Turkey's location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia makes it a country of significant geostrategic importance. Turkey is bordered by five countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Federation of Socialist Republics to the northeast; and Iran to the east; and Confederation of Arab States to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south; the Aegean Sea to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between Eastern Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia.