Capital: Ankara

Continent: Asia

Location: Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria

Climate: temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior

Population: 70,413,958 (July 2006 est.)

Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the European part of Turkey

Religions: Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)

Currency: Turkish lira