From 8500 BC to the present day... cradle of civilizations..
Republic of Turkey, Founded in 1923 by
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
Capital: Ankara
Population: 71 Million
Religion: Officially 98% of Turks are Sunni Muslim,
and 2% are Orthodox, Catholic
or Protestant Christians and Jews.
Time: Turkish Standard Time is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. It advances by one hour in summer (Apr-Oct) to GMT +3.
Government Type: Republican Parliamentary
Democracy
Currency: Turkish Lira (TL)
Official Language: Turkish, Ural-Altay origin,
the closest European Languages are Finnish
and Hungarian
Calendar: Gregorian Calendar
Alphabet: Latin Alphabet
Major Cities: Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa,
Adana, Antalya
Borders: Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia,
Iran, Iraq, Syria
Area: 780 580 sq. km.
Climate: Three climate zones; Mediterranean,
Continental and Black sea (Hot Dry summers with
mild, wet winters, harsher in interior)
The Highest Mountain: The Mt. Ararat, approx.
5165 m. It is believed to be resting place of
Noah's Ark.
The Largest Lake: Lake Van - 8000 sq. km.
The Longest River: River Kizilirmak - 1355 km.
Economy: Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of
modern industry and commerce along with
traditional agriculture. It has a strong and rapidly
growing
private sector.