Armenia vs. Turkey
Geography
| Armenia | Turkey | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Southwestern Asia, between Turkey (to the west) and Azerbaijan; note - Armenia views itself as part of Europe; geopolitically, it can be classified as falling within Europe, the Middle East, or both | Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria |
| Geographic coordinates | 40 00 N, 45 00 E | 39 00 N, 35 00 E |
| Map references | Asia | Middle East |
| Area | total: 29,743 sq km land: 28,203 sq km water: 1,540 sq km | total: 783,562 sq km land: 769,632 sq km water: 13,930 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Maryland | slightly larger than Texas |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,570 km border countries (4): Azerbaijan 996 km, Georgia 219 km, Iran 44 km, Turkey 311 km | total: 2,816 km border countries (8): Armenia 311 km, Azerbaijan 17 km, Bulgaria 223 km, Georgia 273 km, Greece 192 km, Iran 534 km, Iraq 367 km, Syria 899 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 7,200 km |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 6 nm in the Aegean Sea exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only: to the maritime boundary agreed upon with the former USSR 12 nm in Black Sea and in Mediterranean Sea |
| Climate | highland continental, hot summers, cold winters | temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior |
| Terrain | Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley | high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Aragats Lerrnagagat' 4,090 m lowest point: Debed River 400 m mean elevation: 1,792 m | highest point: Mount Ararat 5,137 m lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m mean elevation: 1,132 m |
| Natural resources | small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite | coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite, borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable land, hydropower |
| Land use | agricultural land: 59.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 15.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1.9% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 42% (2018 est.) forest: 9.1% (2018 est.) other: 31.2% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 49.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 26.7% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 4% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 19% (2018 est.) forest: 14.9% (2018 est.) other: 35.4% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 2,740 sq km (2012) | 52,150 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts | severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van; landslides; flooding volcanism: limited volcanic activity; its three historically active volcanoes; Ararat, Nemrut Dagi, and Tendurek Dagi have not erupted since the 19th century or earlier |
| Environment - current issues | soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT; deforestation; pollution of Hrazdan and Aras Rivers; the draining of Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), a result of its use as a source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies; restart of Metsamor nuclear power plant in spite of its location in a seismically active zone | water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; land degradation; concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic; conservation of biodiversity |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants | party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Environmental Modification |
| Geography - note | landlocked in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan) is the largest lake in this mountain range | strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link the Black and Aegean Seas; the 3% of Turkish territory north of the Straits lies in Europe and goes by the names of European Turkey, Eastern Thrace, or Turkish Thrace; the 97% of the country in Asia is referred to as Anatolia; Istanbul, which straddles the Bosporus, is the only metropolis in the world located on two continents; Mount Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's ark, is in the far eastern portion of the country |
| Total renewable water resources | 7.769 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 211.6 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | most of the population is located in the northern half of the country; the capital of Yerevan is home to more than five times as many people as Gyumri, the second largest city in the country | the most densely populated area is found around the Bosporus in the northwest where 20% of the population lives in Istanbul; with the exception of Ankara, urban centers remain small and scattered throughout the interior of Anatolia; an overall pattern of peripheral development exists, particularly along the Aegean Sea coast in the west, and the Tigris and Euphrates River systems in the southeast |
Source: CIA Factbook
