Geography >> Middle East >> Turkey History and Timeline
Turkey
Capital: Ankara
Population: 83,429,615
The Geography of Turkey
Borders: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea
Total Size: 780,580 square km
Size Comparison: slightly larger than Texas
Geographical Coordinates: 39 00 N, 35 00 E
World Region or Continent: Middle East
General Terrain: high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges
Geographical Low Point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Geographical High Point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m
Climate: temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior
Major Cities: Istanbul 10.378 million; ANKARA (capital) 3.846 million; Izmir 2.679 million; Bursa 1.559 million; Adana 1.339 million (2009)
Major Landforms: Thrace (European portion of Turkey), Anatolia (Asian portion of Turkey), Pontic Mountains, Taurus Mountains, Mount Ararat, Gallipoli peninsula
Major Bodies of Water: Kizilirmak River, Kura River,Tigris River, Euphrates River, Lake Van, Lake Tuz, Lake Beysehir, Aegean Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea
Famous Places: Hagia Sophia, Fairy Chimneys in Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Bodrum Castle, Mount Nemrut, Blue Mosque, Ruins of Ephesus, Theatre of Aspendos, Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Topkapi Palace, Sultan Ahmed Mosqueg, the Golden Horn
Hagia Sophia
Economy of Turkey
Major Industries: textiles, food processing, autos, electronics, mining (coal, chromite, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper
Agricultural Products: tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, pulse, citrus; livestock
Natural Resources: coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite, borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable land, hydropower
Major Exports: apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment
Major Imports: machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport equipment
Currency: Turkish lira (YTL); old Turkish lira (TRL) before 1 January 2005
National GDP: $1,075,000,000,000
Government of Turkey
Type of Government: republican parliamentary democracy
Independence: 29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)
Divisions: Turkey is divided up into 81 provinces. The largest of the provinces by population are Istanbul, Ankara, Ismir, and Konya. The largest by area are Konya, Sivas, Ankara, and Erzurum.
National Anthem or Song: Istiklal Marsi (Independence March)
National Symbols:
- Animal - Grey wolf
- Bird - Redwing
- Flower - Tulip
- Motto - Sovereignty rests unconditionally with the nation
Description of flag: The flag of Turkey was adopted in 1844. It has a red background (field) with a white crescent and a five pointed white star. The crescent represents the Sun and the Moon. The Sun, Moon, and star represent the religious beliefs of the ancient Turks. The star and crescent are also symbols of the Islam religion. The color red has been a major color in Turkish flags for hundreds of years.
National Holiday: Republic Day, 29 October (1923)
Other Holidays: New Years' Day (January 1), National Sovereignty and Children's Day (April 23), Labor and Solidarity Day (May 1), Commemoration of Ataturk and Youth Day (May 19), Republic Day (October 29), Ramadan Feast, Sacrifice Feast
The People of Turkey
Languages Spoken: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian
Nationality: Turk(s)
Religions: Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
Origin of the name Turkey: The name "Turkey" means "land of the Turks." The people of the region have been known as the Turks for hundreds of years.
Famous People:
- Mustafa Kemal Ataturk - Revolutionary and first President of Turkey
- Murat Boz - Singer
- Constantine the Great - Moved the Roman capital to Constantinople (Istanbul)
- Sertab Erener - Singer
- Abdullah Gul - President of Turkey
- Justinian I - Byzantine Emperor
- Elia Kaza - Movie director
- Saint Nicholas - A Saint in the early church
- Osman I - Founded the Ottoman Empire
- Suleiman the Magnificent - Emperor of the Ottomans for 46 years
- Theodosius II - Roman Emperor
- Hedo Turkoglu - Basketball player
Geography >> Middle East >> Turkey History and Timeline
** Source for population (2019 est.) is United Nations. GDP (2011 est.) is CIA World Factbook.
