We might not be able to go on holiday freely, but our students' work often helps us imagine the beauty of their home countries. Here's a piece from our outstandingly clever student, Sennur from Turkey, to help you travel...
Turkey and Greece - two countries that are so close together and yet, in a way so far apart.
Both countries are located in Europe and share a 212 km international land border but are still wrangling over their coastal waters. Although the two folks get on well with one another, their governments have a number of disputes, such as the coastal waters, which have been ongoing since World War I.
Their capital cities are Ankara and Athens, respectively. According to the last census conducted in 2019, Turkey has a population of 82 million, Greece 10,72 million. There is a huge difference not only in the population but also in their size: Turkey is approximately 6 times larger than Greece with its 784.000 square kilometres area.
While both countries are democracies, their style of government is different. Greece has a parliamentary system, whereas Turkey used to have a parliament until 2018, but now has a presidential system. There is nothing in common between the languages or the currencies of the two countries. Greece is a member of the European Union, while Turkey has been granted an EU candidate status since 1999.
Like many close neighbours, Turks and Greeks mostly share the same culture, especially in food. From time to time they poke fun at each other claiming the common most famous dishes belong to them, namely, ‘dolma’, ‘pilaki’, ‘baklava’ etc.
Similarities and differences between Turkey and Greece are endless. However, both countries are worth visiting for their natural beauty, sea and friendly people.
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