Turkey flag
Basic Facts of Turkey
Official name: Republic of Turkey
Capital: Ankara
Area 779,452 sq km, 300,948 sq mi
Population 71,892,807 (2008 estimate)
Population growth rate 1.01 percent (2008 estimate)
Population density: 93 persons per sq km, 242 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution:
Share urban 67 percent
Share rural 33 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities: Istanbul , Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Adana
Languages Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic
Religious affiliations:
Muslim (mostly Sunni Muslim) 99 percent
Nonreligious and others 1 percent
Life expectancy:
Total 73.1 years
Female 75.7 years
Male 70.7 years (2008 estimate)
Total number of military personnel 514,850 (2004)
Introduction:
Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, a nation in western Asia and southeastern Europe. The vast majority of Turkey is composed of the Asian territory of Anatolia, or Asia Minor, a large mountainous peninsula. The capital city, Ankara, is located there. The rest of Turkey, called Eastern (or Turkish) Thrace, occupies the far southeastern part of Europe. This region of rolling fertile hills is home to Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city. Asian Turkey and European Turkey are separated by three connected waterways of great strategic importance: the Sea of Marmara and the straits of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles (also called the Turkish Straits). Together, they form the only water route between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean Sea.
Ankara, Turkey
Ankara, in central Turkey, serves as the country’s capital. It is principally a residential city, occupying a site that has been inhabited since at least 2000 bc. This long history influences the community’s character; the city has an old section built around ancient ruins. The new section, seen here, is characterized by modern buildings and landscaped parks.
Suleymaniye Mosque
The Süleymaniye Mosque in İstanbul was built in 1550. The architect, Sinan, based his design on Byzantine churches, in particular the Hagia Sophia. The large central dome above a square opens to smaller spaces vaulted by buttressing half-domes. The four tapering minarets with balconies are characteristic of the architectural style of later Islamic mosques.
Blue Mosque Interior
The Sultan Ahmet Mosque in İstanbul, Turkey, is also called the Blue Mosque because of the blue tilework in the interior. Construction began around 1609.This photo shows the mosque’s intricate blue tilework and its numerous ceiling domes.
Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace in Istanbul was built over several centuries at the tip of a peninsula overlooking the Bosporous, the Sea of Marmara, and the Golden Horn. Successive sultans added buildings, courtyards, gardens, gates, and pavilions to create an enormous complex.