1. WHERE IS TURKEY?
Can you see the red circle and text saying "Here is Turkey" on the map? Then you have found the exact location of Turkey.

2. TURKEY
Turkey, is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in 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 Azerbaijan to the east;
Iraq and Syria to the southeast.
The Mediterranean Sea and North Cyprus are to the south; the Aegean Sea is to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north.

3. Atatürk is the founder of Turkish Republic
Atatürk is the founder of Turkish Republic. He has established a new and modern republic from the ruins of an empire, Ottoman Empire, which was referred as the ‘Sick man of Europe’

4. Turkey is a
democratic,
secular,
unitary,
constitutional republic with a diverse cultural heritage.

5. Turkey is the only democratic, secular nation in the world with a majority of its population being of the Islamic faith.

6. Turkey has become increasingly integrated with the West through membership in organizations such as the
Council of Europe,
NATO,
OECD, OSCE and the
G-20 major economies.

7. Turkey began full membership negotiations with the European Union in 2005, having been an associate member of the European Economic Community since 1963 and having joined the EU Customs Union in 1995.

8. Turkey lies on the ruins of many civilizations including
Hittites,
Trojans,
Greeks,
Romans,
Byzantine Empire,
Seljuks, and
Ottomans.
You can feel this wealth of history everywhere you go in Turkey.

9. Centuries earlier, Byzantine Christians cut cave churches into Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys and hid from Islamic armies in underground cities.
At other points over the millennia, the Hittites built Hattuşa’s stone walls on the Anatolian steppe, Romans coursed down the Curetes Way at Ephesus, whirling dervishes gyrated with Sufi mysticism, and the mysterious Lycians left ruins on Mediterranean beaches

11. Well-known historical figures such as King Midas of the Golden Touch, Heroditus, the father of history, St. Paul the Apostle, and Omar Khayyam, the Persian poet came from Asia Minor, the part of Turkey now called Anatolia.
Leonardo Da Vinci drew designs for a bridge over the Golden Horn. It was never built.

12. Julius Caesar uttered his famous words, ‘Veni, vidi, vici’ (I came, I saw, I conquered) in 47 B.C. After defeating Pharnaces II, the ruler of Pontus, which was a north eastern province of Asia Minor on the southern coast of the Black Sea.
Olympos which was one of the most significant costal cities of Ancient Lydia, known to be the location of first settlement in 168 B.C., has become one of the important tourist regions of Antalya with the cultural values she bears, excellent 3200 meter coast and Caretta Carettas.

13. The ancient city founded at Gaziantep in 300 B. C
The ancient city founded at Gaziantep in 300 B.C., was conquered by the Romans in the 1st Century B.C and renamed Zeugma. At the time, with a population of over , Zeugma was one of the largest cities in the world, bigger than Pompei and Londinium (London) and as big as Athens.

14. St. Nicholas, who became popular as Santa Claus, was born in Demre on Turkey’s Mediterarenean Coast.

15. The last home of Virgin Mary is believed to be in
Selçuk – Ephesus Turkey.

16. According to a legend, Noah’s Ark landed on Mount Ararat (Ağrı Dağı) in Eastern Turkey.

17. Homer was born in Izmir on the west coast of Turkey
Homer was born in Izmir on the west coast of Turkey. His famous epic, the Illiad depicts the battles for the city of Troy, also located in Turkey.
The city of Troy, the site of the ancient Trojan Wars, is located in Western Turkey, where a replica of the famous Trojan Horse has become a favorite tourist attraction.

18. Aesop the famed teller of tales was born in Anatolia

19. Alexander the Great conquered a large part of what is now Turkey and cut the Gordion Knot in the Phrygian capital of Gordium not far from Turkey’s present day capital Ankara.

20. St. Pierre’s Church in Antioch (Antakya) is thought to be the first Christian Church.
Nestled in a steep cliff at an altitude of about 1,200 metres facing Altındere valley, Sumela Monastry is a site of great historical and cultural significance, as well as a major tourist attraction of Altındere National Park.

21. Turkey is the first and only country to establish a ‘Children’s Day’.
Every year, on April 23, the country rededicates itself to honoring and cherishing children and the freedom and independence of all people.

22. Since the 1920s, the motto of the Turkish Republic has been the words of its founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk:
‘Peace at home, peace in the world.’

23. You can get engaged in a variety of activities in Turkey including
river rafting,
skiing,
scuba diving,
cruising,
trekking,
hot air ballooning
and even camel wrestling.
You can travel thousands of years back in time at the historical sites, or enjoy the works of nature.

24. Turks have a;
great cuisine,
famous baths,
rich traditions associated with tea, coffee and rakı
evil eye pendants,
traditional carpets and rugs,
whirling dervishes,
and of course Turkish delight and baklava.

25. ANKARA (THE CAPITAL)
ISTANBUL
IZMIR
ANTALYA
BODRUM

26. WHERE IS ISTANBUL?
Istanbul lies on the border between Asia and Europe so that one part of Istanbul is in Europe while the other part of Istanbul is Asian. These two parts of Istanbul are divided by a stretch of water called the Bosphorus near the sea of Marmara. There are currently two bridges that connect Asian Istanbul to European Istanbul.

27. Istanbul is the ONLY city in the world located on two-continents, Asia and Europe. Founded in 659 B.C., it was the capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) and Ottoman Empires since 330 A.D
The conquest of Istanbul by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1453 closed the medieval ages and opened a new era which lasted up to the French revolution in 1879.

28. Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With a population of 14.5 million, the city is among the largest cities in the world by population within city limits. Istanbul is also referred as ‘the city that never sleeps’.

29. Istanbul is a melting pot of religions and cultures
Istanbul is a melting pot of religions and cultures. Muslims, Christians and Jews have been living in harmony for centuries.
Süleymaniye Mosque
Saint Antuan Church
Sinagogue

30. HAGIA SOPHIA
Istanbul was the capital city of many great empires like the Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire which is why the history, different cultures and modern life is synthesised in its veins.
The Hagia Sophia from Byzantine Empire or the palaces from Ottoman Empire still attract millions of tourists. The world famous Dolmabahçe Palace , Topkapı Palace or Hagia Sophia are some of these historical treasures.
Hagia Sophia is a great architectural beauty and an important monument both for Byzantine and for Ottoman Empires. Once a church, later a mosque, and now a museum at the Turkish Republic, Hagia Sophia has always been the precious of its time.

31. HAGIA SOPHIA

32. DOLMABAHÇE PALACE

33. GRAND BAZAAR
The seeds of modern time ‘MALLS’ were planted centuries ago in Istanbul with
‘THE GRAND BAZAAR’

34. ÖZEL SEVİNÇ EĞİTİM KURUMLARI ‘SEVINC PRIVATE SCHOOLS’
‘Sevinç Private Schools’ is a chain of schools which gives education in major parts of Istanbul.
We have 10 schools in Istanbul, and the estimated number of schools for the next two years is
20 – in Turkey!

35. Our schools are founded in the best districts of Istanbul.
It is a chain of private schools for children aged between 4-18 years old.
It gives education on kindergarten, lower and upper primary levels, and also high school.

36. We pride ourselves with the high standard of education we provide, at each and every Sevinç School in Turkey.
The headquarters of our schools is in Istanbul, and we provide the same quality of education in each one of our schools.
We believe each student is very special, and each and every of them have different learning styles.
We provide the needs of each student carefully and create a happy and beneficial environment for them.

37. Foreign Languages is taught through task based education system.
We teach English as the Foreign Language, and we have French, Spanish and German as optional lessons