Anatolia

Map of Anatolia

Anatolia, also called Asia Minor (from Ancient Greek: 'Άνατολή, Turkish: Anadolu), is a peninsula at the west end of Asia. It forms the majority of modern Turkey.

It has an area of 750,000 km² (290,000 sq mi). Most of it is a plateau. that averages 1,000 m (3,300 ft) above sea level. Its climate is continental and semi-arid in the interior, temperate along the northern coast, and subtropical along the southern and the western coasts. Most of its people speak Turkish.

Anatolia is surrounded by the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is between Europe and Asia. This has led to people of many different cultures living there.

Many great historical peoples have lived in or occupied Anatolia; They include the Hittites, Lydians, Greeks, Persians, Armenians, Celts, Romans, Goths, Byzantines, Seljuk Turks and Ottoman Turks. The Roman Empire had a province called Asia that was also called Phrygia. People later started to call the entire continent Asia. Because of this, the peninsula became called Asia Minor (Little Asia).

Troy is the most famous of the many cities that existed long ago in Anatolia.

Anatolia Media

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  The henges in Göbekli Tepe were erected as far back as 9,600 BCE.

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  The Sphinx Gate in Hattusa

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  Fairy chimneys in Cappadocia

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  Sanctuary of the Kings of Commagene on Mount Nemrut (1st century BCE)

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       Roman Empire in 117 CE at its greatest extent, at the time of Trajan's death.      vassal states

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  The Seven churches of Asia

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  Byzantine Anatolia and the Byzantine-Arab frontier zone in the mid-9th century

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  Settlements and regions affected during the first wave of Turkish invasions in Asia Minor (11th–13th century)

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  Territorial evolution of the Ottoman Empire between 1359 and 1683