Anatolia Throughout History

Anatolia (from Greek Ἀνατολή Anatolē — "east" or "(sun)rise"; also Asia Minor, from Greek: Μικρὰ Ἀσία Mikrá Asía "small Asia"; in modern Turkish: Anadolu) is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey. The region is bounded by the Black Sea to the north, Georgia to the northeast, Iran and the Armenian Highland to the east, Mesopotamia to the southeast, the Mediterranean Sea to the south and the Aegean Sea to the west. Anatolia has been home to many civilizations throughout history, such as the Hittites, Phrygians, Lydians, Persians, Greeks, Assyrians, Armenians, Romans, Georgians, Seljuk Turks and Ottomans. As a result, Anatolia is one of the most archaeologically rich places on earth.

Most of the interior of Anatolia consists of a high-altitude plateau that becomes increasingly mountainous as one moves east, eventually becoming the Armenian Highland. Anatolia is separated from the Armenian Highland to the east by the Euphrates river, and from Syria by the Orontes river. The Sea of Marmara forms a connection between the Black and Aegean Seas through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, and separates Anatolia from Thrace on the European mainland....

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatolia