Turkey and its 66 important Details for UPSC, PSC and Other Competitive Exams

Turkey and its Details Like , Capital, GDP, Currency, Geography, Economy, Defence, Culture, Natural resources, Habitat, Sports and all you want to know for UPSC, PSC and Other Competitive Exams.

Turkey and its Basic Details :

Category	Details
Name of the Country	Turkey
Capital	Ankara
Independence Day	October 29, 1923 (Republic Day)
Major Religions	Islam (predominantly Sunni)
Currency	Turkish Lira (TRY)
Continent	Asia and Europe (Transcontinental)
Top 5 Famous Cities	Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Bursa
Top 10 Famous Persons	Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Tarkan, Hidayet Türkoğlu, Kadir Topbaş, Fatma Bucak, Cahit Arf, Kenan Evren, Ertuğrul Günay
Type of Government	Parliamentary Republic
Main Wars Fought	World War I, Turkish War of Independence (1919-1923)
GDP	Approximately $793 billion (2021)
5 Popular Tourist Places	Hagia Sophia, Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Ephesus, Topkapi Palace

Geography of Turkey :

Category	Details
Geography	Turkey is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe.
Area of the Country in Square Kilometers	Approximately 783,562 square kilometers
Population of the Country	Approximately 84 million (as of 2021)
5 Main Mountain Ranges	Taurus Mountains, Pontic Mountains, Anti-Taurus Mountains, Eastern Anatolia Mountains, Aladaglar
5 Main Mountain Peaks	Mount Ararat, Mount Erciyes, Mount Süphan, Mount Demirkazık, Mount Kaçkar
5 Main Rivers	Kızılırmak River, Sakarya River, Yeşilırmak River, Euphrates River, Tigris River
Main Lakes	Lake Van, Lake Tuz, Lake Beyşehir, Lake Iznik, Lake Eğirdir
Deserts, Plateaus, and Volcanoes	Cappadocia (plateau), Anatolian Plateau, No significant deserts, No active volcanoes
5 Main Crops and Vegetation	Wheat, barley, cotton, tobacco, sugar beets
Main Beaches	Patara Beach, Ölüdeniz Beach, Kaputaş Beach, Iztuzu Beach, Cleopatra’s Beach
Neighboring Countries	Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Syria
Nearby Seas and Oceans	Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea, Black Sea
Length of Coastline	Approximately 7,200 kilometers (4,474 miles)
Top 5 Natural Resources	Coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, borate

Economy of Turkey :

Category	Details
Economy	Turkey has a diverse and rapidly growing economy, classified as an emerging market.
5 Major Industries	Automotive, textiles, electronics, machinery, tourism
5 Main Revenue Sources	Manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, services, construction
Top 10 Companies	Koç Holding, TÜPRAŞ, Türk Telekom, Sabancı Holding, Turkcell, BİM, Enka, Arçelik, Enerjisa, Turk Eximbank
Per Capita Income	Approximately 10,621.97 U.S. dollars (2022)
Top 5 Imports	Machinery, vehicles, electronics, mineral fuels, plastics
Top 5 Exports	Machinery, vehicles, textiles, metals, electrical equipment
Total Gold Reserves	Increased to 478.97 Tonnes in Q3 2023 from 439.75 Tonnes in Q2 2023

Defence Power of Turkey :

Category	Details
Defence Policy	Active defense policy
Defence Budget	₺493 billion ($40.8 billion)
Total Army Personnel	410,000 active personnel
Total Air Force Personnel	60,000 active personnel
Total Navy Personnel	58,000 active personnel
Total Defence Imports	$10.1 billion (2021)
Total Defence Export	$4.6 billion (2021)

Cultural of Turkey :

Category	Details
Main Festivals	1. Eid al-Fitr (Ramadan Bayram)
	2. Republic Day (October 29)
	3. Kurban Bayram (Eid al-Adha)
	4. International Istanbul Film Festival
	5. Camel Wrestling Festival
Main Religious Places	1. Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
	2. Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque), Istanbul
	3. Mevlana Museum, Konya
	4. Sümela Monastery, Trabzon
	5. House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus
Main Arts and Dances	1. Turkish Carpet Weaving
	2. Ebru (Marbling Art)
	3. Turkish Calligraphy
	4. Whirling Dervishes (Sufi Dance)
	5. Turkish Folk Music and Dance
Main Languages	Turkish (official)
	Kurdish
	Arabic
	Circassian
	Greek
Famous Food and Cuisines	1. Kebabs (e.g., Adana kebab, doner kebab)
	2. Baklava
	3. Turkish Delight (Lokum)
	4. Manti (Turkish Dumplings)
	5. Dolma (Stuffed Vegetables)
UNESCO-Protected Buildings	1. Historic Areas of Istanbul
	2. Hattusha: The Hittite Capital
	3. Goreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia
	4. Hierapolis-Pamukkale
	5. Aphrodisias

Sports in Turkey :

Category	Details
National Game	Oil Wrestling (Yağlı Güreş)
Main Sports	1. Football (Soccer)
	2. Basketball
	3. Wrestling (Greco-Roman and Freestyle)
	4. Volleyball
	5. Taekwondo
Top Athletes	1. Hidayet Türkoğlu (Basketball)
	2. Naim Süleymanoğlu (Weightlifting)
	3. Aslı Çakır Alptekin (Athletics)
	4. Halil Mutlu (Weightlifting)
	5. Hamit Kaplan (Wrestling)
Top Sports Achievements	1. Turkey won the 2003 UEFA European Championship in football.
	2. Naim Süleymanoğlu won three Olympic gold medals in weightlifting.
	3. Hidayet Türkoğlu had a successful NBA career and played for several teams.
	4. Aslı Çakır Alptekin won the gold medal in the women’s 1500 meters at the 2012 Olympics.
	5. Turkey has a strong tradition in oil wrestling, with numerous champions.

