Turkey 🇹🇷
Turkey is a country in Asia with a population of 85,341,241. Its capital is Ankara. The official currency is TRY, and the main languages are Turkish.
Quick facts
- Capital: Ankara
- Continent: Asia
- Population: 85,341,241 (The figure of 85,341,241 is an earlier estimate. The World Bank puts Turkey's population at 85,518,661 for 2024.)
- Area: 783,562 km²
- Density: 109 people per km²
- Currency: TRY
- Languages: Turkish
- ISO code: TR
Where Turkey sits
Turkey 🇹🇷 is one of 48 countries in Asia, with its capital at Ankara. It covers 783,562 square kilometres — 36th in the world — and is home to about 85,341,241 people, 18th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Turkey compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Turkey sits closest to Germany and Iran. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Mozambique and Chile.
At 109 people per square kilometre it is somewhat above the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by population than by area, so it is more crowded than its size alone suggests.
Turkish is an official language in 2 countries here, among them Cyprus. The TRY is used by Turkey and no one else.
To see Turkey next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Turkey
Istanbul is the famous city, but Ankara is the Answer. Ankara has been the capital since 1923 and sits in the middle of Anatolia, while Istanbul sits on the Bosphorus. For the flag, a white moon and star on a red sky.
The flag of Turkey: red and white
🇹🇷 The flag is a red flag with a white crescent moon and a white five-pointed star. The crescent and star on red come from the flag of the Ottoman Empire, and the design was kept when the Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923.
Region and neighbours
Turkey is a country that spans two continents: most of it is Anatolia in Western Asia, and a small part, East Thrace, is in southeastern Europe. It shares land borders with 8 countries: Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq and Syria.
- Greece 🇬🇷 — capital Athens
- Bulgaria 🇧🇬 — capital Sofia
- Georgia 🇬🇪 — capital Tbilisi
- Armenia 🇦🇲 — capital Yerevan
- Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 — capital Baku
- Iran 🇮🇷 — capital Tehran
- Iraq 🇮🇶 — capital Baghdad
- Syria 🇸🇾 — capital Damascus
Three facts about Turkey
- Istanbul is split between Europe and Asia by the Bosphorus strait.
- Mount Ararat, at about 5,137 m, is the highest point in Turkey.
- In 2022 the United Nations started using the name Türkiye, the country's name in Turkish.
Sources: Wikipedia: Turkey, Wikipedia: Flag of Turkey, Wikipedia: Ankara, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Turkey
- Asian capitals quiz — match Turkey to Ankara
- Asian flags quiz — spot the Turkey flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include Turkey
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Turkey those are:
- Asia map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Asia flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Asia capitals quiz — match it to Ankara
- Turkey capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Turkey
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Turkey
- Capital of Turkey: Ankara — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 48 countries of Asia
Nearby countries
- Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
- Armenia 🇦🇲 — capital Yerevan
- Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 — capital Baku
- Bahrain 🇧🇠— capital Manama
- Bangladesh 🇧🇩 — capital Dhaka
- Bhutan 🇧🇹 — capital Thimphu
- Brunei 🇧🇳 — capital Bandar Seri Begawan
- Cambodia 🇰🇠— capital Phnom Penh
- China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
- Georgia 🇬🇪 — capital Tbilisi
- India 🇮🇳 — capital New Delhi
- Indonesia 🇮🇩 — capital Jakarta
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Turkey flag?
The flag of Turkey is a red flag with a white crescent moon and a white five-pointed star. The crescent and star on red come from the flag of the Ottoman Empire, and the design was kept when the Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923.
Which countries border Turkey?
Turkey shares land borders with Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq and Syria.
How can I remember the capital of Turkey?
Istanbul is the famous city, but Ankara is the Answer. Ankara has been the capital since 1923 and sits in the middle of Anatolia, while Istanbul sits on the Bosphorus. For the flag, a white moon and star on a red sky.