Turkey has a rich and fascinating history which has is probably the result of its unique location; it straddles both Europe and Asia and is thus a bridge between the two continents. The region in Asia was first settled in about 7,000 BC. After the Persians and Macedonians visited, the Romans came, and in AD 330 Constantine the Great declared Byzantium the new capital of the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Byzantium was renamed Constantinople (though it was later to become Istanbul). After the fall of the Roman Empire, the eastern region remained intact as the Byzantine Empire which lasted for some 1,000 years. However, in the mid-fifteenth century a Turkish tribe called the Ottomans captured Constantinople and within one hundred years their empire encompassed north Africa, the Middle East, and most of south-eastern Europe. But then this Muslim empire fell into a slow but inexorable decline. European territory was lost to Austria and Russia, and later through the emergence of the Balkan states; African lands were targeted by Britain, France, and Italy. A revolution led by Kemal Ataturk resulted in the formation of a republic in 1923. After a multiparty constitution was adopted in 1945 there followed a military coup in 1960. However, elections soon saw the establishment of a civilian government; but in 1980 the military again took control. Another fresh constitution was adopted and after elections in 1983 the military handed over the reins of power to a civilian government. Although agriculture remains an important sector of the economy and employs about half the working population, industries such as mineral extraction, car assembly, glass and cement production, and the manufacture of textiles account for much of the export revenue. Islam is the main religion and Turkish the official language.
