Ankara, Turkey Overview
Ankara – capital of Turkey
Ankara is an important commercial and industrial city with a vibrant culture and an interesting range of monuments that were once erected here in ancient times. Even if not all buildings survived the centuries, some of the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine structures can still be seen. The most impressive of these is certainly the Temple of Augustus, which dates from the 1st century BC. BC and is also known as Monumentum Ancyranum.
The founder of modern Turkey – Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938) – was buried on the central hill Anıttepe. But also the citadelwhich crowns the small mountain from which one can overlook the city has been preserved. It was once built by the Galatians and later expanded by the Romans. Also worth seeing are the three parliament buildings, the first of which is now a museum. There is also a museum in the second building, which served as the parliament building from 1924 to 1961. The current parliament building was occupied in 1961.
The Presidential Palace (Cumhurbaşkanlığı Sarayı) is the new seat of the presidents and was built on the initiative of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and moved into at the end of October 2014.
Since 1923 Ankara – with more than 5 million residents the second largest city in the country after İstanbul – has been the capital of Turkey. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1917, the city was given this function because of its central location in Anatolia and deliberately differentiating it from İstanbul, which was preferred by the Ottomans. So it took the city just over 80 years to transform from a relatively insignificant sleepy village into the metropolis it is today.
According to topb2bwebsites, Ankara is located around 350 km southeast of Istanbul – in the middle of Turkey. Information that applies to the entire country, e.g. currency, entry requirements, health issues, etc., is not shown here again. You can find them under Turkey.
| Name in the local language | Ankara |
| Name in German | Ankara |
| Other names | Angora (= previous name Ankara) Ancyra (= ancient name) Engürije (= old Turkish name) |
| Country | Turkey |
| Location | Ankara is located in Central Anatolia on the banks of the Enguri Su River. |
| Region | Ankara Province |
| Landmark | Anıtkabir Atakule Tower |
| Function of the city | Capital of Turkey Capital of Ankara Province |
| Area | approx. 2,500 km² |
| Population | approx. 5.3 million |
| Ethnicities | Turks |
| Languages | Turkish |
| Religions | (Sunni) Islam |
| National currency | Turkish Lira (1 Lira = 100 Kurus) |
| Adjacent waters | Enguri Su (river) |
| Mountains and elevations | Ankara is located on a stony hill about 150 meters high. The city’s citadel sits enthroned on a 978-meter hill m north of the city. |
| Official website of the city | www.ankara.bel.tr |
| Tourist center | Ministry of Tourism Tanitma Genel Müdürlügü Ismet Inönü Bulvari No. 5 Bahcelievler, Ankara Tel.: 0090 – (0) 312 – 2128300 |
| Telephone code with country code | 0090 – (0) 312 – subscriber number |
| Time compared to CET | + 2 h |
| Line voltage, line frequency | 220 V and 50 Hertz |
| License plate of Turkey | TR |
Universities
Bilkent University
This private university was founded in 1984 and today has about 10,000 students in nine faculties. The language of instruction is mainly English.
Gazi University (Gazi Üniversitesi)
The Turkish state university is currently educating around 50,000 students. The university goes back to Ataturk’s efforts and is divided into 25 faculties.
Middle East Technical University (Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi)
This university is one of the largest and most prestigious educational institutions in the country. It was founded in 1956 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006. The language of instruction is English.
Ankara University (Ankara Üniversitesi)
This state university has about 45,000 students and was founded in 1936 by Ataturk. It is one of the oldest universities in the Turkish capital. It is divided into 15 faculties.
University of Hacettepe
The university is one of the largest in Turkey and is currently attended by more than 25,000 students.
Parks, gardens and zoos
Ataturk Forest Farm and Zoo (Ataturk Orman Çiftliği)
This extensive area includes a zoo as well as various smaller agricultural farms, greenhouses, restaurants and a brewery. It’s a fun place to spend a day with the family. The range of activities ranges from hiking to cycling to the obligatory picnic.
Gençlik Park
There is an amusement park in the park with a large lake that is ideal for rowing.
Güven Park
This park is home to the “monument to the sovereign future”. This was built in 1935 and carries Ataturk’s advice for his people: “Turks! Be proud, work hard, and believe in yourself.”
Harikalar Diyarı
This is said to be the largest park in Europe.
Kuğulu Park
This park is known for its swans, which were a gift from the Chinese government.
Sports facilities
Ankara 19 Mayıs Stadium (Ankara 19 Mayıs Stadyumu)
This is the venue for Ankara’s football clubs Gençlerbirliği, Ankaragücü and Ankaraspor. It was built in 1936. It belongs to the 19 Mayis Sports Complex and is located in the Ulus district. In total, there is space for over 19,000 spectators in the stadium.
The stadium was named after May 19 (1919) when Mustafa Kemal Ataturk started the national liberation movement.
Ankara Ice Palace (GSİ.M. Buz Pateni Sarayı)
This ice skating and ice hockey arena is located in Bahçelievler and opened in 1989. 1,000 spectators can watch all kinds of ice sports here.
