Turkey is a vast peninsula, covering an area of 780,000 sq.+km and linking Asia to Europe through the Sea of Marmara an the Straits of Istanbul and Çanakkale. Across the Sea of Marmara, the triangular shaped Thrace is the continuation of Turkey on the European continent. Anatolia is rectangular in outline,1600 kilometers long and 600 kilometers wide. It is characterized by a central plateau surrounded by chains of mountains on the north, west and south and a rugged mountainous region in the east with an average elevation of 1050 meters. The northern Anatolia mountain range, and the Taurus range in the south, stretch like arcs, becoming ever denser in the east. In the west, however, the mountains descent gently towards the sea.

Turkey is like a mosaic made up of many different relieves and formations: parallel mountain ranges, extinct volcanoes, plateaus fissured by valleys and plains. Surrounded on its three sides by warm seas, it falls in the temperate climate zone. The climate varies considerably however from region to region: a temperate climate in the Black sea region, a Mediterranean climate on the southern coast and the Aegean, a continental and arid climate on the central plateau and a harsh mountain climate in eastern Turkey. Because of these variations in climate, the fauna and flora are some of the richest in Europe and the Middle East.

There are more than 10,000 species of plants in Turkey, 20% of which are found only in these lands. The abundant rainfall in the black sea region allows the growth of rich forest vegetation, including oak, beech, maple, alder, chestnut and walnut trees. The Dardanelles forms a transition between the Black Sea and the Aegean regions and therefore has a mixture of temperate and Mediterranean type of vegetation. Thrace has fine forests which are subject to the continental influence of the Balkans. The coast of the Aegean and the Mediterranean, from the Dardanelles to the gulf of Iskenderun, have a typically Mediterranean vegetation which extends to the plains and western slopes of mountains as high as 1,000 meters. The southern coast has very hot and dry summers and the vegetation in some places in subtropical with banana trees and date palms. In the Taurus mountains, the vegetation consists of pine and cedar forests, with even junipers at higher altitudes.

Central and eastern Anatolia are isolated from all maritime influence by mountains. Rainfall is low, the summers hot and dry and the winters harsh. In certain areas, the vegetation is steppe-like but also with forests of pine, oak and beech. The region around the Salt lake is almost entirely barren. The climate in eastern Turkey is even harsher, although the rainfall in the South-East allows birches, walnuts and oaks to thrive.

Turkey has a great variety of wild animals, with over 114 species of mammals. The forests belt in the north is home to gray bears and in the south to wild goats. Sea turtles and seals play in the waters of the Mediterranean and the Aegean. Just as in other parts of the world, some species have become extinction such as the wild Asian donkeys, lions and tigers. Some 400 species of indigenous or migratory birds live in Turkey, some of which are extinct in Europe such as the black vulture.

The most important species for environmentalists is the bald ibis, a peculiar bird with a bald pink head and drooping feathers. A number of these birds are now under protection in a colony of the shore of the Firat river in eastern Turkey. Turkey is an important stop over for birds migrating of between Africa, Asia and Europe, with the Istanbul Straits and Artvin being the preferred sites. Each spring and autumn, hundreds of thousands of birds, including storks and some predatory birds stop in these places before continuing on their journey. According to the International Office of Aquatic Birds and Areas, there are some 800 aquatic species in Turkey spanning in sixty different areas. The shores Lake Manyas near Balikesir are home to over 200 species of indigenous or migratory aquatic birds. This lake is considered to be one of Europe's richest aquatic bird centres. Over 250 indigenous or migratory birds live in the Sultan marshes near Kayseri; 20 of these are considered endangered species, although they come here to mate and breed. The Sultan marshes are thought to be the only places where flamingoes, cranes, herons and pelicans breed together. The protected salt marshes near Izmir are like a natural museum, with some 190 species of birds living in its marshes, lakes and hills. The hills also shelter rabbits, foxes and even boars. The Iztuzu sand beaches near Dalyan are the main breeding area for sea turtles.