General Information about Turkey
Bridging the East and the West, Turkey is the
crossroads where Asia meets Europe.
The country is surrounded by the Black Sea to the north, the
Aegean to the west and the Mediterranean to the south. Two straits
(the Bosphorus and the Dardanelle) form gates to the inner Marmara
Sea, dividing Thrace - the European part, and Anatolia - the Asian
part of the country.
The landscape presents an astonishing variety, from large plains
to high mountains stretching east to west. Nature mingles with
history at every step, bearing the heritage of several
civilizations. Since the first settlements of 6500 B.C. on this
land, legend has always embellished reality, leading us, from the
path to Noah's Ark on Mountain Ararat in Eastern Turkey or the
dramatically beautiful rock churches of the first Christians hiding
in Cappadocia, to Ephesus or Aspendos, miraculously preserved
monuments to the Hellenistic-Roman civilizations.
In 1923, Turkey became a republic under the leadership of Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk. Today the Turkish State is a parliamentary democratic
country employing a self-governing system. The capital is Ankara, in
the heart of the country. The legislative power is vested in the
TBMM (Turkish Grand National Assembly) and the executive power is
used by the President as the Head of the State, together with the
Council of Ministers and the Prime Minister.
The visitor today will discover every amenity of a modern western
country, from efficient taxis to an extensive internal flight
system. Today's Turkey, open to the world, follows a liberal policy
in economy just as in its political structure.
Agriculture plays an important role in the economy of Turkey,
which has signed a Customs Union Agreement with the European Union.
Turkey is self-sufficient in food production and produces enough
surplus for export as well. Leading industries include the
processing of agricultural products, metallurgy, textiles and the
manufacturing of automobiles and agricultural machinery. With the
increased development of summer and winter resorts, Turkey is
becoming a major European tourist destination. The tourism industry
earns an average annual income of more than $7 billion U.S. for the
Turkish economy, and this amount is increasing yearly.
The population is 99% Moslem. Turkey is a secular state and
recognizes freedom of worship. It is the only country in the world
in which mosques, churches and synagogues have coexisted peacefully
Turkey, known as " the cradle of civilization,'' hosted the
first human settlement on its soil, which has been dated as 12,000
years old. Turkey is also the home of ancient cultures, including
the Hattis, Hittites, Phrygians, Urartians, Lycians, lydians,
Ionians, Persians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantine's, Seljuks and
Ottomans. Following the decline of Ottoman Empire, the modern
Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal, known as
Ataturk, an army general and World War I hero. Ataturk is revered in
Turkey and is cited as one if the world's greatest statesmen.
Soccer, basketball and wrestling are Turkey's most popular
spectator sports. A water sports haven, yachting, snorkeling,
diving, fishing and windsurfing are also extremely popular. Turkey
also offers downhill skiing, trekking and mountain biking.