|RNature and climate:|N Central Turkey is a part of the Anatolian highland at about 1000 m.a.s.l. The highland plateau in in the north, towards the Black Sea, limited by the Pontin mountains, and in the south, towards the Mediterranean Sea, by the Taurus mountains, with a highest peak reaching 3916 m.a.s.l. In the lower parts of the plateau are several salt lakes with no outfall.
The eastern parts of Turkey is part of the ancient Armenian mountains with several mighty mountainchains and extincted volcanoes, among them Ararat where the arch of Noa is supposed to have stranded. Ararat is the highest mountain in Turkey reaching 5156 m.a.s.l.
The coastal regions, both to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, have a typical Mediterranean vegetation with shrubmoors and evergreen oakwoods. At levels between 300 and 1000 m.a.s.l. there are vast forests of beech and fir being a valued resource.
Mediterranean climate around the coasts and in the interior a dry and hot continental climate.
Average temperature i January between +5 and 10°C by the coasts, between -2 and +2°C in the interior and in some mountain areas -10°C. In July the average temperature is between 23 and 28°C by the coasts and between 10 and 25°C in the interior.
Percipitation between 300 and 600 mm, except for mountain-areas that receive between 1200 and 2000 mm.
|RPeople:|N 85% Turks and 12% Kurds. Annual rate of increase 2,5%.
|REconomy:|N 56% of the labour force is occupied in agriculture, 29% in services and 14% in industry and trade.
Turkey is self-sufficient in food and and agriculture also produces for export. Most important crops are cereals, citrusfruits, tobacco, cotton, potatoes, sugar beets and silk.
Stockraising is extensive and Turkey is the worlds second largest producer of Mohair-wool.
Of minerals chromium, mercury, boron, copper, coal and oil are the most important.
Manufacturing is under development. Turkey is on the edge of being a developed country, the mineral resources and a large portion of skilled workers are the base, but the economy is weak. More than one million Turks work in other countries, mainly in western Europe, but also in Arabian countries.
Textiles and clothing is the biggest industry based on domestic cotton, mohair and silk.
Manufacturing of vehicles, lorries, busses and cars is the second industry.
The manufacturing of tobacco and food is extensive.
|RHistory:|N Inhabitants of turkey were among the first people of the world that became resident farmers. About 4000 BC they started to make use of metals and 3000 BC a highly developed Bronze Age culture flourished with centres like Troy, Alaca Hüyük and Beyceultan.
About 2000 BC the Hittites, an Indo-European people, invaded and founded an empire.
Greeks settled on the western islands early and about 1000 BC a big wave of settlers from Greece founded a number of city-states on the coast of the Turkish mainland. From the east the Assyrians expanded and about 1000 BC the Hittite power collapsed at about 900 BC.
The whole Turkish area was incorporated by the Persians Cyrus and Darius in the 6th century BC. Turkey was conquered by Alexander the Great but when this empire collapsed about 300 BC it returned to Persian rule.
By the end of the 1st century AD the whole area was conquered and incorporated in the Roman Empire and in 330 AD Constantine the Great founded Constantinopel on the site of the old Byzantium. When the western Roman Empire declined in the 7th century Constantinopel was made capital of the independent Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Empire.
In the 11th century the Turkish Seljuk Alp Arslan defeated the Roman forces and founded a sultanate with Konya as capital. About 1300 another Turkish tribe under the chief Osman conquered vast areas and finally also the Seljuk sultanate. In 1326 they besieged Constantinopel and conquered several towns on the European continent and ruled most of Turkish peninsula. By 1400 the area was expanded to northern Greece and the east of Balkan up to Danube, but in 1402 they lost an important battle against the Mongol chief Timur Lenk.
The Turkish conquests continued in the 1403:s and in 1453 the long besieged Constantinople fell in their hands and was made capital. In 1459 they conquered Serbia, in 1463 Bosnia, in 1468 Albania and in the 16th century Mesopotamia, western Persia, Syria, Egypt, Arabia, Rhodes and the greater part of Hungary. Many countries like Libya, Algeria and Tunisia became Turkish vassal-states.
The decline of the Empire started 1566 when Selim II became sultan, but through the 17th century Turkey was able to defend its borders. In 1718 Turkey lost Hungary and Transylvania and in 1774 the sovereignty over Crimea. In the 19th century Egypt became self-ruling, Greece was an independent country in 1830, Rumania, Serbia and Montenegro became independent countries in 1878 and in the same year Bosnia and Herzegovina was conquered by Austria and Cyprus by Great Britain.
France conquered Algeria in 1830 and in 1871 Tunisia became an independent country and in 1912 Libya was conquered by Italy. In 1913 Turkey lost all European land except the area around Constantinople.
Turkey participated in World War I on the German side and the loss of that war was the final end of the Osman Empire and the Republic of Turkey was proclaimed in 1924.
At the start of World War II Turkey remained neutral, but in 1945 they joined the Allies, and after the war Turkey received support from the USA against Sovjet pressure and in 1952 Turkey joined the western defense-alliance NATO.
Since centuries there has been a dispute between Turkey and Greece about the many islands in the Aegean Sea close to the Turkish mainland. Most of the islands have inhabitants of Greek origin, but would "naturally" belong to Turkey. This dispute also comprises the island Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea south of Turkey.
In 1974 the government on Cyprus was overthrown in a coup led by Greece-friendly officers, and this led to a civil war between Greeks and Turks.
Turkey intervened to help the Turks and rapidly occupied 40% of the island.
In 1975 a majority of the Turks voted for the creation of a Turkish federative nation. A president and a parliament was elected in 1976.
During the civil war 200 000 Greeks were forced away from their homes.
Several attempts to find a solution for Cyprus have failed.
Since World War II civil and military governments have alternated. Turkey has tried to keep out of the political turmoil in the Middle East but internal Armenian and Kurdish nationalists are strongly suppressed.
In 1991 Turkey supported the UN-alliance that liberated Kuwait from Iraq, and from 1992 Turkey has played an important role mediating between the many new ex-Sovjet countries in Central Asia.
