Geographical regions of Turkey

"Regions of Turkey" redirects here. For the statistical regions of Turkey, see NUTS of Turkey.

The geographical regions of Turkey comprise seven regions (Turkish: bölge), which were originally defined at the country's First Geography Congress in 1941.^[1] The regions are subdivided into 31 sections (Turkish: bölüm), which are further divided into numerous areas (Turkish: yöre), as defined by microclimates and bounded by local geographic formations.

Regions of Turkey Türkiye'nin bölgeleri (Turkish)
Regions (by number) Marmara Region (1) Central Anatolia Region (2) Black Sea Region (3) Eastern Anatolia Region (4) Aegean Region (5) Mediterranean Region (6) Southeastern Anatolia Region (7)
Category	Unitary state
Location	Turkish Republic
Number	7
Populations	6,513,106 (Eastern Anatolia) – 26,650,405 (Marmara)
Areas	59,176 km2 (22,848 sq mi) (Southeastern Anatolia Region) – 165,436 km2 (63,875 sq mi) (Eastern Anatolia Region)
Government	Regional Government, National Government
Subdivisions	Province (Counties)

Map of the geographic regions, color-coded, with national (gray) and provincial borders (white).

List of geographical regions

• Marmara Region (dark green)
• Black Sea Region (light green)
• Aegean Region (blue)
• Mediterranean Region (purple)
• Central Anatolia Region (brown)
• Eastern Anatolia Region (orange)
• Southeastern Anatolia Region (yellow)

"Regions" as defined in this context are merely for geographic, demographic, and economic purposes and do not refer to an administrative division.

Regions and subregions

Region	Largest city	Area		Provinces (Counties)	Population (2021)	Location
		km2	sq mi
Aegean Region	İzmir	85,000	33,000	8	10,477,153
Black Sea Region	Samsun	143,537	55,420	18	7,696,132
Central Anatolia Region	Ankara	163,057	62,957	13	12,896,255
Eastern Anatolia Region	Erzurum	165,436	63,875	14	6,513,106
Marmara Region	Istanbul	67,000	26,000	11	26,650,405
Mediterranean Region	Antalya	122,927	47,462	8	10,584,506
Southeastern Anatolia Region	Şanlıurfa	59,176	22,848	9	8,576,391

Aegean Region

• Aegean Region
  • Aegean Section
    • Edremit Area
    • Bakirçay Area
    • Gediz Area
    • İzmir Area
    • Küçük Menderes Area
    • Büyük Menderes Area
    • Mentese Area
  • Inner Western Anatolia Section

Black Sea Region

• Black Sea Region
  • Western Black Sea Section
    • Inner Black Sea Area
    • Küre Mountains Area
  • Central Black Sea Section
    • Canik Mountains Area
    • Inner Central Black Sea Area
  • Eastern Black Sea Section
    • Eastern Black Sea Coast Area
    • Upper Kelkit - Çoruh Gully Area

Central Anatolia Region

• Central Anatolia Region
  • Konya Section
    • Obruk [tr] Plateau
    • Konya - Ereğli Vicinity
  • Upper Sakarya Section
    • Ankara Area
    • Porsuk Gully Area
    • Sündiken Mountain Chain Area
    • Upper Sakarya Area
    • Konya - Ereğli Vicinity
  • Middle Kizilirmak Section
  • Upper Kizilirmak Section

Eastern Anatolia Region

• Eastern Anatolia Region
  • Upper Euphrates Section
  • Erzurum - Kars Section
  • Upper Murat - Van Section
    • Upper Murat Area
    • Van Area
  • Hakkâri Section

Marmara Region

• Marmara Region
  • Çatalca - Kocaeli Section
    • Adapazarı Area
    • Istanbul Area
  • Ergene Section
  • Southern Marmara Section
    • Biga - Gallipoli Area
    • Bursa Area
    • Karesi Area
    • Samanlı Area
  • Yıldız Section

Mediterranean Region

• Mediterranean Region
  • Adana Section
    • Çukurova - Taurus Mountains Area
    • Antakya - Kahramanmaras Area
  • Antalya Section
    • Antalya Area
    • Göller Area
    • Taseli - Mut Area
    • Teke Area

Southeastern Anatolia Region

• Southeastern Anatolia Region
  • Middle Euphrates Section
    • Gaziantep Area
    • Şanlıurfa Area
  • Tigris Section
    • Diyarbakır Area
    • Mardin - Midyat Area

Distinctions of the regions

The Aegean Region has:

• the longest coastline

Artvin Province, East of the Blacksea Region

The Black Sea Region has:

• highest annual precipitation
• largest forest area
• fewest sunshine hours
• most landslides

Cappadoccia and famous fairy chimneys rock formation

The Central Anatolia Region has:

• lowest annual precipitation,
• most erosion

The Eastern Anatolia Region has:

• largest area
• highest elevation
• lowest annual temperature
• coldest winters
• highest temperature difference between seasons
• most volcanic activity
• smallest population
• highest^[vague] mineral resources

Istanbul, the most populous city in the Marmara Region and all of Turkey

The Marmara Region has:

• smallest area
• lowest elevation^{[dubious – discuss]}
• most climate diversity
• highest energy consumption,
• coolest summers,
• largest population

The Mediterranean Region is a well-known sea-tourism zone because of own climate.

The Mediterranean Region has:

• highest annual temperature
• mildest winters
• wettest winters,
• most greenhouse farming

The Southeastern Anatolia Region has:

• hottest summers
• driest summers
• smallest forest area
• most sunshine hours

Population by region

Population by region (2021)^[2]

Region	Population
Marmara	26,650,405
Central Anatolia	12,896,255
Mediterranean	10,584,506
Aegean	10,477,153
Southeastern Anatolia	8,576,391
Black Sea	7,696,132
Eastern Anatolia	6,513,106

See also

• Provinces of Turkey
• Districts of Turkey
• Villages of Turkey
• Metropolitan centers in Turkey

References

1. Ali Yiğit, "Geçmişten Günümüze Türkiye'yi Bölgelere Ayıran Çalışmalar ve Yapılması Gerekenler", Ankara Üniversitesi Türkiye Coğrafyası Araştırma ve Uygulama Merkezi, IV. Ulural Coğrafya Sempozyumu, "Avrupa Birliği Sürecindeki Türkiye'de Bölgesel Farklılıklar", pp. 34–35. Archived 2012-03-31 at the Wayback Machine
2. "Türkiye'nin Nüfus Haritası". www.icisleri.gov.tr. Retrieved 2020-08-19.