29th October: Turkey Republic Day

Kemal Atatürk proclaimed Turkey a republic and became its first President in 1923. Here are some things you might not know about Turkey:

1. The Republic of Turkey straddles two continents. 97% of it is in Asia and 3% in Europe. Its largest city, Istanbul, is the only city in the world to span two continents.
2. Coffee, Tulips and Cherries originated in Turkey.
3. Historic figures born in Turkey include Homer (the poet), Aesop, King Midas, Herodotus (the father of history), and St Paul the Apostle.
4. Many historic and legendary events took place in Turkey: it was here that Julius Caesar said "Veni, Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered)"; Alexander the Greatt cut the Gordian knot near Ankara; the legendary city of Troy is here; and its highest point is Mount Ararat, where Noah's Ark is said to have landed.
5. Turkey is the world's 37th-largest country in terms of area, but it has the second largest army of any NATO country (the US being the first) and the third largest number of Facebook users in the world (after the US and UK).
6. The founder of the modern day secular state was Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. This wasn't his original name. Before the Republic his name was Mustafa Kemal Pasha. Parliament gave him an honorific surname: Atatürk means Father of the Turks.
7. Turkey was the location of the oldest known human settlement (Catalhoyuk,7th Millenium B.C.) and the first Christian church ever built (St. Peter’s Church in Antioch).
8. In a few years time, it will also be home to the world's largest airport, under construction in Istanbul.
9. Turkey is responsible for 80% of the world’s Hazelnut exports.
10. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast.