| Official Name |
The Republic of Turkey (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti) |
| Founder |
Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK ( 1881-1938 ) |
| Capital |
ANKARA |
| Population |
67.8 million (as of 2000) |
| Language |
The Turkish- This
language belongs to the Ural-Altaic group, and has an affinity
with the Finno-Hungarian languages. Turkish is written in the
Latin Alphabet and is spoken by some 150 million people around the
World. |
| Currency |
New Turkish Lira ( YTL ) as of 1/1/2005
$1 = 1.3 YTL |
| Location |
Eastern Mediterranean. Located on two
continents Europe and Asia. The European part of Turkey is called Thrace, while the Asian part is called Anatolia or ( Asia Minor ) |
| Area |
814 578 Km2 (314 500 square miles)
% 3 on the European continent
% 97 on the Asian continent |
| Major Cities |
Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir,
Konya, Bursa |
| Religion |
99 percent of the population is Muslim. Turkey is a secular state that assures complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims. |
| Government |
Turkey is democratic, secular and social state governed by the rule of law; committed to the nationalism of
Atatürk and based on the principle of the separation of powers;
Legislative Power : The Turkish Grand National Assembly
Executive Power : President and the Council of Ministers.
Judicial Power : Independent courts and supreme judiciary organs. |
| Coastline |
Coastline 8333 Km.
(5000 miles)
Turkey is surrounded by sea on three sides, by the Black Sea in the north, the Mediterranean in the south and the Aegean Sea in the west. In the northwest there is also an important internal sea, the Sea of Marmara, between the straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus
Geographical Regions Turkey has 80 administrative provinces and seven geographical regions. The first four of the seven regions are given the names of the seas which are adjacent to them. |
| Geographical Regions |
Turkey has 80
administrative provinces and seven geographical regions. The first
four of the seven regions are given the names of the seas which
are adjacent to them.
- Black Sea Region
- Marmara Region
- Aegean Region
- Mediterranean Region
The other three regions are named in accordance with their
location in the whole of Anatolia.
- Central Anatolia Region
- Eastern Anatolia Region
- Southeastern Anatolia Region |
| Famous Landmarks |
Ayasofya Museum, Topkapi Palace,
Blue Mosque, Dolmabahçe Palace, ancient City of Troy, Ephesus,
Aphrodisias, Pergamon, Pamukkale, Göreme- Cappadocia, Mt.Nemrut,
Safranbolu
|
| Time |
Local time
is equal to GMT + 2 hours. Same time zone all over the country (seven hours ahead of U.S. eastern standard time)
|
| Electricity |
220 volts a.c.
throughout Turkey |
| Weights and Measures |
Metric and Kilo system |
