Turkey is a Eurasian country extending across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia to  Thrace in the Balkan region of south east  Europe. The Black Sea is north, the  Aegean Sea west and the Mediterranean south. The  Sea of  Marmora, Bosporus and the Dardanelles, or  Turkish  Straits, form the boundary between Europe and  Asia. The landscape is peppered with ancient battlegrounds, ruined castles and palaces of past empires. The beaches afford vast stretches of white sand, and the bustling cities like Ankara and Istanbul have all the souks, and sights a visitor could desire.