Ankara is Turkey’s second-largest city by population after Istanbul.
Ankara sits in central Anatolia and serves as Turkey’s national capital. Although Istanbul is much larger and more internationally prominent, Ankara became the centre of the Turkish national movement during the War of Independence and was declared the capital in 1923, replacing Istanbul as the seat of the new republic.
The city is also the capital of Ankara Province and the core of a large metropolitan municipality divided into 25 districts. Its population ranking can vary slightly depending on whether a source compares city proper, urban area or province, but under Turkey’s standard metropolitan population comparisons, Ankara follows Istanbul.
The most likely confusion is İzmir, Turkey’s third-largest major city and a large Aegean port. Bursa and Adana are also important cities, but neither ranks ahead of Ankara nationally.