By Meine Tuerkei 
Turkey is considered both geologically and geopolitically to be the interface between Europe and the Asian and Middle Eastern regions of the world. Since we do not express any political views on this site and instead focus exclusively on the country with its natural and historical sights and, where appropriate, take up culturally significant and interesting aspects, we do not summarize anything other than important facts about Turkey at a glance.
A democratic republic with numerous ethnic units and cultures living together peacefully
According to the Statistical Office, Turkey’s population as of 2019 is almost 83 million, with the proportion of young people still being very high. The official language of Turkey is Turkish, which is spoken by over 80% of the population as their mother tongue and by 15% as a second language. Islam is the official state religion and according to official figures, 99% of the population are Muslims. However, this figure should be treated with great caution, because in Turkey everyone is officially considered a Muslim unless otherwise confirmed.
Turkey is a parliamentary democracy with a separation of powers. Secularism, the separation of state and religion, is firmly anchored in the constitution. The modern form of government based on the European model is solely the work of a statesman named Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. It was he who proclaimed the democratic Turkish Republic in 1923, abolished the caliphate and introduced modern social and state reforms.
Twice the size of Germany
The country stretches across two continents. While the Asian part, called Anatolia, occupies 97% of the country’s area, the European Thrace region is comparatively tiny at 3%. The latter is very significant, however, because the western part of Istanbul is located on the European part.
With a total of 8,333 km of coastline, the country borders the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean Sea to the west and the Black Sea to the north. The Sea of Marmara in the southwest flows through the Dardanelles into the Aegean Sea and in the northeast into the Black Sea.
Turkey’s land borders, on the other hand, are 2,949 km long. Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq and Syria are among the countries with which Turkey has a land border. The divided island of Cyprus lies 70 km from the south coast.
Divided into several regions with different climate, flora and fauna
Turkey is geographically divided into seven regions: Marmara Region, Aegean Region, Mediterranean Region, Central Anatolia, Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia. In terms of weather and vegetation, these regions differ greatly from one another. Istanbul, the capital Ankara, İzmir, Antalya, Bursa and Adana are important metropolises with millions of inhabitants.
The Marmara region consists mostly of a hilly landscape and is covered with plenty of forests. The climate is characterized by warm summers and cold, wet winters. Istanbul is the largest and most important city in the region, followed by Bursa and Edirne, which also applies to the whole country.
The landscape of the neighboring Black Sea region is characterized by a mountainous landscape, which is covered in large forests over many stretches. The climate is mild and humid all year round, with average temperatures of 20 to 25 degrees in summer. The region is best known for its hazelnut and tea plantations, which cover the entire country’s needs.
The Aegean region with its famous holiday resorts such as Bodrum, Marmaris and Kuşadası is of great importance for tourism. Many ancient sites such as Ephesus and Hierapolis contribute to this. The coastal landscape is very hilly. The climate varies slightly within the region. While the coastal areas have a mild climate all year round, temperatures drop significantly further inland in winter.
The Mediterranean region is similar to the Aegean region in many ways. Antalya is one of the most important holiday resorts in Turkey and is visited by millions of Germans every year. In the north of the region, the Taurus Mountains form a border with the interior, which means that cities such as Burdur and Isparta experience cold temperatures, especially in winter.
Central Anatolia is characterized by extensive steppe landscapes, which are largely the result of human activity, deforestation and animal damage, and which sometimes have desert-like characteristics. The region’s climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and cold winters, with minimum temperatures of -20 not uncommon. The capital city of Ankara and the touristically important Cappadocia are located in Central Anatolia.
Eastern Anatolia is the largest region of Turkey and is crisscrossed by high mountains. The highest mountain and the largest lake in the country, Ararat and Lake Van, are located in this mountainous area. As for the climate, summers are relatively cool and winters are very cold and snowy with temperatures as low as -30. Erzurum, Malatya, Van and Erzincan are among the largest cities.
What is characteristic of Southeastern Anatolia is that it is the oldest cultural region in the country. The recently discovered cultural site of Göbekli Tepe dates back to 10,000 BC and is therefore considered the oldest known cult site. The landscape of the region is characterized by mountains and plateaus. Southeastern Anatolia owes its historic name as Mesopotamia to the two rivers Euphrates and Tigris, which originate in the region and flow abroad. In terms of climate, there are similarities to Central and Eastern Anatolia, with the difference that temperatures rise to over 40 degrees in summer and the region is accordingly much drier.
Tourism remains one of the most important economic sectors
Tourism is of great importance as one of the main sources of income. Turkey is one of the 10 most visited countries in the world. With over 5 million visitors, closely followed by Russians, German tourists top the statistics. The declining numbers due to the threat of terrorism and the Syrian conflict in recent years have been steadily increasing since then, and new records were reported in 2018 and 2019.
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