Repubic of Turkey - An Intoduction

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Repubic of Turkey - An Intoduction

The lands of Turkey are located at a point where the three continents making up the old world, Asia, Africa and Europe are closest to each other, and straddle the point where Europe and Asia meet. Geographically, the country is located in the northern half of the hemisphere at a point that is about halfway between the equator and the north pole, at a longitude of 36 degrees N to 42 degrees N and a latitude of 26 degrees E to 45 degrees E. Turkey is roughly rectangular in shape and is 1,660 kilometers long and 550 kilometers

wide. The actual surface area of Turkey inclusive of its lakes and rivers, is 814,578 square kilometers, of which 790,200 are in Asia and 24,378 are located in Europe.

The land borders of Turkey are 2,753 kilometres in total, and coastlines (including islands) are another 8,333 kilometers. Turkey has two European and six Asian countries for neighbors along its land borders.

The land border to the northeast with the Commonwealth of Independent States is 610 kilometers long; that with Iran, 454 kilometers long, and that with Iraq 331 kilometers long. In the south is the 877 kilometer-long border with Syria. Turkey's borders on the European continent consist of 212-kilometer frontier with Greece and a 269-kilometer border with Bulgaria.

Because of its geographical location the mainland of Anatolia has always found favour throughout history, and is the birthplace of many great civilizations. It has also been prominent as a center of commerce because of its land connections to three continents and the sea surrounding it on three sides.

Some facts about Turkey:

Full country name: Repubic of Turkey
Area: 779,452 sq km
Population: 68.1 million
Capital City: Ankara (pop 3.7 million)
People: Turks (85%), Kurds (12%), other Islamic peoples, Armenians, Jews
Language: Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek
Religion: Muslim (Sunni)
Government: republican parliamentary democracy
Head of State: President
Head of Government: Prime Minister
GDP: US$183.7 million
GDP per capita: US$2,490
Annual Growth: -5%
Inflation: 26%
Major Industries: Textiles, food processing, tourism, motor vehicles, mining, lumber, petroleum, construction.
Major Trading Partners: Germany, USA, Italy, UK, France, Russia
Member of EU: No