’s population, the 15-64 age group 64.4% and the 65+ age group 5.6% of the population. When these figures are compared with those of European Union (EU) countries, it is observed that the 0-14 age group in EU countries, with a mere 17.2% is approximately half of that of Turkey. Conversely, the 65+ age group in EU countries is almost three-fold of that in Turkey with 15.7%.

Turkey’s population rate has been influenced by the fact that Anatolia has been a transit route throughout history. Numerous civilizations were established in Anatolia at different periods of time. Such a blend of cultures inherited by the Republic of Turkey has also inherent in it a unifying feature.

Climate.

Turkey is located along a moderate climate belt and enjoys four seasons. In spite of this, there are differences in climate from region to region, the reason being that the mountains are parallel to the coast and there is diversification in the surface morphology. The coastal regions have a moderate maritime climate, while the central regions, surrounded by mountains, have a continental climate. The Mediterranean region experiences hot and arid summers, while in the winter it is mild and rainy. The Mediterranean climate also manifests itself in the Aegean region and in the south of the Marmara region. A more moderate and rainy maritime climate predominates in the Black Sea region. In the interior regions, the summers are hot and slightly rainy and a steppe climate is observed in the winter which is cold and snowy. In the Eastern Anatolia region, the summers are cool, the winters are very cold, and there is considerable snowfall. In the Southeastern Anatolia region, the summers are hot and arid, but the winters not very cold.

Rivers and Lakes.

Turkey has many rivers and lakes. A large number of these rivers are used to generate energy. The rivers generally pour into the seas which surround Turkey, and some reach other seas after leaving Turkey’s borders. There are long rivers like the Euphrates, Tigris, Kura, Aras and Çoruh, which originate in Turkey, but pour into the seas in neighboring countries. Kızılırmak, which is 1.355 km., is the longest river stretching completely within Turkey’s borders. The Sakarya, which is 824 km., is the second longest. The Tigris, which is 1.263 km. and the Euphrates, 523 km., are the longest rivers that originate in Anatolia. These two rivers, which largely flow to other countries, pour into the Persian Gulf. The Yeşilırmak, Kızılırmak and Sakarya rivers in Central Anatolia flow into the Black Sea; the Susurluk, Biga and Gönen streams in the west flow into the Marmara Sea; and the Gediz, Büyük Menderes and Küçük Menderes flow into the Aegean Sea. The main waterways that flow into the Mediterranean are the Seyhan, Ceyhan and Göksu rivers and the Dalaman and Eşen streams.

Eleven percent of Turkey’s total area consists of lakes and swamps. Lake Van, located in Eastern Anatolia is the largest of the natural lakes in the country. It has an area of 3,713 km² and is 451 m. deep. There are many lakes in the Lakes District located in the Western Taurus Mountains.

The biggest are the Beyşehir and Eğirdir lakes and the Burdur and Acıgöl lakes with brackish water. The lakes around the Marmara Sea are the Sapanca, İznik, Ulubat, Manyas, Terkos, Küçük Çekmece  and  Büyük  Çekmece lakes. Central Anatolia’s lakes are shallow and very salty. The Salt Lake which is 1,500 km²  is the second largest lake in Turkey and is located in this region along with the Akşehir and Eber Lakes.

Surface Morphology.

Turkey’s geopolitical structure formed as a result of an evolution that took approximately 600 million years. The country is a true mosaic in terms of geomorphologic processes and the morphology formed through these events.  The  country  possesses all  types  of geological formations of various eras. Turkey’s topography is varied, having high elevations and lofty mountains. There are high mountain ranges in the north and south. These mountain ranges generally extend parallel to the coast. The North Anatolian Mountains span the Black Sea Region and the Taurus Mountains in the south determine Turkey’s high elevation. The highest point of the North Anatolian Mountains is the Kaçkar Peak. Ilgaz and Köroğlu mountains are the second and third in height, respectively. The Samanlı Mountains, Uludağ, Istranca Mountains and Tekirdağ are located in the Marmara Region; the Kozak, Yunt and Aydın mountains in the Aegean Region; Mount Kızıldağ, Mount Hasan, and the İdris, Elma and Ayaş mountains are located in the Central Anatolia Region; and the Karacadağ, Raman and Sof mountains are located in the Southeastern Anatolian Region. The 5,137 m. high Ağrı Mountain (Mount Ararat), is Turkey’s highest mountain. Mount Süphan, which is a dormant volcanic mountain near Ararat, is located in the Eastern Anatolian Region along with Nemrut and Alacadağ.

Mount Nemrut crater lake

The mountains in Turkey cover an extensive area, but there are also many plains, plateaus and depressions. The large plains in the central part of Anatolia separate the mountain ranges to the north and to  the  south  of  the  country.  The arable plains suitable for agriculture are the Bafra, Çarşamba and Merzifon plains in the Black Sea Region; the Konya Plain in the Central Anatolian Region; the Bakırçay, Gediz, Büyük Menderes and Küçük Menderes plains in the Aegean Region; the Çukurova Plain in the Mediterranean Region; and the Muş Plain in the Southeast Anatolia region.