TURKEY

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Boundaries

Geographically, Turkey is the most western part of Asia, consisting of massive and high Anatolian peninsula that separates the Black Sea from the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean. Some islands of the Aegean and the basins of the Sea of Marmara belong to the Turkish territory. Turkey is bordered to the north by the Black Sea, to the north-east by Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the north-west by Greece and Bulgaria, to the south by Iraq, Syria and the Mediterranean Sea, to south-east by Iran and to the west by the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara.

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TurkeyTurkey extends over an area of 783,562 km ², and has got 74,724,269 inhabitants, mostly professing the Muslim religion, there are small Christian minorities (especially the Orthodox, but also Catholic ) and Jewish, while not widespread is atheism.The capital is Ankara, one of the three big cities of Turkey with İzmir and İstanbul, the latter is the largest city in the country, and the largest industrial and commercial centre.The official language is Turkish, but there are numerous linguistic minorities.The official currency is the Turkish lira.

Istanbul

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Government Turkey has been a parliamentary republic since its founding in 1923 and was one of the first countries to grant to its citizens universal suffrage.

The current unicameral legislative system came into effect with the constitution of 1982.

The President of the Republic of Turkey is Abdullah Gül .

The prime minister is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

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In recent years, legislative and political structure of the Turkish Republic has been subject to reforms and restructuring in order to achieve the objectives required by the European Union within the framework of the pre-accession countries. During the twenties and thirties of the twentieth century, the policy of Atatürk carried out a process of secularization, which could suppress the control of the Islamic religion by the State. The process of repression has enabled strong Westernisation of costumes, such as the banning of headscarves, and has led to a form of Islam called moderate .

Barack Obama addresses Turkish Parliament

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Economy Turkey has gradually opened up its markets through economic reforms by reducing government controls on foreign trade and investment and the liberalization of many sectors to private and foreign participation.

Tourism in Turkey has experienced rapid growth in the last twenty years, and

constitutes an important part of the economy. Other key sectors of the Turkish economy are banking, construction, home appliances, electronics, textiles, oil refining, petrochemical products, food, mining, iron and steel and machine industry.

 

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ISTANBUL

Istanbul has a population of 12,782,960 inhabitants.

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Istanbul is a megacity located in the north-west of the country, which extends along the Bosphorus. Istanbul was called Byzantium and later Constantinople.

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ANKARA

Ankara, formerly Angora also in Italian, is the capital of Turkey, with a population of over 4.4 million inhabitants. It is the second largest Turkish city after Istanbul.

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SMYRNESmyrne is a city of 3.5 million inhabitants of the westcentral Turkey, the country's third most populous after Istanbul and Ankara. It is also a large and efficient port located on the Gulf in the Aegean Sea. Izmir is one of the places that are competing for the honour of being the birthplace of the legendary poet Homer.

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Ancient Region of AnatoliaCappadocia

Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine (Black Sea). Cappadocia, in this sense, was bounded in the south by the chain of the Taurus Mountains that separate it from Cilicia, to the east by the upper Euphrates. The name was traditionally used in Christian sources throughout history and is still used as an international tourism concept to define a region of exceptional natural wonders, in particular characterized by fairy chimneys and a unique historical and cultural heritage.

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CUSTOMS AND COSTUMES

The popular traditions and customs in Turkey are very rich and still survive thanks to the natural characteristics of Turkish people living outside big cities.

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Folk dance in Turkey is very lively and varied. Each region has its characteristic dance with particular costumes, steps, rhythms and instruments. The dance of each region reflects the characteristics of the people of that region. There are special dances for weddings and harvest .

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CuisineTurkish cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and

Balkan cuisines. Turkish cuisine has in turn

influenced other neighbouring cuisines, including those of western Europe. The Ottomans fused various culinary traditions of their realm with influences from Middle Eastern cuisines, along with traditional Turkish elements from Central Asia (such

as yogurt) . Turkish cuisine varies across the

country.

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A specialty's name sometimes includes that of a city or region, either in or outside Turkey, and may refer to the specific technique or ingredients used in that area.

(For example, the difference between urfa kebab and adana kebab is the thickness of the skewer and the amount of hot pepper that kebab contains. Urfa kebab is less spicy and thicker than adana kbab.)

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