B. Turkey joined NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) in 1952 as a defense against the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies. Joining NATO also gave Turkey a close relationship with the United States. SEATO is a pact covering Southeast Asia, and the Axis was a World War II alliance of Germany, Japan and Italy.

Q: Hundreds of other suspects, including military members, politicians and journalists face prosecution on charges they were part of a secular plot against Turkey's current government, which is lead by an Islamist-based party. What is the capital of Turkey?

A. Ankara

B. Istanbul

C. Constantinople

D. Dardanelles

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A. Ankara is Turkey's capital and second-largest city. Istanbul is the largest city and was once called Constantinople, which served as the capital of the Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire. The Dardanelles is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey that connects the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara.

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Q: A second strait, the Bosphorus, connects the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea. The Dardanelles and Bosphorus separate the European part of Turkey from the rest of the country in . . .

A. Anatolia

B. Balkans

C. Thrace

D. Turkmenistan

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A. The Anatolian peninsula, comprising most of modern Turkey, is one of the oldest permanently settled regions in the world. Anatolia is part of Asia while the European part of the country is called Thrace and lies on the Balkan peninsula. Turkmenistan is another Turkic nation, which is located in Central Asia.

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Q: In recent years, Turkey has introduced substantial human rights and economic reforms in a bid to . . .

A. Get a U.S. trade agreement

B. Join the World Trade Organization

C. End United Nations sanctions

D. Join the European Union

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D. Turkey became a European Union candidate country in 1999, and EU membership talks were launched in October 2005. Accession negotiations are expected to take about 10 years.

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