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Ankara is the
capital of
Turkey and the country's second largest
city after
İstanbul. The city has a population (as of 2005) of
4,319,167 (Province 5,153,000), and a mean elevation of 850
m (2800 ft). It was formerly known as
Angora. The
Hittites gave it the name Ankuwash before 1200 BC,[1][2]
the
Galatians and
Romans called it Ancyra, and in the
classical,
Hellenistic, and
Byzantine periods it was known as γκυρα �nkyra. Ankara
also serves as the capital of the
Province of Ankara. Centrally located in
Anatolia, Ankara is an important commercial and
industrial city. It is the center of the Turkish Government,
and houses all foreign embassies. It is an important
crossroads of trade, strategically located at the center of
Turkey's highway and railway networks, and serves as the
marketing center for the surrounding agricultural area. The
city was famous for its long-haired
Angora goat and its prized wool (mohair),
a unique breed of cat (Angora
cat),
white rabbits and their prized wool (Angora
wool),
pears,
honey, and the region's
muscat
grapes.
Ankara is situated upon a steep and rocky hill, which
rises 150 m above the plain on the left bank of the
Enguri Su, a tributary of the
Sakarya (Sangarius) river. The city is located at
39�52'30" North, 32�52' East (39.875�
N 32.8333� E). Ankara is one of the driest
places in Turkey and is surrounded by a barren steppe
vegetation, with various
Hittite,
Phrygian,
Hellenistic,
Roman,
Byzantine, and
Ottoman
archaeological sites. It has a harsh, dry
continental climate with cold, snowy winters and hot,
dry summers. Rainfall occurs mostly during the spring and
autumn.
The hill which overlooks the city is crowned by the ruins
of the old castle, which adds to the picturesqueness of the
view, but only a few historic structures surrounding the old
citadel have survived to our date. There are, however, many
finely preserved remains of
Hellenistic,
Roman and
Byzantine architecture, the most remarkable being the
Temple of
Augustus and Rome (20 BC) which is also known as the
Monumentum Ancyranum
content source for this page:
Wikipedia.org
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