Turkey enjoys a variety of climates, changing from the temperate climate of the Black Sea region, to the continental climate of the interior, then, to the Mediterranean climate of the Aegean and Mediterranean coastal regions. The coastline of Turkey's four seas is more than 8333 km long. From the days of Catalhoyuk up to the present time Turkey boasts of a rich culture that through the centuries has made a lasting impression on modern civilization. The heir many centuries of cultures makes Turkey a paradise of information and cultural wealth. Hattis, Hittites, Phrygians, Urartians, Lycians, Lydians, lonians, Persians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks, and Ottomans have all held important places in Turkey's history, and ancient sites and ruins scattered throughout the country give proof to each civilization's unique distinction.
Turkey also has a very fascinating recent history.
Upon the decline of the Ottoman Empire, a young man named Mustafa Kemal, who was a soldier by occupation but a great visionary in character, took the defeat of World War I and turned it into a shining victory by liberating Turkey of all foreign invaders. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the Republic of Turkey on the 29th of October, 1923. He led his country into peace and stability, with tremendous economic growth and complete modernization. The Turkish language belongs to the Ural Altaic group and has an affinity to the Finno Hungarian languages. Turkish is written in the Latin alphabet and is spoken by some 150 million people around the world.