The Republic of Turkey, or simply Turkey lies between Asia (97% of its territory) and Europe (3% of its territory), officially recognized as a European state.
The Anatolian peninsula, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, is the "heart" of the country. It borders Georgia to the northeast, to the east by Armenia and the Autonomous Republic of Naxçivan (belonging to Azerbaijan) southeast with Iran, on the north by the Black Sea to the West with Greece, Bulgaria and the Aegean Sea and the south by Iraq, Syria and the Mediterranean Sea.
By 2010, Turkey had a population of 73,722,998 inhabitants. Major cities are: Istanbul, Ankara (the capital), Izmir, Adana, Antalya and Bursa. The Turkish population is a young population due to high birth rates in this country.
The official language is Turkish, however, almost all middle-class Turks speak a foreign language.
95% of the population is Muslim (Sunni 75 - 80%, Alevi or Alevis 15 to 20%). The remaining 5% are mostly Christians and Jews.