The official name of Turkey is the Republic of Turkey.

General Information About Turkey

Geographically, Turkey sits in two continents, Europe and Asia, although around 97% of it's land area is on the Asian side.

The total land area of Turkey is slightly larger than the state of Texas.

There are eight countries that share a border with Turkey including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Bulgaria, Greece, and Georgia.

Just over 80 million people live in Turkey (80,694,485) as of July 2013.

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey and is the third most populous urban area in Europe. But it is not the capital, Ankara is in fact the capital of Turkey.

The highest point in Turkey is Mount Ararat 5137 m (16,854 ft).

Modern day Turkey was formed in 1923 following the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

The most famous of Turks is Mustafa Kemal who was adorned with the title 'Ataturk' or 'Father of the Turks' after his contributions to the country's independence.

Turkey's warm climate is good for growing crops. Livestock and forestry are also important industries.

Turkey has a strong manufacturing sector, it makes and exports cars, planes, electronics, clothing and textiles.

The currency used in the country is called the Turkish Lira.

Many famous ethnic foods come from Turkey such as manti, kebab, Lokum (Turkish delight), baklava, kadayif and more.

The ancient city of Troy was located in modern day Turkey.

The most popular sport in Turkey is football (soccer), the Turkish national team came third in the 2002 World Cup Finals.

Basketball and volleyball are also popular sports in Turkey.

Because of its location on top of a number plate boundaries Turkey is prone to earthquakes especially in the north of the country.

Turkey is a popular tourist destination and home to over ten World Heritage Sites.