Located at the crossroads of Asia, Europe and Africa, Türkiye was once one of the most powerful countries in the world. It is also a cultural melting pot, gathering different civilizations from all over.
1. Once served as the capital city for 1500 years.
Istanbul is the most famous city in Türkiye and the largest city in Türkiye, with a population of 15.5 million, accounting for one fifth of Türkiye's population.
It is not the capital of Türkiye. The capital of the country is Ankara, only one third of Istanbul.
But Ankara's time as the capital was much shorter than Istanbul, which had a history of over 1500 years and was the capital of the empire!
It was once the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire (330-1204), Latin Empire (1204-1261), Byzantine Empire (1261-1453), and Ottoman Empire (1453-1922).
2. The only city spanning two continents.
Istanbul is the only city in the world that spans two continents. The Bosporus Strait (or Istanbul Strait) runs through the city, separating Anatolia (Türkiye in Asia) from Thrace (Türkiye in Europe).
The Bosphorus Strait is about 30 kilometers long, with a widest point of about 3.7 kilometers and a narrowest point of about 0.7 kilometers. It is the only passage between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
This determined that if Russia's Black Sea fleet did not have Türkiye's consent, it would be trapped in the black sea with only 436000 square kilometers.
3. A billion dollar margin.
The Liaoning ship, formerly known as the Varyag, was an aircraft carrier that was half completed by the Soviet Black Sea Shipyard.
After the end of the Cold War, the Black Sea shipyard became an asset of Ukraine, and the construction of this ship was also announced to be suspended.
Because the completion of this aircraft carrier requires 600 related specialties and 8000 supporting manufacturers from the country where the Varyag is located, in short, a great country is needed to complete it.
Later, the unfinished ship was purchased by Chinese enterprises. When it passed through the Bosporus Strait, Türkiye asked for a deposit of $1 billion, with 200 navigation guidelines attached.
Under the guarantee of Greece, this ship passed through the strait.
4. City of Seven Mountains
Like Rome, Istanbul is also known as the "City of Seven Mountains", despite having over 50 mountains.
Why is it called "City of Seven Mountains"?
The thing is, when Emperor Constantine visited this city, he was deeply impressed and decided to turn it into his new capital, becoming the new "Rome".
Rome was called the "City of Seven Hills", so one side of this new capital was called the "City of Seven Mountains".
5. The highest peak in Istanbul.
The highest peak is Mount Aidos, reaching a height of 537 meters.
6. The world's only intercontinental marathon race.
The Istanbul Marathon began in November 1979. The race route starts from the Asian side of the city and then passes through it. The Bosphorus Strait Bridge. Run to the European side.
Over the years, the race route has changed three times, but the concept of intercontinental competition has not changed, so it is still the only marathon race in the world that spans across Asia and Europe.
7. Turks like to grow tulips.
Tulips are native to the Tianshan Valley and were planted in Istanbul as early as 1055.
By the 15th century, Sultan Muhammad II of the Ottoman Empire had 12 gardens with 920 gardeners, including a large number of tulips.
This plant also came from the court to the people and was accepted by the ordinary people of the Ottoman Empire, widely planted in every corner of the empire.
In 1593, tulips arrived in the Netherlands from the Ottoman Empire and sparked the famous "tulip fever" in the country.
At the height of the tulip fever, a type of bulb called "Semper Augustus" can be sold for up to 100000 Dutch guilders, exceeding the price of a luxury house in Amsterdam's fashion community or equivalent to the income of an ordinary person for 1000 years.
8. Türkiye kebabs.
The origin of Türkiye kebabs can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire, when people roasted the meat on the kebabs on an open fire and ate it while baking, usually with rice, salad or pita cake.
Traditional Türkiye kebabs are made of beef, chicken or mutton, sometimes including seafood such as fish, or vegetables such as pepper, mushrooms and tomatoes.
Later, Türkiye barbecue kebabs developed into different forms and spread to every corner of the country.
According to incomplete statistics, the delicious Türkiye kebab has at least 110 different variants.
9. How Turkish people like olive oil
Statistics show that Türkiye will be the main consumer of olive oil in 2023/2024. It is the third largest consumer of olive oil after the European Union and the United States, with an annual sales volume of 150000 tons.
As shown in the following figure
10. The place in the world that loves to drink tea the most.
Tea is the most popular drink in Türkiye. Türkiye has the highest per capita consumption of tea in the world, with 2.5 kg of tea consumed per person per year.
11. Turks also like coffee very much.
Coffee is also very popular in Türkiye, where coffee is mainly divided into traditional Türkiye style and modern style.
In fact, the coffee shop culture in Türkiye can be traced back to the 16th century. At that time, people liked to grind coffee beans into powder, then boil them in a small pot, and pour them into a small porcelain cup. Usually, when drinking coffee, Turks like to eat a sweet food called Türkiye Gum.
12. Annual per capita coffee consumption
Statistics show that the per capita coffee consumption in Türkiye will be 1.97 kg in 2021
Historically, per capita coffee consumption in Türkiye reached an all-time high of 2.06 kg in 2020.
The lowest historical point in recent decades was in 1978, at 0.020 kilograms.
13. Ice cream that can be eaten with a knife and fork.
Türkiye ice cream is composed of milk, sugar, and orchid stem powder. After being made, Türkiye ice cream contains orchid stem powder, which makes the ice cream very viscous, hard to break and chewy when stretched, so this ice cream can also be eaten with a knife and fork.
14. Türkiye is a NATO country located in the Middle East.
The full name of NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
It was originally a military organization jointly established by countries around the North Atlantic to fight against the Soviet Union. It had nothing to do with Türkiye geographically, but Türkiye's position was too important, so it had the opportunity to become a member of NATO.
15. Türkiye has nuclear weapons.
The total number of these nuclear weapons deployed at Ingillik Air Base is about 50, which can be delivered by F-16 fighter planes of the United States or Türkiye.
The ownership of nuclear bombs belongs to the US military and is part of NATO's nuclear umbrella.
Comments