Turquía

Turquía, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. Its capital is Ankara, and its largest city is Istanbul, which straddles the Bosphorus strait, dividing Europe and Asia. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest; Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan (via the exclave of Nakhchivan), and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the south. The country also has a coastline along the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean Sea to the west, and the Black Sea to the north.

The history of Turkey is rich and diverse, having been home to numerous ancient civilizations, including the Hittites, Phrygians, Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. It later became the heartland of the Seljuk and Ottoman empires. The modern Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I. Atatürk implemented a series of sweeping reforms aimed at modernizing the country and establishing it as a secular, Western-oriented nation.

Turkey's geography is varied, encompassing diverse landscapes from the coastal plains of the Aegean and Mediterranean to the high plateaus of Anatolia and the rugged mountains in the east. The country is a member of NATO and a candidate for membership in the European Union. It plays a significant role in regional politics and the global economy, with a mixed economy that is increasingly industrialized. Its cultural heritage is a unique blend of Eastern and Western influences, reflected in its cuisine, music, and architecture.