The following is a list of Turkish wine regions. Turkey played a pivotal role in the early history of wine and is likely to have been one of the earliest wine-producing regions of the world. Turkey is geographically located on the wine belt thanks to its suitable climatic conditions and soil character. The vineyards in Turkey cover an area of 1,000,000 ha (2,500,000 acres). Annual grape harvest in Turkey accounts for 3.6 million tonnes putting it on the 6th place in the world. However, only 2% of that amount is suitable for wine production. Wine production was neglected in Turkey primarily on the grounds of religion. Major wine regions are Aegean, Marmara and Central Anatolia.