The Republic of Turkey stretches between western Asia and south-eastern Europe, where it is bordered by a number of different countries. Turkey lies to the south-east of Bulgaria, to the east of Greece and to the south-west of Georgia. Directly east of Turkey are Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran, while to the south-east are Iraq and Syria.
The Mediterranean Sea forms Turkey's southerly coastline and is responsible for many beachfront attractions, including the seaside resorts of Antalya. To the west of Turkey is the Aegean Sea and a further set of popular beaches.
Since Turkey actually straddles two separate continents, the country's rich culture features strong elements and traditions from both east and west. The tourism scene in Turkey is thriving and tends to be very much focused around its many sites of historical and archaeological interest, with the country actually being the world's ninth most visited.
Tourism in Turkey is particularly developed within Istanbul, where literally thousands of different hotels compete. Istanbul is the biggest city in the whole of Turkey and boasts attractions dating back to the Byzantine, Roman and Ottoman Empires. Bursa, Edirne, Izmir, Konya, Sinop and Trabzon are all further important Turkish cities worthy of a mention, along with the capital city of Ankara.
Turkey Information / Turkey Fast Facts
- Country: Republic of Turkey / Türkiye (Europe / West Asia)
- Population: 70.5 million
- Capital city: Ankara (population 3.9 million)
- Biggest city: Istanbul (population 11.5 million)
- Language: Turkish
- Main exports: agricultural and petroleum products, cement, glass, minerals, plastic and rubber
- Area: 302,535 square miles / 783,560 square kilometres
- Currency: New Turkish Lira (TRY)
- Time zone: UTC + 2, summer UTC + 3
- Country dialling code: +90
- Religion: Islam / Muslim