About Me
Name: TURKISH REPUBLIC
Establishment Date: October 29, 1923
Capital City: Ankara
Largest City: Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa, Adana
Official Language: Turkish (Latin Alphabet)
Flag: White crescent and star on a red background
Nationality: noun: Turk(s) adjective: Turkish
Religion: 99% Muslim
Location: West Asia and Southern EuropeArea: 780,580 km^2 - 36th in the world
Neighbours: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Bulgaria, Greece, Syria, Iran, Armenia, Iraq.
Sea Costs: Mediteranean, Agean, Marmara and Black Sea
Climate: Same as Italy, Spain and Greece: 4 seasons, hot and dry summers, rainy fall and spring, snowy and cold winter
Population: 70,413,958 (July 2006 est.) - 17th in the world
Culture: Various elements of the Ottoman Empire, Mongolian Empire, Turkic states and Europe
Cuisine: One of the most popular one in the world. ex: Kebab, Dolma, Donner, Baklava, Helva, Turkish Delight, Lahmajun(Turkish Pizza) etc.Historical Roots: Great and European Hun Empire, Mongolian Empire, Seljuk Empire, Ottoman Empire
National Hero: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881- November 10, 1938)
Goverment: Democratic, Secular, Constitutional Republic
Member State of: United Nations,NATO,Council of Europe,Organization of the Islamic Conference,Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe,and OECD
Canditate Country of: European Union
Politics: An associate member of the European Union since 1964, Turkey is currently in the process of accession pending the completion of negotiations started on October 3, 2005. On the other hand, has political problems with Greece, Iraq, and Armenia.Human Rights: Turkish men and women enjoy equal rights since 1923 (the establishment of the country) before many other European Countries. Also signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights.
Currency: New Turkish Lira (YTL)
Economy: GDP per capita: $8,200 (2005 est.) Turkey's economy is an industry and traditional economy where agriculture sector that in 2005 still accounted for 30% of employment. Turkey has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communications. In recent years, the Turkish economy has expanded particularly strongly, registering growth rates of 8.9% and 7.4% for the 2004 and 2005 fiscal years respectively.
Millitary: The Turkish Armed Forces(TAF), with a combined troop strength of 1,043,550 soldiers (Economist Intelligence Unit: Turkey 2005 p.23), is the second largest standing force in NATO after the United States.
Tourism: In the year 2005, 21,122,798 tourists vacationed in Turkey and it's competing with high potential tourist countries like Greece, Italy and Spain. Also according to the travel agencies TUI AG and Thomas Cook, 31 hotels out of 100 best hotels of the world are located in Turkey.
