For more information see the Turkey profile.

The Republic of Turkey straddles both Europe and Asia. Turkey's cultural links with Central Asia and proximity to conflicts in Iraq and the Balkans have enhanced Turkey's strategic importance. Once guardian of all the holy places of Islam, Turkey has officially been a secular state since reforms of the 1920's. Islam has become a more important political factor, making the lot of non-Muslim minorities more difficult despite the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. Turkey is a torn nation, some seeking closer ties with the West, Islamists desiring to develop links with the Muslim world, and nationalists with Central Asia. Turkey remains the largest unreached nation in the world.