Anadolu

Anadolu, historically called Asia Minor in Western scholarship, is the peninsula that forms the majority of modern-day Turkey. It is bounded by the Aegean Sea to the west, the Black Sea to the north, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Its northwest edge is linked to Europe by the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles. The region comprises the Anatolian Plateau, the Taurus Mountains in the south, and the Pontic Mountains in the north. Important rivers include the Kızılırmak (Halys) and the Sakarya; eastern Anatolia is the source region for the Euphrates and Tigris. The area is seismically active and climatically diverse.

The name Anatolia comes from Greek anatolē, meaning 'east' or 'sunrise; in Turkish it is Anadolu. In antiquity Greek authors called the western part Asia Minor.

Human settlement in Anatolia dates back to the Neolithic era. The Hittite state rose in central Anatolia during the second millennium BCE, later followed by Phrygia, Lydia, Urartu and other polities. Greek colonists settled along the Aegean coast, forming cities such as Ephesus, Pergamon and Miletus. The region was ruled by the Achaemenid Persians, then became part of the Hellenistic kingdoms after Alexander the Great, and subsequently the Roman and Byzantine empires. In the 11th century the Seljuk Turks established dynasties in western and central Anatolia, paving the way for Ottoman expansion. The modern Turkish Republic, proclaimed in 1923, identifies Anatolia as its core continental mass.

Anatolia is culturally diverse. Turkish is the dominant language, with Kurdish communities in the east and historic Armenian and Greek populations in certain areas. It remains an important agricultural heartland, producing grains, fruit, olives, and cotton, with major urban centers such as Ankara, Izmir, and Bursa. The region contains renowned sites and landscapes, including Cappadocia, Troy, Ephesus, and Pamukkale.