1 Turkey Country Profile Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye), officially the Republic of Turkey, is a contiguous transcontinental country, located mostly on Anatolia in Western Asia, and on East Thrace in South eastern Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea is to the south; the Aegean Sea is to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia. Turkey's location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia makes it a country of significant geostrategic importance. Southern Region of Turkey Hatay Province is a province in southern Turkey, on the eastern Mediterranean coast. The administrative capital is Antakya , and the other major city in the province is the port city of skenderun. There are border crossing points with Syria in the district of Yaylada and at Cilvegözü in the district of Reyhanl Gaziantep is a city in the western part of Turkey's South-eastern Anatolia Region, some 185 kilometres east of Adana and 97 kilometres north of Aleppo, Syria. The city has two urban districts under its administration, ahinbey and ehitkamil. Mersin is a large city and a port on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. It is part of the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area – and lies on the western part of Çukurova, a geographical, economical, and cultural region. Mersin is an important hub of Turkey's economy, and Turkey's largest seaport is located in the city. It is the provincial capital of the eponymous Mersin Province of Turkey. Adana is a major city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan river, 35 km (22 mi) inland from the Mediterranean Sea, in south-central Anatolia. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province and has a population of 1.7 million, making it the fifth most populous city in Turkey. It has the most agriculturally productive area, owing to its large stretch of flat, fertile land. Region covers the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye, and Hatay. For a generic country overview, please consult the following sources: Wikipedia Information for Turkey IMF Information for Turkey Page 1 Economist Intelligence Unit Information for Turkey* (*note - this is a paid service) Humanitarian Info: UNOCHA Information for Turkey Facts and Figures: Wolfram Alpha Information for Turkey World Bank Information for Turkey World Population Review Information for Turkey Page 2.