Natural Habitat and wild life of Turkey :

Category	Details
National Animal	Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)
National Bird	The Redwing
Main Forests	1. Black Sea Forests (Karadeniz Ormanları)
	2. Mediterranean Forests (Akdeniz Ormanları)
	3. Aegean Forests (Ege Ormanları)
	4. Eastern Anatolian Mountain Forests (Doğu Anadolu Dağ Ormanları)
	5. Marmara and Thrace Forests (Marmara ve Trakya Ormanları)
Main Recognized Natural Habitats	1. Kaz Mountains (Kaz Dağları)
for Wild Animals	2. Munzur Valley (Munzur Vadisi)
	3. Dalyan Delta (Dalyan Delta)
	4. Sultan Marshes (Sultan Marshes)
	5. Göksu Delta (Göksu Delta)

Biggest in the Turkey :

Category	Name	Description
Biggest City	Istanbul	Largest city in Turkey by population, with approximately 15.8 million inhabitants.
Richest Man	Murat Ülker	Turkish billionaire businessman, with a net worth of $6.7 billion (as of October 26, 2023).
Biggest Company	Koç Holding	Largest conglomerate in Turkey by revenue, with diverse holdings across industries like automotive, energy, and finance.
Tallest Building	Istanbul Sapphire	Tallest building in Turkey, with a height of 261 meters (856 feet).
Largest Mosque	Çamlıca Mosque	Largest mosque in Turkey by capacity, accommodating up to 63,000 worshippers.
Largest Dam	Atatürk Dam	Largest dam in Turkey by volume, holding 48.7 billion cubic meters of water.
Tallest Mountain	Mount Ararat	Highest mountain in Turkey, with a peak elevation of 5,137 meters (16,854 feet).
Longest River	Kızılırmak River	Longest river entirely within Turkey, flowing for 1,355 kilometers (842 miles).
Biggest Forest	Taurus Mountains	Largest forested region in Turkey, covering an area of over 100,000 square kilometers (38,610 square miles).
Largest Lake	Lake Van	Largest freshwater lake in Turkey, covering an area of 3,755 square kilometers (1,450 square miles).

Brief History Of Turkey :

A brief history of Turkey, including information on Ancient Turkey, the Medieval Period, the Modern Era, and Recent History:

Ancient Turkey (Prehistoric to 7th Century AD):

• The region that is now Turkey has a rich history dating back to prehistoric times.
• It was home to various ancient civilizations, including the Hittites, Phrygians, Lydians, and Urartians.
• In the 6th century BC, the Persian Empire conquered much of Anatolia.
• Alexander the Great later defeated the Persians and brought Greek influence to the region.
• Anatolia then became part of the Roman Empire and later the Byzantine Empire.

Medieval Period (7th Century to 13th Century AD):

• In the 7th century, the Arab Caliphate expanded into Anatolia, introducing Islam.
• The Byzantine Empire continued to exert control in the region.
• In the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks emerged, gradually taking control of Anatolia from the Byzantines.
• The First Crusade led to the establishment of Crusader states in Anatolia, but they were later defeated by the Seljuks.
• The Mongol Empire briefly ruled parts of Anatolia in the 13th century.

Ottoman Empire (13th Century to 20th Century AD):

• The 13th century saw the rise of the Ottoman Turks under Osman I.
• The Ottoman Empire expanded rapidly, capturing Constantinople in 1453 and renaming it Istanbul.
• Under Suleiman the Magnificent, the empire reached its zenith, controlling much of southeastern Europe, western Asia, and North Africa.
• The empire began to decline in the 17th century and faced territorial losses.
• By the late 19th century, the empire was referred to as the “Sick Man of Europe.”
• World War I and the Turkish War of Independence led to the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire.

Modern Era (20th Century):

• Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a military leader, and statesman, founded the Republic of Turkey in 1923.
• Atatürk implemented sweeping reforms, including secularization, westernization, and political modernization.
• Turkey remained neutral during World War II but eventually joined NATO in 1952.
• The country experienced political instability with a series of coups and military interventions during the mid-20th century.
• Turkey’s role as a key Cold War ally influenced its politics.

Recent History (Late 20th Century to Present):

• Turkey has since transitioned to a multiparty democracy with periods of political stability.
• It has pursued EU membership but faced challenges related to human rights and political reforms.
• The Kurdish–Turkish conflict, centered on Kurdish minority rights, has been a significant issue.
• In recent years, Turkey has played a role in regional conflicts, including the Syrian Civil War.
• There have been ongoing debates over the role of religion in politics and civil society.

This overview highlights key periods and developments in Turkey’s history, from its ancient civilizations to its modern republic and the challenges it has faced along the way.

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