Official Name: The Republic of Turkey (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti)
Location: Eastern Mediterranean. Located on two continents: Europe and Asia. The European part of Turkey is called Thrace, while the Asian part is called Anatolia (or Asia Minor) Turkey is surrounded by sea on three sides, by the Black Sea in the North, the Mediterranean in the south and the Aegean Sea in theWest. In the northwest there is also an important internal sea, the Sea of Marmara, between the straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus.
Borders: Bulgaria and Greece in the west; Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan/Nahcivan, and Iran in the east; and Syria and Iraq in the southeast.
Coastline: Mediterranean Sea in the south, Aegean Sea in the West, and Black Sea in the north.
Area: 814 578 square kilometers (314 500 square miles)
Capital: Ankara
Population: 67.8 million (as of 2002)
Major Cities: Istanbul 11 million ,Ankara 4 million, Izmir 3.4 million, Bursa 2.1 million, Konya 2.2 million, Adana 1.8 million
Language: Turkish (uses Latin Alphabet) Turkish is the seventh most widely spoken language in the world with its 200 million speakers.
Currency: Tukish Lira
Religion: % 99 of the population is Muslim. Turkey is the only country among Islamic countries, which has included secularism in her Constitution and guarantees complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims.
Government: Turkey is democratic, secular and social state governed by the rule of law; committed to the nationalism of Atatürk and based on the principle of the separation of powers;
Legislative power: The Turkish Grand National Assembly
Executive power: Pr esident and the Council of Ministers
Judicial power: Independent courts and supreme judiciary organs
