LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Turkey: Black Sea
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The total area of Turkey is 300,948 square miles (779,456 sq. km). The Asian portion of Turkey, Anatolia (historically Asia Minor), comprises 291,773 square miles (755,693 sq. km), or about 97 percent of the total; the section located on the European continent totals 9,175 square miles (23,763 sq. km). The European portion of Turkey is separated from the Asian by the Sea of Marmara, which in turn is connected to two larger bodies of water by two narrow straits. In the northeast, the Bosporus Strait connects the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea, while in the southwest, the Dardanelles Strait connects it to the Aegean Sea. Turkey borders the Aegean Sea and Greece on the west, Bulgaria on the northwest, the Black Sea on the north, Georgia on the northeast, Armenia on the east, Iran and Iraq on the southeast, and Syria and the Mediterranean Sea on the south.
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Turkey is a parliamentary democracy governed under the constitution of 1982. The executive branch consists of a president, who is elected by the national assembly for a seven-year term, and a prime minister, who is appointed by the president. Members of the unicameral national assembly are popularly elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms, but a party must receive at least 10% of the vote to be seated in the assembly. There is a cabinet, but the senior policy-making body is the national security council, which is dominated by the military.
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A republic of Asia Minor and southeastern Europe, Turkey has coastlines on the Aegean, Black, and Mediterranean seas. Area: 779,452 sq km (300,948 sq mi), including 23,764 sq km in Europe. Pop. (1995 est.): 62,526,000. Cap.: Ankara. Monetary unit: Turkish lira, with (Oct. 6, 1995) a free rate of 50,093 liras to U.S. $1 (79,189 liras = £1 sterling).
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Turkey has a unique geographical location, linking Asia to Europe. The land area of Turkey is 780,580 square kilometers, of which 756,202 are in Asia and 24,378 are located in Europe. Greece and Bulgaria border on the European side; while Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, (which were a part of the former USSR) Iran, Iraq and Syria (which are part of the Middle East) border on the Asian. The sea surround it on three sides: the Black Sea to the north, the Mediterranean to the south, and the Aegean Sea to the west (see Figure 1 and 2).
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Turkey's location affords it dominion over one of the world's significant waterways. The European and Asian parts of Turkey are segmented by a narrow channel, called the Straits, which is the outlet of the Black Sea into the Mediterranean Sea. The channel is made up of the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles. Turkey has a 4,474-mile coastline, a high central plateau (Anatolia), a narrow coastal plain and several mountain ranges. At 16,949 feet, Mount Ararat is the highest peak. Devastating earthquakes occur, particularly in the north, extending from Lake Van to the Sea of Marmara.
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Turkey invaded Cyprus by sea and air on July 20, 1974, following the failure of diplomatic efforts to resolve conflicts between Turkish and Greek Cypriots. Turkey unilaterally announced a cease-fire on Aug. 16, after having gained control of 40% of the island. Turkish Cypriots established their own state in the north on Feb. 13, 1975. In July 1975, after a 30-day warning, Turkey took control of all the U.S. installations except the joint defense base at Incirlik, which it reserved for “NATO tasks alone.”
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