FACTBOX - Facts about Turkey

(Reuters) - Turkey's ruling AK Party celebrated a decisive victory in Sunday's parliamentary election, but strong nationalist gains dented its majority and could hamper reforms crucial to its European Union bid.

Here are some key facts about Turkey:

GEOGRAPHY - Area 769,630 sq km (297,200 sq miles). Turkey is bordered by Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest and Iran, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan to the east and Iraq and Syria to the southeast.

CAPITAL - Ankara.

LANGUAGE - Turkish is the official language. Ethnic minorities speak some 30 languages, including Kurdish.

POPULATION - 74.2 million.

ETHNIC GROUPS - Most identify themselves as Turks. There is a large Kurdish minority (up to 20 percent) and much smaller groups of Arabs, Jews, Greeks, Georgians and Armenians.

RELIGION - Ninety-nine percent are Muslims, four fifths of those Sunni and one fifth non-orthodox Alevi. Turkey is also home to a small Christian minority, including about 35,000 Catholics, and to a small Jewish population.

ECONOMY - After a 2001 financial crisis, the Turkish economy has made strong gains, backed by IMF loans and a tighter fiscal policy. Its latest $10 billion loan deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expires in May 2008.