The Republic of Turkey is in the Northern hemisphere and while most of it is situated in the continent of Asia, there is a small area of Istanbul in Europe.
| Founder | Mustafa Kemal Atatürk |
| Language | Turkish |
| Capital | Ankara |
| Largest City | İstanbul |
| Religion | Secular State,Muslim |
| Government | Unitary presidential constitutional republic |
| Size | 783.356 km2 |
| Population | 82.003.882 (2018 estimate) |
| Currency | Turkish Lira (₺) TRY |
| Time Zone | UTC +3 |
| Date Format | dd/mm/yyyy |
| Driving Side | Right |
| Calling Code | +90 |
| ISO 3166 Code | TR |
| Internet TLD | .tr |
- Neighbouring countries include Georgia, Armenia, Greece, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, and Syria
- Surrounding seas include the Mediterranean on the South coastline; Aegean Sea on the West coast and the Black Sea to the North.
Brief History of Turkey
Earliest records show Turkish ancestors lived in Central Asia some time before 2000 BC. By the 10th century, Islam had spread and some Turks travelled southwest to Anatolia of which historians class as a cradle of civilization due to numerous civilizations that have occupied the area including the Hittites, Assyrians, Lydians, Greeks, Persians, Macedonians, lonians, Romans, Byzantines, and Turks. In AD 1071, Seljuck Turks defeated the Byzantine Empire but their influence declined and Anatolia separated into many smaller states. Ottoman Turks conquered all of them and became the largest empire in recent history.They ruled from 1081 – 1922 but after losing World War 1, their empire was distributed among the Allies. A man called Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, led the Turkish people in a War of Independence (1919-1922). Occupying forces were defeated and in 1923, the Republic of Turkey was established with foundations for a modern, secular state. Turkey is a member of NATO, OECD,the Council of Europe, and other major Western organizations. It is alsO in the process of joining the EU. many finance experts consider it one of the fastest developing economies in the world.
Do you know these facts about Turkey ?
- The most popular religion of Turkey is Islam
- The part of Turkey in Europe is called ‘Thrace’, while the land in Asia is called ‘Anatolia’.
- The highest peak is Mount Agri (5,166 m) which some historians also suspect is the resting place of Noah’s ark.
- The Temple of Artemis and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, in Bodrum belong to the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
- St Paul (Saul) was born in Tarsus, situated to the East of Mersin.
- Istanbul, formally Constantinople, was the capital of the Byzantine & Ottoman Empires and is the only city in the world spread over two continents.
- St. Peter’s Church, in Antioch (Antakya) was the first church built by man.
- St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) was born in Demre, on the Mediterranean coast.
- Turks introduced coffee to Europe during the Vienna War in the 15th century.
- Cherries were introduced to Europe from Giresun (Northern Turkey).
- The Seven Churches of Revelations mentioned in the Bible are in the Aegean region
- The oldest known human settlements have been found in Catalhoyuk and Gobeklitepe.
