Turkey

Europe / Middle East

Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria.

39 00 N, 35 00 E

President Abdullah Gül	Prime Minister  Recep Tayyip

Capital
Ankara 

Government

Parliamentary republic 

ReligionMuslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews). 

Population 

78,785,548 

 

Ethnic group 

Turkish 70-75%, Kurdish 18%, other minorities 7-12% 

National Language

Turkish 

National Day

29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire) 

Anthem

Independence March 

Currency 

Turkish Lira (TRY) 

Attractions 

Antalya,  Blue Mosque,  Cappadocia,  Dolmabahee Palace,  Ephesus Ruins,  Hagia Sophia,  Istanbul's Grand Bazaar,  Mt Ararat, Nemrut Dagi Archaeological Site,  Pergamon Acropolis,  Ruins of Troy,  Topkapi Palace 

Website    

Art & Cultural

The ICON

Topkapi Palace The Topkapı Palace , (usually spelled "Topkapi" in English) is a palace in Istanbul, Turkey, which was the official and primary residence in the city of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign. The palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments and is a major tourist attraction today, containing the most holy relics of the Muslim world such as the Prophet Muhammed's cloak and sword. Topkapı Palace is among those monuments belonging to the "Historic Areas of Istanbul", which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, and is described in Criterion iv as "the best example[s] of ensembles of palaces  of the Ottoman period."

Hagia Sophia