Turkey

Would you like to visit an ancient country that has been settled for more than 8,000 years? You might like to visit Turkey or officially known as the Republic of Turkey. Here, you’ll find ancient Roman ruins, huge cathedrals, and castles from the days of the knights and Crusaders. There’s an ancient underground civilization of tunnels and rooms. The country’s tallest point, Mount Ararat is believed to be the place where Noah’s boat landed after the flood.

The country of Turkey lies on a peninsula that joins Europe and Asia. It is surrounded on three sides by water. Because of this, it’s an easy target for invaders. Over the centuries, it’s been conquered by the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines. Just in the last 100 years, it has seen several wars. The largest city, Istanbul, used to be known as Constantinople. This beautiful, old city lies in both Europe and Asia.

Turkey is one of the most earthquake-prone places on Earth. There have been 13 earthquakes just in the last 70 years. Turkey lies on a fault that moves about 8 inches each year.

Fun Facts about Turkey for Kids

• Over 81 million people live in Turkey.
• The President of Turkey is Recep Tayyip Erdogan (re-elected June 2018).
• The capital is Ankara.
• Turkey is larger than Texas with 779,452 square miles of land.
• At 5,137 m Mount Ararat is the tallest mountain in Turkey.
• Kilizirmak also known as the Red River is Turkey’s longest river that flows entirely within the country without flowing into other countries. It is 1,355 km in length.
• Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey,
• Turkey has active volcanoes and is also prone to earthquakes.
• People in Turkey speak Turkish, Arabic, Kurdish, Greek and Armenian.
• Most people in Turkey are Muslim.
• The currency here is the Turkish Lira.
• Turkey’s main exports are: machinery, transport equipment, textile and manufactured goods.
• People in Turkey can expect to live 75 years.
• 87 percent of adults can read.
• Santa Claus my favorite person (also known to us as St. Nicholas) was born in Turkey in a place called “Patara” in the 3rd Century A.D.

Turkey Vocabulary

1. Ancient: very old
2. Ruins: remains of old homes and buildings
3. Crusaders: soldiers who traveled to the Middle East and Eastern Europe with the purpose of restoring Christianity to those locations
4. Peninsula: a piece of land connected to a larger land mass that is bordered by water on three sides

Turkey Video for Kids

Here’s a great video for kids on Turkey:

This is a video showcasing the different heritage, cultural sites and tourist destinations in Turkey.

Turkey Q&A

Question: How did the earliest people live?

Answer: We know that they made rows of mud houses that were connected. These houses had no streets or pathways between them. To get in and out of a house, the residents crawled through holes in the roof.

Map of Turkey

Here’s a map of the country of Turkey and all its cities and villages. Zoom in to get into street level or zoom out to see other countries around Turkey! You can see the terrain, but also see the roads, images of the buildings and even take a 3D tour through the streets of the cities of Turkey, as though you are actually there!

 

Enjoyed the Free Geography Kids online resources all about Turkey info? Take the FREE & fun Turkey quiz and download FREE Turkey worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.