Turkey straddles Europe and Asia at the northeast end of the Mediterranean Sea. To the north is the Black Sea and to the west is the Aegean Sea. Turkey has many neighbors from Europe and Asia. Greece and Bulgaria are to the west, Russia, Ukraine, and Romania, through the Black Sea, are to the north and northwest, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran lie in the east while the south features Syria and Iraq. The country is divided by Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosporus.

Turkey - Facts and Figures

• Official name is Republic of Turkey.
• Turkey is a mostly mountainous area with narrow coastal plains and a treeless central plateau.
• Climate is temperate with hot and dry summers while winters are mild and wet. Interior weather, though, is harsher.
• Turkey’s land borders are 2,627 kilometers long in total. Its coastline is 7,200 kilometers.
• Area: 780,580 sq km, of which 770,760 sq km is land and 9,820 sq km is water.
• Turkey was formed in 1923 from what remained of the Ottoman Empire, which ruled for around 600 years.
• Population is around 70.5 million. Turkish people comprise 80% of the population with the rest being Kurdish.
• The official language is Turkish. Kurdish, Dimli, Azeri and Kabardian are also spoken.
• Islam is practiced by 99.8% while Christians and Jews comprise 0.2%.
• Capital is Ankara. Other large cities are Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa, Adana and Gaziantep.
• Major exports are apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metals and transport equipment.
• The local currency is the Turkish lira.
• Agricultural products are tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, pulse, citrus products and livestock.
• Major trading partners include Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Italy, France, Spain, Russia and China.
• Government is a republican parliamentary democracy.

Syria has the Mediterranean Sea to its west while the southwest areas border Lebanon and Israel. To the north is Turkey, Iraq on the east and Jordan to its south. The coastal area is a narrow plain behind which is a range of mountains. The Syrian desert is in the east while the Jebel Druze Range is in the south. Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

Syria - Facts and Figures

• Official name is Syrian Arab Republic.
• Syria’s terrain is mostly desert plateau, semi-arid with a narrow coastal plain and mountains in the west.
• Its climate is mostly typical desert, hot and dry. Winters are rainy along the coast with snow sometimes affecting capital Damascus.
• Syria’s has 2,253 kilometers of land boundaries and 193 kilometers of coastline.
• Area: 185,180 sq km, of which 184,050 sq km is land and 1,130 sq km is water.
• Syria was administered by the French after the break-up of the Ottoman Empire until independence in 1946.
• Population is about 19 million with Arabs making up 90%. The rest comprise Kurds, Armenians and other races.
• The official language is Arabic. Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, French, and English are also spoken.
• About 74% of Syrians are Muslims, mainly Sunni Alawites and Druze. Other religions are Christianity (10%) and a small community of Jews.
• Capital is Damascus. Other major cities include Aleppo, Homs, Latakia and Hama.
• Major exports are crude oil, petroleum products, fruits, vegetables, cotton fiber, clothing, meat, livestock and wheat.
• The local currency is the Syrian pound.
• Agricultural products are wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets, beef, mutton, eggs, poultry and milk.
• Major trading partners include Italy, France, Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, China, Russia, United States and South Korea.
• Government is based on a military republic.

Somalia is on the Horn of Africa along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Djibouti lies to the northwest, Ethiopia is in the west and Kenya is to the southwest. Somalia also has two major rivers, the Shebelle and the Juba. Somalia has often been wracked by fighting among warlords and factions.

Somalia - Facts and Figures

• Official name is Soomaaliya.
• The terrain is mostly flat, undulating plateaus, becoming hills in the north.
• Somalia is mostly desert with moderate temperatures in the north and very hot in the south.
• Somalia’s land borders are 2,366 kilometers long while 3,025 is coastline.
• Area: 637,657 sq km, of which 627,337 sq km is land and 10,320 sq km is water.
• There was no working government between 1991 and 2000. A parliamentary government was replaced in 2004 by a transitional government.
• Somalia’s population is close to 9 million, 85% of which is Somali with Bantu and Arabs making up the rest.
• The official language is Somali. Arabic, English and Italian are also spoken.
• Islam is the dominant religion in Somalia.
• Capital is Mogadishu.
• Major exports are livestock, bananas, hides, fish, charcoal and scrap metal.
• The local currency is the Somali shilling.
• Agricultural products are bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice, sugarcane, mangoes, sesame seeds, beans, cattle, sheep, goats and fish.
• Major trading partners include United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Oman, Djibouti, Kenya, India and Brazil.