Adana is located between 36°30-38°25 north latitudes in the south of Anatolian Peninsula and 34°48-36°41 east longitudes in Mediterranean Region. It is located in the northeast corner of Mediterranean Region which served as an entrance for Çukurova through history, commonly known as Cilicia by Westerners. This vast lowland stretches across the southeast of Taurus Mountains.
The road to Tarsus from Adana stretches over the hill areas on the foothills of Taurus Mountains. The temperature drops with each hill passed, because the road reaches an altitude of almost 4000 meters, goes through the craggy passage of Gülek Strait and goes on over the Central Anatolia lowlands.
The north of the city is surrounded with a hydroelectric plant and Seyhan reservoir which was completed in 1956. The dam was built for hydroelectric power production and it is used for the irrigation of Çukurova lowlands today. Adana’s two irrigation canals that pour over the lowlands reach across the city center in the east-west direction. There is another canal built for the irrigation of Yüreğir Lowlands.
Adana is encircled by Kayseri in the north, Osmaniye in the east, Kahramanmaraş in the northeast, Hatay in the southeast, Niğde in the west, Mersin in the west and Mediterranean Sea in the south. It shares a coastline roughly 160 kilometers long with Mediterranean Sea and its surface area is 14.125 km2. Adana’s elevation from sea level is 23 meters.
Adana is surrounded with Amanos (Nur) Mountains and a segment of Eastern Taurus Mountains. Taurus Mountains stretch over Uzunyayla in the west-east direction. The altitude reaches over 3000 meters at some points of Taurus Mountains and there are many steep slopes and deep valleys. On this segment of Taurus Mountains, there is Gülek Strait. Gülek Strait is an important passage that connects Central Anatolia to the south. The plain area that is bordered by Taurus Mountains, Amanos Mountains and Mediterranean Sea is called Çukurova. Misis mountains which are not very tall divide Çukurova in two. The southern part is called “Lowlands Below” and the northern part is called “Lowlands Above”.
Although there are many streams in various sizes throughout the city, Seyhan and Ceyhan Rivers are the most important streams of Adana.