June 20, 2013
The week's top five must-sees,
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The week's top five must-sees,
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Description
Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a transcontinental country, located mostly on Anatolia in Western Asia and on East Thrace in Southeastern Europe. 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. The Mediterranean Sea is to the south; the Aegean Sea is to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles demarcate the boundary between Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia. Turkey's location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia makes it a country of significant geostrategic importance.
The country's official language is Turkish, a Turkic language, which is spoken by approximately 85% of the population as mother tongue. The most numerous ethnic group is the Turks, who constitute between 70% and 75% of the population according to The World Factbook. Kurds are the largest ethnic minority and, according to the same source, number around 18% of the population while other ethnic minorities are estimated to be at 7–12%. The vast majority of the population is Muslim.
(via Freebase)
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![Turkish FM's visit to Kirkuk upsets Iraq [Press TV, Iran]](/images/image_cache/base-8367000/8367106/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=95bcdc4803e01793c0612823d1dbd764)
![Turkey grants Iraqi VP permanent residency [Al-Alam, Iran]](/images/image_cache/base-8047000/8047314/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=a89c6ba15bb336ef7ca1009d285ec720)
![Russia accuses US of justifying terrorism in Syria as Turkey closes its borders [New TV, Lebanon]](/images/image_cache/base-7707000/7707434/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=196de2f549e53ad1580ae73af1da471f)
![Turkish activists demand resignation of interior minister over harsh crackdown on Kurds [Press TV, Iran]](/images/image_cache/base-7571000/7571536/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=a5cd6af994f04e1765aa730e58cd3e17)
![Clashes intensify between Syrian rebels and security forces in battle for Damascus [Dubai TV, UAE]](/images/image_cache/base-7265000/7265772/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=1e54ce51616a55d2e6c842342cca2bc8 "Demonstrators raise their arms as Syrian opposition flags are seen during a protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad at Kfr Suseh area in Damascus July 16, 2012. Picture taken July 16, 2012. REUTERS/Shaam News Network/Handout")
![Turkey deploys troops, anti-aircraft guns on Syrian border [Press TV, Iran]](/images/image_cache/base-6381000/6381548/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=5d42df42983b412e668b34a2a4ac3d4e)
