Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the countrys second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of 938 metres, and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million.
As with many ancient cities, Ankara has gone by several names over the ages. It has been identified with the Hittite cult center Ankuwaš, although this remains a matter of debate. In classical antiquity and during the medieval period, the city was known as Ankyra in Greek and Ancyra in Latin; the Galatian Celtic name was probably a similar variant. Following its annexation by the Seljuq Turks in 1073, the city became known in many European languages as Angora, a usage which continued until its official renaming to Ankara under the Turkish Postal Service Law of 1930. Another proposed theory show that the original name of the city might be taken over from the Angara River of Asia by the invading Seljuk Turks.
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. It is an important crossroads of trade, strategically located at the centre of Turkeys highway and railway networks, and serves as the marketing centre for the surrounding agricultural area. The city was famous for its long haired Angora goat and its prized wool , a unique breed of cat (Angora cat), white rabbits and their prized wool (Angora wool), pears, honey, and the regions muscat grapes.