World in Focus: Turkey

The "World in Focus" series provides an up-to-date view of individual countries around the world.

It includes a discussion of the major challenges facing each country now and in the future.

This book gives a real insight into life in Turkey. Lying at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Turkey's unique geographical location has shaped its long history and culture.

Since ancient times the region has been an important centre of civilization, trade and travel.

Today, Turkey is a modern, secular country in which 97 percent of the population is Muslim.

Major challenges for the future include dealing with its Kurdish population, settling its differences with Greece over the island of Cyprus, and its proposed membership of the European Union, but despite these problems it remains a country with huge potential.