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Turkey

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Here are some fast facts that you might find interesting about Turkey.

  • Turkey is the only secular muslim country in the world and over two thirds of the Turkish Population is under the age of 30.
  • The oldest known human settlement in Turkey is Catalhoyuk which dates back to 7000 BC.
  • St. Paul was born in Tarsus in the in South of Turkey and Christianity first bloomed in Anatolia with the first Christian Church dedicated to St. Peter. The Greek Orthodox church is still located in Istanbul.
  • Mount Ararat, with a height of 5,166 meters is said to be the place where Noah's Ark landed.
  • The seven churches of the Book of Revelation are all located in West Anatolia- Ephesus, Smryna (modern Izmir), Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.
  • St. Nicholas, in other words Santa Claus, was born in Patara and lived in Myra in South Turkey.
  • Only in Istanbul, over 100 churches of Christianity are still active today.
  • The oldest known shipwreck in the world was excavated in Kas.
  • Many city names are actually originated in Anatolia such as Philadelphia, Paris, Antioch, Troy and the continental name "Europe".
  • Two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was located in Anatolia, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus and the Mausoleum at Halikarnassos at Bodrum.
  • The famous words "Veni, vidi, vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered) were said by Roman Emperor Caesar when he came to Anatolia in 47 BC.
  • The Lycian Union's (in South Anatolia) federal system for governance with proportional representation was actually used as a model by the authors of the United States constitution in the 18th century.
  • The famous Trojan War took place in West Anatolia.
  • The famous Dutch Tulip actually is originated from Turkey and was taken to Netherlands in the 16th century.
  • The color of Turquoise comes from the clean see color on the Aegean Cost in Turkey.
  • Kasikci diamond one of the greatest piece of diamond in the world is displayed in Topkapi Palace.
  • Virgin Mary's House, near Ephesus, where she spent her last years and died in, was visited by Pope the 6th Paul and Pope Jean Paul.
  • The best preserved Roman Theater is the Aspendos Antic Theater near Antalya.
  • The first known University in history is in Harran, Southeast Turkey.

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Regions

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General information

Official name
Republic of Turkey

Capital city
Ankara

Main cities
Istanbul, Izmir, Adana, Bursa, Antalya

Area
779,450 sq km

Population
60,802,000

Time Zone
UTC/GMT +2 hours

Currency
Turkish Lira - YTL (New Turkish Liras) $1 = 1.45 YTL and EUR 1 = 1.87 YTL

Official language
Turkish

Neighbouring countries
Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Iran, Syria

Highest mountain
Mt. Ararat at 5,166 metres

Daylight Saving Time
+1 Hour (starts last Sunday of March & Ends last Sunday of October)

GDP Per Capita
Approximately US$ 6,000

Literacy
88%

Electricity
220 volts AC

Religion
Sunni Muslim