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Turkey has been seen the birth place of many civilizations. Because of its exotic locations situated at the intersection of two continents, its culture reflects the blend of two cultures reflecting both eastern and the western culture. It is a Eurasian country that borders eight countries. It is surrounded by the black sea to the north, the Aegean sea to the west and the Mediterranean sea to the south. The territory of Turkey is more than 1600 km long and 800 km wide. It somewhat appears to be of rectangular shaped country. It covers total area of 779,452 sq meters.Turkey’s varied landscapes are the outcome of complex earth movements that have been taking place since thousand years shaping this region. This region is still manifested by frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.Turkey has temperate climate associated with hot, dry summers and mild, wet and cold winters. However, conditions can be much harsher. Mountains close to the coast prevent mediterrerane creating an influences from the extending inland. Much extremes are faced by the Anatolian Plateau where winters are especially severe.
It has powerful regional presence which has been the reason to make it more significant strategically.Its political system was established in 1923. It is a democratic, secular and constitutional republic. The region which comprises of modern Turkey is one of the oldest inhabited regions. Turkey has developed a strong tradition of secularism. Its constitution governs the legal framework of the country. The main principles of government are set by the constitution. Turkey has become a unitary centralized state. The existing constitution was however ratified during 1982. There have been numerous amendments in recent years. The President is also the head of state. He has numerous powers that he exercises for ruling the country. He is elected for the term of seven years by the parliament.The main executive power however remains in the hands of Prime Minister and the councils of Ministers who become the ruling party. Legislative powers however are vested in the unicameral parliament.
The territory of Turkey is subdivided into 81 provinces. The provinces are further organized into 7 regions for census purposes.The capital city of Turkey is Ankara. The biggest city and the pre-republican capital is however Istanbul which has become the financial, economic and cultural center of the country.67% of Turkey’s population lives in urban centers. 12 cities have more than 500,000 population and more than 100,000 population lives in 48 cities.Turkey is a member of industrial nations which brings the 20 most industralized countries of the world. Turkey’s economy in no longer dominated by the traditional agricultural activites in the rural areas. There have been the dynamic industrial complex in the major cities that are mostly concerated in the western provinces of the country along with more developed services sector.
There has been lots of development in the tourism sector during last twenty years and it has constituted an important part of the economy. There have been rapid improvements in the basic infrastructure comprising of banking, transport and telecommunication services.