his article is about the country. For the bird, see Turkey (bird). For other uses, see Turkey (disambiguation). This is a good article. Click here for more information.Page semi-protected Republic of Turkey Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Flag Motto: Egemenlik, kayıtsız şartsız Milletindir[1] "Sovereignty unconditionally belongs to the Nation" Anthem: İstiklal Marşı Independence March MENU0:00 Capital Ankara 39°55′N 32°50′E Largest city Istanbul 41°1′N 28°57′E Official languages Turkish Ethnic groups (2008[2]) 70–75% Turks 18% Kurds 7–12% others Demonym Turkish Government Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic - President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan - Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu - Speaker of the Parliament Cemil Çiçek Legislature Grand National Assembly Succession to the Ottoman Empire - Government of the Grand National Assembly 23 April 1920 - Treaty of Lausanne 24 July 1923 - Declaration of Republic 29 October 1923 - Current constitution 7 November 1982 Area - Total 783,562 km2 (37th) 302,535 sq mi - Water (%) 1.3 Population - 2013 census 76,667,864 [3] (18th) - Density 100 [3]/km2 (108th) 259/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2013 estimate - Total $1.426 trillion [4][5] (15th) - Per capita $19,080[5] (54th) GDP (nominal) 2013 estimate - Total $820.827 billion [6] (17th) - Per capita $11,277 [5] (64th) Gini (2010) negative increase 40.2[7] medium · 56th HDI (2013) Steady 0.759[8] high · 69th Currency Turkish lira (Turkish lira symbol black.svg) (TRY) Time zone EET (UTC+2) - Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3) Date format dd/mm/yyyy (AD) Drives on the right Calling code +90 ISO 3166 code TR Internet TLD .tr Turkey (Listeni/ˈtɜr.ki/; Turkish: Türkiye, pronounced [tyrkije]), officially the Republic of Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, pronounced [tyrkije d͡ʒumhurijeti] ( listen)), is a contiguous transcontinental parliamentary republic, with its smaller part in Southeastern Europe and its larger part in Western Asia (i.e. the Balkans and Anatolia, respectively). Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea is to the south; the Aegean Sea to the west; and the Black Sea to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia.[9] Turkey's location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia makes it a country of significant geostrategic importance.[10] Turkey has been inhabited since the paleolithic age,[11] including various Ancient Anatolian civilizations, Aeolian and Ionian Greeks, Thracians and Persians.[12][13][14] After Alexander the Great's conquest, the area was Hellenized, which continued with the Roman rule and the transition into the Byzantine Empire.[13][15] The Seljuk Turks began migrating into the area in the 11th century, starting the process of Turkification, which was greatly accelerated by the Seljuk victory over the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071.[16] The Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm ruled Anatolia until the Mongol invasion in 1243, upon which it disintegrated into several small Turkish beyliks.[17] Starting from the late 13th century, the Ottomans united Anatolia and created an empire encompassing much of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia and North Africa, becoming a major power in Eurasia and Africa during the early modern period. The empire reached the peak of its power between the 15th and 17th centuries, especially during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (r. 1520–1566). After the second Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1683 and the end of the Great Turkish War in 1699, the Ottoman Empire entered a long period of decline. The Tanzimat reforms of the 19th century, which aimed to modernize the Ottoman state, proved to be inadequate in most fields, and failed to stop the dissolution of the empire.[18] The Ottoman Empire entered World War I (1914–1918) on the side of the Central Powers and was ultimately defeated.

• published: 16 Oct 2014
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