Turkey lies between Asia and Europe, serving as a bridge geographically, culturally and economically. Its location on two continents plays a central part in Turkish history and gives the country a major advantage in serving the markets of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

The area of Turkey is 774,815 square kilometers. 97% of Turkey lies in Asia (the Anatolian Plateau) and 3% in urope (Thrace). The seacoasts of Turkey stretch for 8,210 kilometers along the Mediterranean in the south,
the Aegean in the west and the Black Sea in the north. In the northwest there is also the important inland sea of Marmara, between the straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus, important waterways that connect the Black Sea with the rest of the world. The country is roughly rectangular in shape, measuring 1,600 kilometers from east to west, and 650 from north to south.