Turkey stands in a nice but tough geopolitical location, where Europe, Asia and Middle East meet, with a population of 75 millions. These strategic lands caused problems with the neighbors throughout the history, most of which still lasts.
A common mistake about Turkey is being known as an Arabic country. %99 of the citizens are Muslim, but Turks are not Arabs. Being heirs of a large empire (Ottoman Empire) that governed three continents for 600 years, and many ancient civilizations of thousands of years; the races totally mixed with each other, resulting in a wide range of variance. Major cities are as modern as any major European city, where the small cities are not when compared to European equivalents. This is why Turkey is described as a “developing” country. Half of the population live following Islamic rules (mostly in small cities and in ghettos in major cities), where the other half not much different than any European country. This can be considered as a nice and colorful combination as long as there are no conflicts between these two different life styles.
Turkey is not ruled according to Islamic laws, but civil laws; so that you are not expected to obey any Islamic rules when you visit Turkey. Most of the touristic places are in major cities or in the coastal area, you won’t feel much difference compared to your own country (wherever it is). With the warmth of Mediterranean, you would be welcomed with great hospitality in Turkey.
The capital city is Ankara, whereas the largest and the most known city is Istanbul. The third largest city is Izmir, on the west coast.
Tourism of Turkey mainly is considered as a seaside vacation in a nice 5 star all-inclusive hotel by the sea; but it definetely is not all about Turkey. There are many historical, cultural and natural points of attraction to be seen in Turkey – mainly in Istanbul. If I were a tourist to be visiting Turkey, I definitely would spend a couple of days in Istanbul, and a week by the seaside. There are of course many places to be seen and I would be writing about them, so you can choose where else to see depending on your taste and time.
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