Turkey Tala Hashem Mr. Sparks 8A

Where Turkey is located Turkey is the only country in the world that is on two continents. Turkey is on both Asia and Europe. Turkey is in the East Mediterranean neighboring Syria, Iran, Armenia, Bulgaria and Greece. Turkey is a land gifted with nature and greenery. Turkey is near most Arab countries which helps give it its somewhat Arabic culture.

Geographic Features of Turkey The area of Turkey is 814,578 square kilometres, and 790,200 are in Asia and 24,378 arein Europe. The Firat and Tigris rivers join together in Iraq and flow into the Persian Gulf. The longest rivers are the Kizilirmak, Yesilirmak and Sakarya, which flow into the Black Sea. The Susurluk, Biga and Gonen lead into the Sea of Marmara, the Gediz, Kucuk Menderes, Buyuk Menderes and Meric go into the Aegean, and the Seyhan, Ceyhan and Goksu into the Mediterranean.. Turkey's largest, Lake Van square kilometres, and the lakes of Ercek, Cildir and Hazar.

Climate of Turkey Winter in Turkey can get to 4C, or even below zero and the summers can get up to 27C. The climate varies in the regions in Turkey, but fall and spring are the warmest and most suitable in the out doors. The north parts of Turkey are the coolest through out the year. Turkey has limited amounts of rain through out the year, which limit the amount of crops.

Environment of Turkey The animals in Turkey are birds, ducks, geese, gulls, herons and flamingoes. Wild animals are boar, deer, wild goats, wild sheep wolves and wildcats. Plants include wheat and barley, sugar, cotton, hazelnuts. Turkey has some oil resources which also helps boost up the economy.

History of Turkey Alexander the Great, Byzantine, empire capital. Ottoman Empire World war 2Military Name of Event 5 Moving out of Turkey New death penalty law Name of Event B.C Alexander the Great concurred Turkey, part of Asia minor. Later, it became the capital of the Byzantium empire. The Ottoman Empire was strong, controlling many regions. They were involved in world war 1, later empire loses everything but Turkey weakening. Stable for most of for most of World War II, Turkey declares war on Germany and Japan, but does not take part in combat. Joins United Nations. 1980Kanan Evren leads military coup. 3 years of military government Demirel elected President, Tansu Ciller is new Prime Minister, Turkey also joins the EU Customs Union Turkey is modernized and people move to other parts of the world for business. About 1.5 million working out of Turkey. Turkey signs code of behavior banning death penalty for all crimes. Diplomatic row with America, after a US congressional committee calls the killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide in history.

Customs and Traditions There are many customs and traditions in Turkey. Eid is celebrated as Turkey is a Muslim country. Eid is celebrated with happiness and parties for a period of three days. The Muslim calendar determines when Eid will be that year. Weddings are part of the traditional customs. Both families must agree and marriage is not forced. The bride has a henna party before the wedding in one day where henna is drawn on her hands. The grooms family gives the bride jewelry as a present or token of their marriage. Turkey has agriculture, meaning there is a strawberry harvest celebration. Turks are very hospitable and their culture encourages them to be welcoming. If someone offers you something in their home it is an insult to reject it.

Government of Turkey Turkey’s government is a parliamentary representative, from The president is elected by the public for a period of seven years. Turkey also has a prime minister who has control over the president. The Turkish government is not according to Islam and has its own rules. Turkish men are only allowed to have one wife, but Islam allows four. Now, the government is working harder to allow men and women to live according to Islamic law. The Turkish army has three parts which are army, navy and air force. All heterosexual Turkish men are expected to serve in the army, but homosexuals have the option.

Economy of Turkey Turkey’s economy is based around crafts and agriculture. Its resources are chemicals and oil. Turkish statistics: Foreign Trade balance-$-26.8 billion Import in services-11.1 billion Exports in services-24.4 billion An average Turkish family will get its money by a form of agriculture or working in oil companies in the urban areas. Almost 1.5 million Turks work in other parts of the world to earn a living in Turkey’s economy has developed and boomed in the 1990’s.

Tourism in Turkey Turkey is a very big tourist attraction. Tourists from around the world come to see the history and nature in turkey. Attractions in Turkey: Nature, The Hagia Sophia Mosque, Topaki Palace, Basilica Cistern, the Dolmabahce Palace, the Galata Tower, the Grand Bazaar, and the Pera Palas. Turkey has a large amount of hotels and residence for tourists. Turks are hospitable and very social. The country and its people welcome all tourists of all nationalities. Turkey is now part of Europe and is one of the main shopping places in all of Europe. Its malls have all of the modern boutiques.

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Bibliography web.mit.edu news.bbc.co.uk