What Is the Capital of Türkiye? Ankara

Q: Is Ankara the largest city in Türkiye?

No. The largest urban area is Istanbul (15.8 million), while Ankara has about 5.4 million.

Q: What time zone is Ankara in?

Ankara is on UTC+3 — UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). There is no daylight saving time.

Q: Which capital is closest to Ankara?

Among the capitals of neighbouring countries, Damascus (Syria) is the closest, 778 km away in a straight line.

Ankara at a glance

Name origin

The name probably derives from the Indo-European root word ang, meaning "bend" and relating to the settlement's original location in a winding gorge; the city was referred to as Angora by the 13th century; the name was officially modified to Ankara in 1923 when the Republic of Turkey was founded.

Time zone

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). No daylight saving time.

Coordinates

39 56 N, 32 52 E · IANA time zone Europe/Istanbul

Location of Türkiye

Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria

Largest cities in Türkiye

1

Istanbul

15.8 million

2

Ankara Capital

5.4 million

3

Izmir

3.1 million

4

Bursa

2.1 million

5

Adana

1.8 million

6

Gaziantep

1.8 million

Urban-area population · CIA World Factbook (public domain)

Capitals of neighbouring countries

Capitals closest to Ankara

Straight-line distance between capitals.

Frequently asked questions about Ankara

What is the capital of Türkiye?

The capital of Türkiye is Ankara. About 5.4 million people live in the Ankara urban area — 6.3% of the country's population.

Is Ankara the largest city in Türkiye?

No. The largest urban area is Istanbul (15.8 million), while Ankara has about 5.4 million.

What time zone is Ankara in?

Ankara is on UTC+3 — UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). There is no daylight saving time.

Where does the name Ankara come from?

The name probably derives from the Indo-European root word ang, meaning "bend" and relating to the settlement's original location in a winding gorge; the city was referred to as Angora by the 13th century; the name was officially modified to Ankara in 1923 when the Republic of Turkey was founded.

Which capital is closest to Ankara?

Among the capitals of neighbouring countries, Damascus (Syria) is the closest, 778 km away in a straight line.

Data: CIA World Factbook (public domain); population: World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0).

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