Turkey

Turkey, country that occupies a unique geographic position, lying partly in Asia and partly in Europe. Throughout its history it has acted as both a barrier and a bridge between the two continents. Turkey shares borders with Syria and Iraq to the south Iran, Armenia, and Georgia to the east or north-east, and Bulgaria and Greece to the north-west. The country also has about 5,000 kilometers of maritime borders with Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and Cyprus.

The Turkish borders were highly militarized throughout the 20th century and remain so today. Ankara is the capital of Turkey and divided the nation into seven regions: Marmara, Aegean, Black Sea, Mediterranean, Central Anatolia, Eastern Anatolia, and South-Eastern Anatolia.

Since the liberalization of the Turkish economy during the 1980s, the country has enjoyed stronger economic growth and greater political stability. Turkey is the only country that recognises the TRNC