What is the capital of Turkey?

Ankara is the capital of Turkey.

The city became Turkey’s capital on 13 October 1923, shortly before the Republic of Turkey was formally proclaimed on 29 October. It replaced Istanbul, the former Ottoman capital, as the centre of the new republican government. Ankara was chosen partly for its position in central Anatolia and its importance to the Turkish national movement.

During the Turkish War of Independence, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the Grand National Assembly established their headquarters in Ankara. The assembly first met there on 23 April 1920, helping turn the relatively modest inland city into the political heart of the emerging republic.

Istanbul remains Turkey’s largest and most internationally famous city, which makes it the most common wrong answer. Ankara is also historically known as Angora or Ancyra. Those older names survive in terms such as Angora wool, Angora goats and Angora cats, all associated with the region.