Türkiye (Turkey)

Officially known as Türkiye Cumhuriyeti or the Republic of Turkey, TÜRKIYE (Turkey) is a geographically diverse and predominantly Islamic country that straddles two continents. A small peninsula is in Europe, and the rest of the mainland is in Asia. Turkey borders seven countries: Bulgaria, Greece (both in Europe), Armenia, Iran, Iraq, Georgia, and Syria (the latter countries are in Asia). The capital is Ankara, which is the second largest city in Turkey. Istanbul, which developed alongside the Bosporus (also known as Istanbul Strait or İstanbul Boğazı), is the largest city and is often mistakenly thought of as Turkey's capital. Located close to the border with Azerbaijan, Mount Ararat (5137 meters, or 16,854 feet) is the highest peak. Turkey's currency is the Turkish Lira, and its ISO 4217 currency code is TRY.

Russia

RUSSIA, formerly the largest portion of the Soviet Union (USSR), is the largest country in the world spanning from northern Europe to eastern Asia. Russia shares borders with 14 countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Norway, North Korea, Poland, and Ukraine. Russia also has an exclave called Kaliningrad, located in Europe southwest of Lithuania and north of Poland. The capital and largest city of Russia is Moscow (Moskva). The currency is the Russian Ruble, and its ISO 4217 currency code is RUB.

Kazakhstan

Also known as QAZAQSTAN, the Republic of KAZAKHSTAN is a large, former Soviet Republic located in Central Asia, bordering 5 countries: China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The western part of the country is in Europe. There are a couple of well-known bodies of water that border this country: the Caspian Sea, which is actually a large lake; and the Aral Sea, a lake that is shrinking at a rapid rate. The capital of Kazakhstan is Astana. Almaty, Kazakhstan's most populated city as of 2024, served as the country's first capital after independence in the 1990s. Kazakhstan's currency is the Kazakhstani Tenge; the ISO 4217 currency code is KZT.

Georgia

GEORGIA, a Eurasian country in Asia, is located above Azerbaijan and Armenia. Georgia's northern portion is sometimes considered to be in Europe. This country borders the eastern side of the Black Sea and is north of Turkey and south of Russia. The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi (T'bilisi), which is located in eastern Georgia. Other major cities include Sokhumi, Bat'umi, K'ut'aisi, and Rust'avi. Like T'bilisi, these cities are sometimes spelled without apostrophes. Almost three-fourths (75%) of the population is of the Georgian ethnicity. Other people living in Georgia include Azeris (from Azerbaijan), Armenians, and Russians. The Georgian Orthodox tradition has the most worshippers in Georgia. The currency is the Georgian Lari, and its ISO 4217 currency code is GEL.

Azerbaijan

AZERBAIJAN is a Eurasian country; it is in Asia but can also be considered part of Europe. For example, the right edge of this online National Geographic map (↗) shows a northern sliver of Azerbaijan being in Europe. Azerbaijan is north and northwest of Iran, east of Armenia, and southeast of Georgia and Russia. Azerbaijan is west of the Caspian Sea and is a major producer of oil and natural gas. In addition to oil and natural gas, agriculture (especially cotton, grains, rice, tea, and tobacco) and the production of steel, textiles, and chemicals are other important features of the Azerbaijani economy. Located on a peninsula stretching out into the Caspian Sea, the capital of Azerbaijan is Baku (Baki). The currency is the Azerbaijani Manat, and its ISO 4217 currency code is AZN.

Armenia

Map Credit: © Maps of the World (mapsofworld.com)
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ARMENIA (Հայաստան) is a landlocked country located in southwestern Asia, in an strategic area to the east of the Black Sea and west of the Caspian Sea. Armenia is east of Turkey, west of Azerbaijan, south of Georgia, and north of Iran and Naxçivan, which is a landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan. Naxçivan is not the only peculiar piece of land in the region; the other enclaves and exclaves are smaller than Naxçivan. Armenia has a small circular exclave located in western Azerbaijan with the town of Artsvashen inside it. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan has several small exclaves located within Armenia. South-central Armenia is the location for one of Azerbaijan's exclaves, with the town of Tigranashen inside. Two exclaves are located in northeast Armenia. These four territories, excluding Naxçivan, are so small that the longest length of them is only about 9.16 kilometers or 5.69 kilometers! The longest length of those territories belongs to the territory Artsvashen is in.

● ● ● ● ●  People and Places  ● ● ● ● ●  According to Encyclopædia Britannica, Armenia’s population in the year 2020 was about 2,954,000 and was ranked 139th among populations of the whole world’s countries, dependencies, and territories. Armenia's population is fairly homogeneous given that most residents are of Armenian ethnicity and ancestry. With over 1 million residents, Yerevan is the capital and city with the highest population in Armenia. Other cities throughout Armenia include Ararat, Armavir, Gyumri, Kapan, Sisian, Step'anavan, and Vanadzor. Southwest of Yerevan, Karmir Blur (Կարմիր Բլուր) is an ancient settlement dating back to over 3,000 years ago. The currency is the Armenian Dram, and the ISO 4217 currency code is AMD. Armenian is the official language, with over 3 million speakers in the country. The Armenian language is also widely present in nearby Georgia and Russia. Minority languages spoken in Armenia include Assyrian, Georgian, Greek, Kurdish, and Russian.

● ● ● ● ●  Land Features  ● ● ● ● ●  The Lesser Caucasus (Փոքր Կովկաս) mountain range stretches across northern and eastern Armenia. It is south of the mightier Greater Caucasus mountain range, which is located in northern Azerbaijan and northern Georgia. The highest point in Armenia and the Lesser Caucasus' is Mount Aragats (լեռ Արագած), a composite volcano standing over 4,000 meters and 13,400 feet. In eastern Armenia, Ozero Sevan (Սեւանա լիճ, or Sevana Lich) is by far the largest lake in the country. In comparison to Azerbaijan, a higher proportion of Armenian land is protected by national parks and reserves. Most of this area is in northern and southern Armenia. This post was updated on April 10th, 2015.

Cyprus

The Republic of CYPRUS (Κύπρος) is geographically located in western Asia but also serves as a European Union member. The island country is located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and south of Turkey. The total population is about 1.15 million. The capital of Cyprus is Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia or Lefkoşa. Cyprus experienced turmoil when Greece conducted a coup d'état against President Makarios III, then Turkey invaded the island afterwards in attempts to restore order. Officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Northern Cyprus is a self-declared state only recognized by Turkey. The United Kingdom operates military base areas at Akrotiri and Dhekelia along Cyprus' southern coast. Greek and Turkish are the official languages, and Christianity is the majority religion followed by Islam. The currency of Cyprus was the Cypriot Pound, and its ISO 4217 currency code was CYP. Cyprus switched to the Euro currency in 2008.