By Randal K. Walker | Created on 22nd February 2026
Yes. And Turkey is part of West Asia as well. It is also part of the Middle East. These facts are precisely why Turkey is so culturally rich and diverse, and so unique. Let me explain.
The Geographic Answer
Geographically about 3% of Turkey’s landmass – the region called Eastern Thrace – lies in South-eastern Europe; that is the part of the country west of the Bosphorus Strait which includes part of Istanbul. The remaining 97% of Turkey’s landmass, including the part of Istanbul on the eastern side of the Bosphorus – called Anatolia/Asia Minor – is in Western Asia.
The Turkish Republic was founded with strong European legal and political influences. Today, Turkey is a member of the Council of Europe, NATO, the European Court of Human Rights, and part of the EU Customs Union. Though Turkey is an official EU candidate, the accession process is currently dormant.
Cultural and Historical Layers
Turkey has a shared culture and history making it uniquely diverse. It has deep cultural ties to the Middle East through Ottoman history, common cuisine, music, and traditions, and Islam as the majority religion though the country is secular. Strong European cultural influences have shaped Turkey’s law and civil codes (many borrowed from Switzerland, Italy, France in the 1920s) and its architecture, particularly in major cities. As a result, Turkey has strong social and economic orientation toward Europe. And as over 10,000 documented ancient sites attest, the ancient civilizations of Anatolia (Hittites, Lydians, Phrygians, Urartians) root Turkey firmly in Western Asia culturally and historically as well.
How Europe Views Turkey
Most Europeans see Turkey as primarily Middle Eastern / West Asian but with a unique European connection due to Istanbul’s location on the European continent, Ottoman history in the Balkans and robust tourism. Strong ties through NATO and commerce give Europeans the view that Turkey is a neighboring European partner rather than a fully European country.
How the Middle East Views Turkey
In the Middle East most countries perceive Turkey as a regional Middle Eastern power with deep Ottoman historical influence, cultural commonality with religion, food, and family structure, and a distinct identity that is not Arab. Middle Easterners see Turkey as more Westernized than its neighbors and is often viewed as the bridge between Europe’s institution and the Middle East’s culture.
How Asia Views Turkey
Asians view Turkey as a Western-oriented, Muslim-majority Asian country. Central Asians, especially Turkic nations like Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, see Turkey as a cultural cousin and a leader of the Turkic world. China, Japan, India usually categorize Turkey as West Asian.
How Turks View Their Own Country
But how do the Turkish people view their country? Again, there is no single answer. Many Turks see Turkey as a modern, Western-oriented republic with deep Anatolian and Middle Eastern traditions, and a unique Eurasian identity not easily reduced to a single category. Common sentiments inside Turkey can be expressed as “We’re not fully European, not fully Middle Eastern; we’re Turkey”, or “We are culturally Middle Eastern and geographically Asian, but politically and institutionally aligned with Europe.” Major urban centers like Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir often lean toward a European self-identity, while rural Anatolia often aligns more with Middle Eastern traditions. Those that tour the country are richly rewarded with Turkey’s unique cultural diversity.
The Elephant Analogy
Do you remember the fable of the blind men and the elephant? It tells of several blind men who each touch a different part of an elephant and come away with completely different ideas of what the animal is like. One touches the trunk and says the elephant is like a snake; another touches a leg and insists it’s like a tree; another touches the side and thinks it’s like a wall, and so on. That is analogous to the experience you would have visiting just a part of this utterly fascinating country.
From his villa overlooking the Aegean Sea, Randal writes about retirement in Turkey, including its Citizenship by Investment Program. Might he return to the United States? He responds emphatically: "Bodrum is home now.”
