Category: Turkey

Turkey is situated in Western Asia which stretches across Anatolian peninsula. Turkey is bordered by eight countries such as Bulgaria, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Greece, Syria, Iraq and Iran. The country is surrounded by huge water bodies such as Black Sea, Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea. Turkish people actually migrated to this area during 11th century. Turkey is a republic, secular, unitary, democratic and constitutional country. The head of the country is the President who is elected through direct elections for five-year term. The Prime Minister has the executive power and Council of Ministers consist of the government.

The country is integrated with western countries by the membership of organizations such as NATO, OSCE, OECD, G-20 and Council of Europe. Turkey is considered as the regional power with its large army and economy. Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country is divided in to 81 provinces. Istanbul, capital of pre-Republican Turkey, is the economical, cultural and financial center of the country. The economy of the country mainly depends on the industry of major cities and tourism also plays an important part in the economy of the country. Turkish economy is also depends up on other sectors such as textiles, petrochemical products, mining, iron, food, steel, automotive, electronics, home appliances, banking, construction, machine industry and oil refining.

The population of Turkey is over 80.8 million and three-fourth of them is residing in cities and towns of the country. Every year there is an increase of 1.5% in population. Majority of the population is of Turkish origin. The official language of the country is Turkish which is spoken by 70 to 75% of the population and 18% of the people are speaking Kurdish language. There is no official religion for the country as it is a secular state which provides freedom of religious practice. Islam is the major religion and 97% of the people in the country are Muslims. Other religious groups are Christians, Jews, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and Assyrian Church of East.

Millions of tourists are flocking in to the country and the country is making huge revenues out of tourism. The country is rich in its history and ancient culture and similarly the country also represent the modern world. Istanbul is the financial and cultural center of the country attracts lots of tourists with its castles, mosques, churches, synagogues, towers and palaces. Some of the popular spots of Istanbul are Domabahce Palace, Ortakoy Mosque, Maiden’s Tower and Hippodrome of Constantinople. Antalya is famous for its scenic beauty with several artifacts and mosques. Some of the popular tourist spots in Antalya are Lara Beach, Clock tower in Kalekapisi Square, Murat Pasa Mosque and Hidirlik Kulesi tower.

Cappadocia is a beautiful place situated in Anatolian Peninsula with moon-shaped landscape. Cappadocia consists of cave churches, edifice carved in rocks and underground cities and one of the frequented tourist spot here is the Goreme Open Air Museum. Tarsus is a historical city which houses several historical sites and the major attractions here are Cleopatra Gate, tomb of Seven Sleepers, Tarsus Museum and Ephesus. Izmir is another tourist spot where you can find historic mosques, churches, wide boulevards and shopping center. Ankara, Kusadasi and Bursa are the other popular tourist destinations of the country.