Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. 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 center of Turkey's highway and railway networks, and serves as the marketing center for the surrounding agricultural area. The city was famous for its long-haired Angora goat and its prized wool (mohair), white rabbits and their prized wool (Angora wool), pears, honey, and the region's muscat grapes. It has a harsh, dry continental climate with cold, snowy winters and hot, dry summers. Rainfall occurs mostly during the spring and autumn.
Ankara is situated upon a steep and rocky hill, which rises above the plain on the left bank of the Enguri Su, a tributary of the Sakarya (Sangarius) river. Ankara is surrounded by a barren steppe, dotted with various Hittite, Phrygian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman archaeological sites. The hill which overlooks the city is crowned by the ruins of a picturesque old castle, but only a few historic structures surrounding the old citadel have survived. There are, however, many finely preserved remains of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine architecture, the most remarkable being the Temple of Augustus and Rome (20 BC).