The Anatolian Plateau ( Turkish: Anadolu Platosu) is a plateau that occupies most of Turkey 's surface area. The elevation of the plateau ranges from 600 to 1,200 meters (2,000 to 4,000 ft). Mount Erciyes near Kayseri is the peak at 3,917 m (12,851 ft). Ankara, the capital of Turkey, is located in the northwestern part of this plateau.
The plateau-like, semi-arid highlands of Anatolia are considered the heartland of the country. The region varies in elevation from 700 to 2000 meters from west to east. The two largest basins on the plateau are the Konya Ovası and the basin occupied by the large salt lake, Tuz Gölü.
In Turkey, stretching inland from the Aegean coastal plain, the Central Anatolia Region occupies the area between the two zones of the folded mountains, extending east to the point where the two ranges converge. The plateau-like, semi-arid highlands of Anatolia are considered the heartland of the country.
The earth in these areas is colored a variety of grays and reds. The plateau is mostly dry with a mixture of dark and desert soils. Summers here are hotter and drier than in the rest of Anatolia, but also colder and wetter in the winter, with temperatures averaging freezing and frequent heavy snows.
Anatolian Plateau. THE ANATOLIAN PLATEAU is the central upland region of the ancient region of Anatolia, today's TURKEY. The plateau is hemmed in by two parallel mountain ranges, the Taurus to the south, along the Mediterranean coast, and the Pontic Mountains to the north, along the coast of the BLACK SEA.
Most of the Anatolian Plateau lies at elevations above 1,640 ft (500 m). This mountainous region lies at the center of the Arabian, African, Eurasian, Aegean and Turkish tectonic plates: the resulting landscape is dotted with volcanoes (today extinct) and regular earthquakes.
Two extinct VOLCANOES, Erciyes and Hasan, left behind lava flows that have eroded over time to form spectacular landscapes of rock cones and capped pinnacles in Goreme, near Nevsehir. The earth in these areas is colored a variety of grays and reds. The plateau is mostly dry with a mixture of dark and desert soils.
Elevations on the plateau itself range from 1,980 to 3,960 ft (600 to 1,200 m). This increases to the east, where the two mountain ranges, the Taurus and Pontic, join to form the eastern highlands ...
The plateau is mostly covered in STEPPE , with short grasses, bushes and stunted willow trees. Wooded areas are confined to the northwest and northeast, and cultivation (wheat and barley) is restricted to narrow river valleys.
Anatolia has served as a bridge between the civilizations of Europe and Asia for thousands of years, with waves of different cultures taking advantage of this central position and establishing cities and empires on the plateau.
The capital of the republic of Turkey was moved to the Anatolian Plateau in 1923. The city of Ankara was chosen as the capital of the new state to remove it from connotations of the imperial capital at Istanbul and to place it in the geographic center of the country.
An area of extreme heat and virtually no rainfall in summer, the Anatolian plateau Continental climate is cold in winter and receives heavy, lasting snows. Villages may be isolated by severe snow storms. Carpet weaving is another important income for small villagers, especially in Cappadocia and Konya.
Akin to the steppes of Russia, the region varies in altitude from 600 to 1,200 meters (2,000 - 4,000 feet) west to east, averaging 500 meters (1,640 feet) in elevation. The two largest basins on the plateau are the Konya Ovasi and the basin occupied by Tuz Gölü (Salt Lake ). Both are characterized by inland drainage.
Other important crops in the region are potatoes, beans, chickpeas and lentils. Stock raising also is important, but overgrazing has caused soil erosion in the plateau, and during the frequent summer dust storms a fine yellow powder blows across the plains.
The plateau-like, arid highlands of A natolia are considered the heartland of the country. Akin to the steppes of Russia, ...
Although termed a plateau, this region is actually quite diverse . Stretching inland from the Aegean, it occupies the area between the two zones of folded mountains, extending east to the point where the two mountain ranges converge. Central Anatolian region occupies 19% of the total area of Turkey with its 151.000 square kilometers (58.300 square miles) of land, it's the second largest region of Turkey after Eastern Anatolia.