Editing Anatolia (section)

== Population and economy ==
Most inhabitants of Anatolia speak Turkish. Kurdish-speaking communities form a large part of the population in the eastern and southeastern regions. Population density is highest around the Sea of Marmara and across the western coastal plains. The central plateau is more sparsely settled, while the mountainous east contains extensive rural districts.<ref name="turkey-population"/> Istanbul extends across both sides of the Bosporus, with its Asian districts located in northwestern Anatolia. Ankara lies on the central plateau and serves as the national capital. [[Izmir]] is the principal city and port of the Aegean coast. [[Bursa]] developed south of the Sea of Marmara as an Ottoman capital and later became an industrial centre.

Agriculture follows the climatic divisions of the peninsula. Farmers on the central plateau cultivate grain and raise livestock under relatively dry conditions. The Aegean valleys support olive growing and vineyards. Tea and hazelnut cultivation is concentrated on the wetter Black Sea slopes, while irrigation supports farming in the southern lowlands. Manufacturing is concentrated around the Marmara region and the larger inland cities. Road and railway corridors cross the central plateau between Istanbul and Ankara. Other routes descend toward the Aegean coast or pass through the Taurus Mountains to the Mediterranean. Izmir handles maritime trade on the Aegean, Mersin serves the southern coast, and Samsun provides access to Black Sea shipping.<ref name="turkey-economy"/>

Tourism is concentrated along the coasts and at archaeological sites. [[Cappadocia]] attracts visitors to its volcanic formations and rock-cut settlements. Hittite remains survive across central Anatolia, while classical and Byzantine sites are concentrated in the west. Towns developed under Ottoman rule retain mosques, markets and imperial-period buildings.