Country · Asia
Türkiye
Republic of Türkiye
Türkiye is a country in Western Asia. About 82.3 million people live there, in an area of 783 562 square kilometres. Its capital city is Ankara.
Picture credit: Volker Höhfeld (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Volker Höhfeld (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Jorge Franganillo (CC BY 2.0) · Alexkom000 (CC BY 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Türkiye?
Türkiye lies in Western Asia, on the continent of Asia.
It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 4 341 km from the equator.
Its coastline is about 7 200 km long.
It shares a border with 8 countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq and Syria.
How big is Türkiye?
Türkiye covers 783 562 square kilometres.
That is about 7.6 times the size of Iceland.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 36th largest.
Spread everybody out evenly and you get about 105.1 people on every square kilometre.
That is busier than the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in Türkiye?
About 82.3 million people live in Türkiye.
That is the 18th biggest population in the world.
People here speak Turkish.
They pay with the Turkish lira (₺).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 71 years.
The land of Türkiye
The land of Türkiye sits on average 1 132 metres above sea level — high enough that much of it counts as mountain country.
Its coast runs for about 7 200 km. Walking it end to end, at twenty kilometres a day, would take roughly 360 days.
It lies between the tropics and the poles, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes Türkiye different?
Dishes the country is known for: Döner kebab and Kuru fasulye with pilav.
Websites from here often end in .tr.
Türkiye and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about 11 live in Türkiye.
It takes up about 0.59 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Asia the country ranks 9th of 46 by size, and 9th by population.
Türkiye and its neighbours
Iran, its largest neighbour, is about 2.1 times bigger.
More people live in Türkiye than in Iran — 82.3 million against 81.8 million.
Nature and animals
Of the animals on this site, 11 live wild in Türkiye: Domestic cat, Red deer, Golden hamster, Praying mantis, Buff-tailed bumblebee, Atlantic bluefin tuna and more. The highest mountain in the country is Mount Ararat, at 5 137 metres. The longest river in the country is the Kızılırmak. The largest lake in the country is Lake Van.
Domestic cat
Red deer
Golden hamster
Praying mantis
Buff-tailed bumblebee
Atlantic bluefin tuna
White stork
Griffon vulture
Rock dove
Common stingray
Common nightingale
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons under free licences — every credit is on the page itself and in the picture credits.
Where this country lands in the record lists
How big is Türkiye compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 12 times as big as Türkiye: 9 372 610 km² against 783 562 km². See both on one map
- Türkiye is about 3.2 times as big as the United Kingdom: 783 562 km² against 242 900 km². See both on one map
Questions children ask
What is the capital of Türkiye?
The capital of Türkiye is Ankara. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in Türkiye?
About 82.3 million people live in Türkiye, which makes it the 18th most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border Türkiye?
How big is Türkiye?
Türkiye covers 783 562 square kilometres, making it the 36th largest country in the world. That is about 7.6 times the size of Iceland.
What is the highest mountain in Türkiye?
The highest mountain in Türkiye is Mount Ararat, 5 137 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in Türkiye?
The longest river in Türkiye is the Kızılırmak, about 1 355 kilometres long.
What is the largest lake in Türkiye?
The largest lake in Türkiye is Lake Van. It covers about 3 755 km².
Which continent is Türkiye in?
Türkiye is in Asia, in the part called Western Asia.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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