Anatolia is a region in southwestern Asia that includes nearly the entire nation of Turkey. The region is also known as Asia Minor, the geographical name for the peninsula Anatolia occupies. In Turkish, Anatolia is called Anadolu.
The Aegean, Black, and Mediterranean seas surround Anatolia on three sides. Rugged mountains and highlands mark the region’s eastern border. Coastal areas of Anatolia consist of lowlands and green, rolling plains. A broad expanse of dry highlands called the Anatolian Plateau stretches across the central peninsula. In 1941, Turkey’s First Geography Congress divided Turkey into seven geographical regions, six of which lie entirely within Anatolia. The seventh, Marmara, lies partly in Anatolia and partly in European Thrace.
Mount Ararat, Turkey’s highest point, rises 16,946 feet (5,165 meters) above Anatolia. Cappadocia, a rugged region in central Anatolia, is known for its spectacular lava rock formations.
Archaeologists have found evidence of an advanced society in Anatolia dating from about 7400 B.C. Since then, various Asian and European peoples have ruled Anatolia. The Turks began migrating from central Asia to Anatolia during the A.D. 900’s. During the 1300’s, a group of Muslim Turks called the Ottomans began to build a powerful empire in Anatolia. The Ottoman Empire eventually controlled much of the Middle East, southeastern Europe, and northern Africa. The Ottoman Empire ended in 1922, and the Republic of Turkey was founded the next year. For more on Anatolia’s history, see Turkey (History).
