Turkey is a country in West Asia and Southern Europe. Its capital city is Ankara (Angora). Population of this country in 2003 was 71,325,000 with a population density ie number of inhabitants (per square km) 92. Surface area of Turkey is 774,815 sq kms and currency is lira. Major languages spoken here are Turkish, Kurdish and Arabic. It is a republic located in south eastern Europe and Asia Minor. It links Asia and Europe at the Straits of Bosporus, between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. That is why it has always been strategically important. The major portion of this country lies in Asia Minor. __History of Turkey__ Anatolia or the Asiatic Turkey was the seat of one of the earliest civilizations known to us. Istanbul, the largest city of this country, was first known as Byzantium and then as Constantinople. Turkish Empire was founded in 1453 after Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople. It became a republic in 1923.