QUICK STATS
Capitol: Ankara                    Population: 72,561,312 (18th)
Language: Turkish               Size: 302,535 sq. mi. (37th)
Currency: Turkish Lira         GDP: $880.061 billion (PPP)

CURRENT AFFAIRS
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/
http://www.turkeydailynews.com/


MAP
Borders: Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq, and Syria
Seas: Aegean Sea (to the west), Black Sea (to the north), Mediterranean Sea (to the south), and the Sea of Marmara (contained within Turkey)

BRIEF BRIEF HISTORY
[Ancient Anatolia]: First populated in 7500 BCE
Hittite Empire: 1750 - 1200 B.C.E  -> huge rivalry with Egypt
Persian Empire: 546 - mid 300s --> defeated by Alexander the Great
[Roman Empire]: absorbed many of the smaller states that resulted after the defeat of the Persian Empire
Byzantine Empire: eastern portion of Roman Empire that converted to Christianity
 -- Lasted until 1453 AD (defeated by the Ottoman Turks)
 -- Capitol: Constantinople
 -- Language: Greek
Ottoman Empire: 1453 - 1923 AD
 -- Capitol: Constantinople
 -- Religion: Islam
 -- established Arab Caliphate and the millet system
Republic of Turkey: 1923 to present
 -- Revolution led by Young Turks resulted in formation of a republic
 -- Ataturk: father of Turkey
       -- secularized Turkey's society
       -- replaced Arabic with Latin alphabet for writing Turkish