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| Flag of Turkey |
A Brief Description:
The historic palette of Turkey is traced to Stone Age settlements constructed in 7500 BC, and here, today, unforgettable names like Troy and the Trojan War, Homer, Cyrus the Great, Alexander the Great, the Holy Roman Empire and the Medieval Crusades leap from the pages of its ancient history, and many relics and ruins of same still stand for all to view.
Overrun, conquered, and eventually lost by a litany of forces over eons of time, the modern country of Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by its national hero Mustafa KEMAL, later honored with the title Ataturk, or "Father of the Turks."
Under his authoritarian (and rather effective) leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging social, legal, and political reforms.
In 1950, an experiment with multi-party politics led to election victory of the opposition Democratic Party and the peaceful transfer of power.
Since then - as in many new democracies - there were periods of instability and intermittent military coups, which in each case resulted in the return of political power to civilians.
Through it all the unflappable spirit of the Turkish people has prevailed, and in recent years the government has undertaken many reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy, so it can eventually join the European Union.
Turkey is geographically, politically and officially part of two continents - Europe and Asia. The smaller northwestern portion (Thrace) is part of Europe, while the larger portion (Anatolia) is part of Asia.
As exotic and riveting tourism destinations go, some say it has no peer. Why not find out for yourself?
