More about Turkey The country wields significant economic,
political and military influence over its neighbours and across
the wider region. Its long history of trade and migration has
given it a rich cultural heritage which is plain to see on any
visit to Turkey. Around 75 percent of the country’s 70 million
inhabitants are ethnic Turks and some 15 percent Kurds, while
the remainder are made up of Armenians, Greeks, Abkhazians,
Albanians, Georgians, Pomaks (Bulgarians) and others. Many of
these ethnic groups travelled to Turkey during the era of the
Ottoman Empire, which peaked in the 16th and 17th centuries. The
modern Republic of Turkey was established by Mustafa Kemal
Atatürk in 1923 and the country is now a democratic, secular
constitutional republic. Turkey is a large country with a
diverse topography and climate. With an area of 783,562 square
kilometres, Turkey is the 37th-largest country in the world.
Holidays in Turkey can be quite varied, depending on which
region you visit. While Ankara is the cap