Welcome To By: Danielle & Gabby

The Land  Turkey is located between the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe.  It borders the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.  The size of Turkey is slightly larger than Texas.  The regions are divided into the Black Sea & the Mediterranean regions, having different landforms.

The Land  Terrain: high central plateau; narrow coastal plain.  Turkey is geographically part of the Alpine belt; it contains many mountain ranges.  Natural resources include coal, iron ore, gold, limestone, marble, pumice, & clay.

 Turkey has hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters  The Mediterranean region consists of trees like pines, oaks, cedars, & chestnuts. Other areas are treeless, with limited grass. Climate/ Vegetation

Government  Life expectancy is about 70 years old.  Type of government: Republican Parliamentary Democracy.  The President of the Republic is Abdullah Gul.  Population: 71,892,808.

History & Current Events History  In WWI, Turkey sided with Germany & ended up losing territory as a result.  The first president, Kemal Ataturk, secularized the Turkish society. He reduced Islam’s dominant role, replacing Arabic with the Latin alphabet for writing the Turkish language. ~Current Event~ A Turkish Producer, Bernard Matthews, wants to make wind turbines to create energy. His company wants to produce 10% of its own electricity, but the local people opposed the idea because of the size & location of the turbines. Matthews eventually wants to place 2 in England.

Economy  Turkey is an upper middle-income economy  Major agricultural products are wheat, tobacco, cotton, sugar & olive oil.  Important industries: steel, petroleum, iron, cars & processed foods.  Major exports>> Articles of Apparel and Clothing Accessories, Pearls and Precious Stones.  Imports>> Machinery and Mechanical Appliances, Optical and Photographic Instruments, Electrical Machinery and Equipment, Pharmaceutical Products, Aircraft Spacecraft and Parts.  87% of adults (age 15+) can read & write  Currency in Turkey: coin & paper money, called Lira.

Culture  Traditional clothing Language spoken: Turkish Foods: Lamb is the staple of the Turkish kitchen. Black Sea region eats fish & rice. Baklava is a popular dessert Religions practiced: 99% of the population is Muslim. 1% is Christian & Jewish. Architecture: The tombs are vault-like. The 3 types of Mosques are single dome, subline, and tiered. Many old buildings are being converted into hotels & restaurants.

Places to Visit The Aegean Coast fine archaeological sites, beautiful beaches, great scenery, and a host of towns are excellent destinations. Cappadocia mystical, rock chimney dwellings, and man-made cave based cities in Eastern Turkey. Ephesus one of the best archaeological sites in the world, Ephesus is well preserved.

Works Cited  type.html type.html   factbook/geos/tu.htm#People factbook/geos/tu.htm#People     m m