Turkey BrE AmE
a country which is mainly in west Asia but partly in southeast Europe, between the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Population: 71,892,807 (2008). Capital: Ankara. Until the early 20th century, Turkey was the centre of the large Ottoman Empire, whose capital city was Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city. It became a ↑ republic in 1923, and its first president was Kemal Ataturk, who made great changes to make Turkey a more modern country. Turkey is a member of NATO and has asked to become a member of the EU.