Turkey is a vast peninsula, covering an area of 780,000 sq km and linking Asia to Europe through the Sea of Marmara and the Straits of Istanbul and Çanakkale. Across the Sea of Marmara, the triangular shaped Thrace is tire continuation of Turkey on the European continent. Anatolia is rectangular in outline, 1500 kilometers long and 550 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, stretches like arcs, becoming ever denser in the east. In the west, however, the mountains descend gently towards the sea.

There are more than 10,000 species or plants in Turkey, 20% or which are round only in these lands. The abundant rainfall in the Black Sea region allows the growth or rich rarest 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 or temperate and Mediterranean type or vegetation. Thrace has fine forests which are subject to the continental influence or The Balkans. The coasts 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 or mountains 1000 meters. The southern is very hot and dry summers at vegetation in some places is  with banana trees and date.

In the Taurus mountains, they 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 nut also with forests of pine, oak and beech. 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, in eastern Turkey is even harsher, although the rainfall in the Southeast allows birches, walnuts and oaks to thrive.

Turkey has a great variety or wild animals, with over 114 species or mammals. The forest belt in the north is home to grey tears 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 or the world, some species have become extinct or on the verge or extinction such as the wild Asian donkeys, lions and tigers. Some 400 species of indigenous or migratory birds live in Turkey, some or which are extinct in Europe such as the black vulture. The sandy hanks of lztuzu on the Mediterranean shore are the nesting ground  of the caretta caretta sea turtles that were on the verge of extinction before they were taken under protection here

The most important species for environmentalists is the bald ibis, a peculiar bird with a bald pink head and drooping feathers. A number or these birds are now under protection in a colony on the shore of the Firat (river in Eastern Turkey. Turkey is an important stopover for birds migrating between Africa, Asia and Europe, with the Istanbul Strait and Artvin being the preferred sites. Each spring and autumn, hundreds or 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 sixty different areas. The shores or 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 centers. Over 250 indigenous or migratory birds live in the Sultan marshes near Kayseri; 20 of these are considered endangered 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 place 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. In the Iztuzu sand beaches near Dalyan are the main breeding area for sea turtles.

Some 400 species of indigenous or migratory birds live in Turkey, some of which are extinct in Europe.