Official Name: Republic of Turkey
National Anthem: Istiklal Marsi (Independence March)
Founder: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
System of Goverment: Republican parliamentary democracy
President: Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Area: 783.562 square kilometres
Coastal Length: 7.200 km
Coastal Borders: Mediterranean Sea at south, Aegean Sea at west, Black Sea at north
Population: 74.724.000 (31 December 2011)
Capital City: Ankara
Language: Turkish
Religion: Muslim 99%
Neighboring Countries: Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Iraq, Armenia, Iran, Syria
Currency: Turkish Lira (TL) 1TL = 100 kr
Number of Cities: 81
Victory Day: 30 August
Rebuplic Day: 29 October
Largest Cities: Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Antalya, Konya, Bursa, Kayseri, Samsun, Trabzon, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Kocaeli, Diyarbakir, Sakarya, Mersin, Gaziantep
Lifestyle: Turkish lifestyle is a vivid mosaic; juxtaposing the Occident and the Orient, the ancient and the modern.
Hospitality: Hospitality is a cornerstone of Turkish culture, and Turks believe that visitors should be treated as Guests sent by God.
Cuisine: Turkish cuisine is renowned as one of the world’s best.
Weather: It is said that all of the four seasons exist in Turkey.
Tourism: Turkey has so much to offer her visitors, therefore this country has recently become one of the world’s most popular tourism destinations.
Time Zone: GMT +3 hours (April-September) GMT +2 hours (October-March), CET +1

For further information please visit the official website of Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Istanbul is the only city in the world located on two continents, Europe and Asia.
Catalhoyuk is known as one of the earliest settlements in the Neolithic Age.
Two of the world’s seven wonders are located in Turkey; Temple of Artemis, Halicarnassus Mausoleum.
Virgin Mary in Selcuk, is a very popular pilgrimage site for Christians.
Delicious reputation of the Turkish Coffee spread all around Europe in the 17th century.
The word Turquoise comes from Turk, meaning Turkish, and was derived from the perfect blue of the Mediterranean Sea on the southern Turkish coast.
The world’s greatest mosaic museum is Zeugma and second greatest mosaic museum is Antakya in Turkey.
The most valuable silk carpet in the world is in the Mevlana Museum in Turkey.
Church of St.Peter is widely considered to be one of the earliest Christian houses of worship.
Anatolia is the birthplace of many historical figures such as Phrygian King Midas, Herodotus and St.Paul.
Yoghurt is one of the healthiest foods in existence and is derived from the original Turkish Yoghurt.
Nicholas was born in Patara and served as the Bishop of Myra on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey.
Mugla has the longest coast in Turkey, streching from Bodrum to Fethiye and beyond.
According to the Legend of Great Flood told in both the Quran and the Old Testament, Noah’s Ark landed on Mount Agri in eastern Anatolia.
The seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation; Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamon, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea are all found in Turkey.
Tulips were first introduced to Europe by the Ottomans and quickly became all the rage over there.
Troy where the Trojan wars recounted in Iliad by Homeros of Smyrna were fought is situated in a small village Tevfikiye of Canakkale in western Turkey.
One of the first most accurate world maps were drawn by the well known Turkish cartographer and navigator Piri Reis in 1513.
Sanliurfa is known to be the City of the Prophets where Prophet Abraham, Prophet Job, Prophet Elijah and Prophet Jacob lived.
Gobeklitepe Temple complex in southeast Turkey, is the oldest ancient temple built by mankind anywhere in the world.
Kayseri derives its name from Augustus Caesar, when it was called Caesaris.
The first coinage in human history began in Anatolia.
300 years ago somebody flew from Galata Tower in Istanbul.
Turkey is one of the world’s largest yacht manufacturers.