Hello!  We are Maria and Matteo. We come from Italy. Now we will introduce our country. Come with us!

Hi! We are Ziynet and Emre and we are from Turkey. Now we will introduce our country. Come with us!

      OUR COUNTRIES

Contents:

1.Capital Cities

2.Traditional Dishes

3.Endemic Plants

4.Folk Dances

5.Traditional Costumes

6.Sightseeings

Ankara 

Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country’s second largest city after Istanbul. Ankara also serves as the capital of Ankara Province.Centrally located in Anatolia, Ankara is an important commercial and industrial city. It is the center of the Turkish Government, and houses all foreign embassies. The city was famous for its long-haired Angora goat and its prized wool (mohair), a unique breed of cat (Angora cat), white rabbits and their prized wool (Angora wool), pears, honey, and the region’s muscat grapes.It was the settlement of many civilizations,including the Roman and Byzantium Empire. The most popular civilization which settled in Ankara is the Hittites. However, legends say that Ankara was founded by the famous Phrygian King Midas. He named the city Ancyra, meaning anchor. Then Hittites made the city famous and called it Ankuwa. Ankara is the symbol of the foundation of Turkey.Many historical buildings from founding times of the Republic is present in Ankara.Atatürk’s mausoleum,also known as Anıtkabir is in Ankara.

ROME

ROME

Rome is the capital city of Italy, as well as the capital of Lazio region. It is the third most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Lazio (Latium), along the shores of the River Tiber. Vatican City (the smallest country in the world) is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city; for this reason Rome has sometimes been defined as the capital of two states.

The earlier inhabitants of Rome originated from a mix of Latin, Etruscans and Sabines. 

Turkish Traditional Dishes 

You can find a great variety of mouth watering dishes in Turkish cuisine, which is mostly the heritage of Ottoman cuisine. It is the mixture and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines. Therefore it is impossible to fit Turkish cuisine into a short list.

Best Known Dishes and Masterpieces of the Turkish Cuisine

Kebaps — Kebap is the common name for a dish where meat is coated around a skewer and grilled over a charcoal fire. Originally the meat consisted of lamb or beef, but nowadays you can also chose chicken. 

Döner –In essence it is a dish of beaten pieces of meat seasoned with suet, local herbs and spices, skewered on a spit and grilled vertically.

Köfte — It is commonly referred to as meatballs, but they come in all shapes. The köfte basics are ground meat (usually lamb or mutton) mixed with crumbled bread, minced onions and spices. 

Mantı – You could think of mantı as some kind of dumplings. This excellent Turkish dish contains two main ingredients: the dough and the filling, which consists of grounded beef or lamb, onion, salt and pepper.

                 ITALIAN TRADITIONAL DISHES

Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BC. Italian cuisine has its origins in Etruscan, ancient Greek, and ancient Roman cuisines. Significant changes occurred with the discovery of the New World and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers and maize, now central to the cuisine but not introduced in quantity until the 18th century. The cuisine of Italy is noted for its regional diversity, abundance of difference in taste, and is known to be one of the most popular in the world, with influences abroad.

Pizza and spaghetti, both associated with the Neapolitan traditions of cookery, are especially popular abroad, but the varying geographical conditions of the twenty regions of Italy, together with the strength of local traditions, afford a wide range of dishes.

Endemic Plants of Turkey

As of 2000 about 9300 species of vascular plant were known to grow in Turkey. By comparison, Europe as a whole contains only about 24% more species (about 11500), despite having thirteen times the area.

The most important reasons for the high plant biodiversity are believed to be the relatively high proportion of endemics, together with the high variety of soils and climate of Turkey.

A third of Turkish plant species are endemic to Turkey.One reason there are so many is because the surface of Anatolia is both mountainous and quite fragmented.

            ENDEMIC PLANTS OF ITALY

From the foot of the Alps to their highest peaks, three bands of vegetation can be distinguished. First, around the Lombard lakes, the most common trees are the evergreen cork oak, the European olive, the cypress, and the cherry laurel. In the Apennine zone along the whole peninsula, a typical tree is the holm oak, while the area closer to the sea is characterized by the olive, oleander, carob, mastic, and Aleppo pine. There is a notable development of pioneer sea grape on the coastal dunes. The Mediterranean foothill area is characterized by the cork oak and the Aleppo pine.

Turkish Folk Dances

Turkey has a rich tradition of folk dancing with dances performed at all social occasions, from weddings and celebrations held for young men leaving for military service, to national and religious festivals, or local festivities.

Each region has its own dances which reflect the cultural life of that region.

Some of the most famous dances are the Bar, originating from the province of Erzurum, the Halay in the East and Southeast, the Hora in Thrace, the Zeybek in the Aegean, the Horon in the Black Sea and the Kasik Oyunu in and around Konya.