Turkey is a nation straddling eastern Europe and western Asia with cultural connections to ancient Greek, Persian, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires. Cosmopolitan Istanbul, on the Bosphorus Strait, is home to the iconic Hagia Sophia, with its soaring dome and Christian mosaics, the massive 17th-century Blue Mosque and the circa-1460 Topkapı Palace, former home of sultans. Ankara is Turkey’s modern capital.
Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian
Ethnic Groups: Turkish 70-75%, Kurdish 18%, other minorities 7-12%
Belief Systems: Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
Demographics:
Population: 76.2 million people (World Rank: 18th) (2014 estimate)
Population Density: 256 people/mi^2 (People per Square Mile) (World Rank: 112th) (2014 estimate)
Population Growth: 1.14 %/yr (World Rank: 114th) (2013 estimate)
Life Expectancy: 75.3 years (World Rank: 93rd) (2013 estimate)
Median Age: 28.3 years (World Rank: 89th) (2010 estimate)
Sites for More Information:
Map of Turkey
Worldatlas.com
Turkey
World Factbook
Turkey - Country Profile
U.S. Library of Congress
Turkey - General Information
Encyclopedia.com
Travel Info for Turkey
Travelnotes.org
Turkish Embassy
in Washington D.C.
Turkish Government Web Sites
by Gunnar Anzinger
