Ankara is not the largest city but it is the capital of Turkey. In 2011, the city of Ankara had a population of 4,338,620. Ankara is an important crossroads of trade, strategically located at the centre of Turkey’s highway and railway networks. The city was famous for its long-haired Angora goat and its prized wool (mohair), a unique breed of cat (Angora cat), and the muscat grapes.

The historical center of Ankara is situated upon a rocky hill, which rises 150 m (492 ft) above the plain on the left bank of the Ankara Çayı, a tributary of the Sakarya (Sangarius) river, situated in one of the driest places of Turkey.

One most frequently visited spot by tourists in Ankara is Anıtkabir (see photo). It is the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the leader of the Turkish War of Independence and the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. It is located in Ankara and was designed by architects Professor Emin Onat and Assistant Professor Ahmet Orhan Arda, whose proposal beat 48 other entries from several countries in a competition held by the Turkish Government in 1941 for a “monumental mausoleum” for Atatürk.