TURKEY

The Castle of St. Peter at Bodrum, Turkey, on the Aegean coast. officially Republic of Turkey, Turkish Trkiye Cumhuriyeti country that occupies a unique geographic position, lying partly in Asia and partly in Europe. Through its history it has acted as both a barrier and a bridge between the two continents. Turkey is among the larger countries of the Middle East, in terms of territory and population, and its land area of 300,948 square miles (779,452 square kilometres) is greater than that of any European state. Nearly all of the country is in Asia, comprising the oblong peninsula of Asia Minor, known also as Anatolia (Anadolu). The remainderTurkish Thrace (Trakya)lies in the extreme southeastern part of Europe, a tiny remnant of an empire that once extended over much of the Balkans. The country has a north-south extent that ranges from about 300 to 400 miles (480 to 640 kilometres), and it stretches about 1,000 miles from west to east. Turkey is bounded on the north by the Black Sea, on the northeast by Georgia and Armenia, on the east by Azerbaijan and Iran, on the southeast by Iraq and Syria, on the southwest and west by the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea, and on the northwest by Greece and Bulgaria. The capital is Ankara. Of a total boundary length of some 4,000 miles, about three-fourths is maritime, including coastlines along the Black Sea, the Aegean, and the Mediterranean, as well as the narrows that link the Black and Aegean seas. These narrows, which include the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles, are known collectively as the Turkish straits; Turkey's control of the straits, the only outlet from the Black Sea, has been a major factor in its relations with other states. Most of the islands along the Aegean coast are Greek; only the islands of Gke and Bozca remain in Turkish hands. The maritime boundary with Greece has been a source of dispute between the two countries on numerous occasions since World War II. A long succession of political entities existed in Asia Minor over the centuries. Turkmen tribes invaded Anatolia in the 11th century AD, founding the Seljuq empire; during the 14th century the Ottoman Empire began a long expansion, reaching its peak during the 17th century. The modern Turkish Republic, founded in 1923 after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, is a nationalist, secular, parliamentary democracy. After a period of one-party rule under its founder, Mustafa Kemal (Atatrk), and his successor, Turkish governments since the 1950s have been produced by multiparty elections based on universal adult suffrage. officially Republic of Turkey, Turkish Trkiye Cumhuriyeti Middle Eastern country that lies mainly in southwestern Asia, with a small area extending into southeastern Europe. The capital is Ankara. Turkey is bordered to the north by the Black Sea, to the east by Georgia, Armenia, and Iran, to the south by Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean Sea, and to the west by the Aegean Sea, Greece, and Bulgaria. The Asian part of Turkey, which is called Anatolia, is separated from the European part, Thrace, by the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles Strait. Area 300,948 square miles (779,452 square km). Pop. (1995 est.) 62,526,000.