Turkey, officially known as the Republic of Türkiye, shares borders with several countries across both Europe and Asia. These neighbouring countries are considered its closest due to their direct physical proximity and shared land or sea boundaries.
Turkey's Neighbouring Countries
Understanding Turkey's geographical location helps identify its closest neighbours. According to the reference provided:
Türkiye, officially known as the Republic of Türkiye, is both a European and an Asian country. It's neighbour to the northwest is Bulgaria; Greece to the west; Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran to the east; Georgia to the northeast; Syria to the south; and Iraq to the southeast.
Based on this information, Turkey has the following neighbours:
- Bulgaria
- Greece
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Iran
- Georgia
- Syria
- Iraq
These countries share a direct border with Turkey, making them its closest national neighbours.
To visualize this, here is a table showing Turkey's neighbours and their general direction from the country:
| Direction | Neighbouring Country |
|---|---|
| Northwest | Bulgaria |
| West | Greece |
| Northeast | Georgia |
| East | Armenia |
| East | Azerbaijan |
| East | Iran |
| South | Syria |
| Southeast | Iraq |
While the question asks for "the" closest country (singular), based on the provided reference, Turkey shares borders with multiple countries. All these nations are immediately adjacent to Turkey's territory, making them its closest neighbours. There isn't a single country listed as uniquely closer than the others; rather, these are the countries that form Turkey's perimeter.
Being neighbours means these countries have significant interactions with Turkey, ranging from cultural exchanges to trade and political relations. The proximity defined by sharing a border is the most direct measure of "closest" in this context.
