Majestic mountains spread on the Turkish Mediterranean coast, in the calcareous deposits of which glacial and karst relief forms formed: moraines, punches, and troughs. All this was formed during the old glaciation. More modern glaciers are located only on the peaks of the Eastern Taurus Mountains (Djilo Sat Mountains).
About Taurus (Toros) and will be discussed in this article. The name of these mountains came from before the Indo-European basis tor, taur, translated as "hill", "mountain".
Briefly about the geographical position of Turkey
This is one of the few countries in the world that is located in two parts of the world: in Asia and Europe. The main part - Anatolia, located in Asia - occupies more than 755 square meters. kilometers, which is 97% of the total area of the state. In this regard, Turkey is usually referred to the Asian countries of the Middle East. Thrace is the historical name of the European part. It occupies the southeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula (almost 24 sq. Km - 3% of the total territory of Turkey).
In its configuration, this state resembles an elongated rectangle. Its length from west to east is 1,600 kilometers, and its width is 550 km.
Relief of turkey
If you look at the geographical map of Turkey, you can see that its territory has a large number of mountains and plateaus. Such fragmentation determines the vertical zoning of nature landscapes, a wide variety of cultivated and wild plants. Turkey, in terms of the richness of its flora, is second only to the diversity of the Caucasus vegetation.
High gorges and mountain ranges crowned by snowy peaks with deep hollows, as well as extensive vast highlands with coastal evergreen plains buried in subtropical rich vegetation, combine on the territory of this state.
In a word, Turkey, by the nature of its relief, is a mountainous country with an average altitude of about 1000 meters. Almost its entire territory is located on the Asia Minor Plateau, which includes the outskirts of Ontario and the Taurus Mountains, as well as the Anatolian Plateau located between them, on which the Erciyes volcano, active today (with a height of 3916 meters) and several extinct volcanoes, rise. The most inaccessible high region is the eastern part of Turkey (East Anatolian or Armenian Highlands). The highest points are located here: Big Ararat and Syuphan (extinct volcanoes with heights of 5165 and 4434 meters); Nemrut (active volcano 3050 m high). Low-lying plains, which are few in the country, are confined mainly to river estuaries and to individual zones of sea coasts.
The mountains. Description
Taurus (or Taurus, or Toros) is a mountain system. It is located in the south of Turkey. This includes several ranges that are called Taurus with different definitions. Taurus Mountains consist of Central, Western and Eastern parts. The highest point of this mountainous region is the peak of Demirkazik, located in the Aladaglar ridge. Its height is 3806 m. It is worth noting the high peaks of Kyzylkia (height 3742 meters), Kyzyljar (3702 m) and Emler (3724 m).
The Taurus Mountains form the western branch of the mountain range that crosses Asia. This is the Himalayan mountain belt. The Turkish part of the massif runs along the southern border of the province of Anatolia and is divided into several parts: central, southeastern, western and southern. The highest peaks are in the south-eastern and central parts, and these mountains are difficult to climb.
The ridge Aladaglar, which forms the central part of the Taurus, stretches in the direction southwest - northeast (about 50 km) and captures the highest peak Demirkazik, whose height is 3756 meters. Other peaks include Mount Kizilkaya (3,725 meters) and Mount Vaivai (3,565 m). This mountain range, stretching across the territory of three provinces (Kayseri, Nowhere and Adana), rises between the Zamanta River and Lake Ejemish.
Nature
The peaks of the Taurus Mountains in the east reach heights in the range of 3000 - 3500 meters, in the west - 2000 - 3000 meters. There are a lot of rivers (including the sources of the Euphrates River) and lakes on the Taurus. The northern slopes descend to semi-desert territories and steppes, and the southern ones to the kingdom of picturesque evergreen vegetation, higher up gives way to mountain meadows and coniferous forests.
The flora of this region is represented by myrtle, laurel, strawberry tree, cistus, Lebanese cedar and cypress. The rich vegetation of the Southern Taurus Mountains is protected in several national parks of Turkey: Nemrut, Beysehir-Gelu and Beidaglari-Sahil.
Tiger and Euphrates Rivers
Since ancient times, the banks of these great rivers have been inhabited. Between these beautiful natural reservoirs arose one of the oldest civilizations. This area is called Mesopotamia, which means “interfluve” in translation.
The Euphrates River originates at the confluence of the Murat and Kara rivers. The source of the first reservoir is located southwest of Mount Ararat and north of Lake Van. It flows through the territories of three states: Iraq, Turkey and Syria.
The source of the Tigris River is located in the Turkish Khazar Lake. In the Armenian Highlands. Throughout Iraq, it flows for 1,500 meters. At the city of El Qurna (Iraq), these two rivers are connected and form the Shatt al-Arab (or Arvandrud) river, which flows into the Persian Gulf of the Arabian Sea.
Finally
The Taurus Mountains have seen many brave warlords who led their armies through the gorges of the ridges of the Asia Minor Peninsula. Once upon a time, the noise of those fierce battles in the river valleys of Taurus has subsided. Today, the noisy place and the most visited by tourists are the territories of the Mediterranean coast - a huge international resort region of Turkey.