TerrainClimateFauna/FloraHistory/PoliticsEconomyCulure
Terrain
Seven distinct topographical areas dominate Turkey's landscape - the Black Sea Region with its cascading rivers and steep and rocky coast, the Marmara Region comprising a central plain of rolling terrain surrounded by mountains of moderate height, the forested and fertile Aegean Region, the Mediterranean Region with mountains rising up behind the coastline, the less mountainous Central Anatolia Region, the mountainous Eastern Anatolia Region with Turkey's highest elevation, Mount Ararat (5,166 m), and the Southeastern Anatolia Region, characterized by wild or barren wasteland.
Climate
The Aegean and Mediterranean coasts have mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The Anatolian plateau is cooler in summer than the coastal areas and quite cold in winter, dominated by continental climatic conditions with extreme annual temperature variation. The Black Sea coast is mild and rainy in summer, and chilly and rainy in winter. Mountainous eastern Turkey is very cold and snowy in winter and only pleasantly warm in summer. The south-east is dry and mild in winter and very hot in summer, with temperatures above 45°C not unusual.
Fauna/Flora
There are still considerable forests in Eastern Anatolia, the Black Sea area and along the Mediterranean coast, west of Antalya. Turkey has similar animal life to that in the Balkans and much of Europe: bears, deer, jackals, lynx, wild boars, wolves and rare leopards. The beautiful Van cat is a native: it has pure white fur and different-coloured eyes - one blue, one green. Bird life is exceptionally rich, with eagles, vultures and storks staking out airspace, as well as rare species such as the bald ibis.
History/Politics
The area that Turkey now covers has been inhabited by different tribes since the Bronze Age. It was conquered by the Hattites in around 1900 BC. In the 12th century BC the Hittite Empire was conquered by the Phrygia, whose empire was destroyed by the Cimmerians in around 700 BC. In the 6th century BC, the region was incorporated into the Persian Empire and into the Macedonian Empire in 333 BC. Soon after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, the empire broke up and a series of independent kingdoms formed. They were conquered in the 2nd century and were turned into a province of the Roman Empire, which was where Constantine built the new capital of the Byzantine/Roman Empire in AD 330. After the death of Roman Emperor Theodosius in the 4th century and the subsequent division of the Roman Empire, the eastern province became the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century. Over the eight centuries that followed, the Byzantine Empire formed an impressive culture, which was strongly influenced by its Turkish neighbours and invaders, who finally conquered it in 1453. Constantinople, which was renamed Istanbul, became the capital of the Ottoman Empire that stretched from Algeria to the Caucasus and from Hungry to the Arabian Peninsula. From the 16th century onwards, the Ottoman Empire began to lose power. As a result of the military victories and the reconquest of land lost by the Europeans in the 18th century, it was not immediately obvious that the empire was declining from within. It did however become clear by the time Turkey had lost two wars against Russia at the end of the 18th century. The 19th century was characterised by a rise in nationalism between the different groups that made up the empire and the subsequent wars of independent. The first country to become independence was Greece and soon afterwards there were uprisings in Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria and Armenia. At the beginning of the First World War in 1914, the empire formed a military alliance with the Austro-Hungarian and German Empires. Together, they lost the war, along with a large amount of their territory. The conditions for peace were considered to be humiliating, which was why Kemal Atatürk launched a war of independence and managed to negotiate new conditions in 1923. Atatürk abolished the sultanate and proclaimed Turkey a republic. A new constitution was formed which separated the church and the state, and signalled the beginning of the modernisation of Turkey. During the Second World War, Turkey remained neutral. From 1950-1960, the Turkish economy grew rapidly as a result of liberal politics and external aid. However, poor management caused an economic and social crisis that led to a coup d'état. Despite that fact that elections were held in 1965, the military continued to dominate Turkish politics. In 1980, there was another coup d'état which saw Kenan Evren become president. In 1983, a new constitution was promulgated that included opening up politics, modernising the state and aiming to join the European Union. In June 2003, parliament took various steps in human rights with a view to meeting the European Union's requirements for Turkey to enter into talks regarding its possible entry into the European Union. One of the steps taken was the abolishment of the death penalty in 2004.
Economy
Turkey has a dynamic economy that is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along with traditional village agriculture and crafts. The country has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. Its most important industry?and largest exporter?is textiles and clothing, which is almost entirely privately-owned. Major industries are agriculture, motor vehicles, petroleum, engineering, tourism. Gross domestic product growth amounted to -3% in 2000.
Culure
Ottoman literature and court music were mostly religious. Visual arts were curtailed by the Muslim dictum that forbids representation of any being 'with an immortal soul', so Islamic artists tended to the non-representative arts.
Turkish museums are full of delicate coloured tiles, graceful glass vases, carved wooden mosque doors, glittering illuminated Korans, intricate jewellery and sumptuous costumes. Atatürk changed Turkey's cultural picture overnight, encouraging representative painting, sculpture, literature, opera, dance and drama.