he TAURUS Mountains stretch in an almost uninterrupted line fron ancient LYCIA or LIKYA (almost the westernmost part of the Mediterranean Region) to the EUPHRATES, isolating the Mediterranean coastal region from the Anatolian interior. The high chains of the Taurus are formed of a primary base of rock covered with limestone and liassic schist. These mountains present an often impenetrable barrier which few rivers succeeded in crossing.

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Mediterranean climate prevails along the coasts of the Aegean and the Mediterranean, i.e., from the mouth of the Dardanelles to the Gulf of Alexandretta ('İskenderun' of today). Along the Aegean Coast, rainfall is relatively high, reaching at the end of the Autumn; the winters are mild and the summers are hot. The vegetation, which is typically Mediterranean, extends over the plains and the western slopes of the inland mountains up to 750 meters/2,460 feet. As a result of irrigation, the plains form rich agricultural region (maize, wheat, tobacco, cotton, figs and grapes). The south coast has very hot, dry summers, though the degree of humidity is quite high; the winters are very mild. The vegetation acquires a subtropical character in places with banana-trees, cereals, cotton, citrus fruits (once upon a time sugar-canes) are grown.