| Revision as of 20:58, 9 July 2005 view sourceWiglaf (talk | contribs)20,911 editsm Reverted edits by Aozan to last version by Wiglaf← Previous edit | Revision as of 21:16, 9 July 2005 view source Aozan (talk | contribs)397 edits →History (pre Republic)Next edit → | ||
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| Their Turkish successors, the ] (named after its first leader Osman Gazi), began as a small tribe of nomadic Turks who would come to dominate the region for 600 years. Its first capital was located in ] in 1326 and by 1453 under Sultan ] the Ottomans would conquer the last stronghold of the Byzantine Empire, ] (see ]). The empire reached its peak under Sultan ] the 'Magnificent' between 1520-1555, the empire stretched from the gates of Vienna to the Persian Gulf, from the Crimea to Morroco. Following the death of Suleyman, the empire began a slow course of gradual decline. | Their Turkish successors, the ] (named after its first leader Osman Gazi), began as a small tribe of nomadic Turks who would come to dominate the region for 600 years. Its first capital was located in ] in 1326 and by 1453 under Sultan ] the Ottomans would conquer the last stronghold of the Byzantine Empire, ] (see ]). The empire reached its peak under Sultan ] the 'Magnificent' between 1520-1555, the empire stretched from the gates of Vienna to the Persian Gulf, from the Crimea to Morroco. Following the death of Suleyman, the empire began a slow course of gradual decline. | ||
| Throughout the 19th and early 20th century the Ottoman empire began to lose a foothold on its territories, first with Algeria and Tunisia, then ], Egypt, Libya and the Balkans in the 1912 Balkans war. Faced with territorial losses on all sides Turkey forged an alliance with ] who supported it with troops and equipment. In ] Turkey entered the war on the side of the ] (Germany, ] and later ]) and was subsequently defeated. Between ] and ] large parts of the ] population were deported from the area constituting today's Turkey. Whether the casualties were the result of genocide or the turmoils of ] is debated today |
Throughout the 19th and early 20th century the Ottoman empire began to lose a foothold on its territories, first with Algeria and Tunisia, then ], Egypt, Libya and the Balkans in the 1912 Balkans war. Faced with territorial losses on all sides Turkey forged an alliance with ] who supported it with troops and equipment. In ] Turkey entered the war on the side of the ] (Germany, ] and later ]) and was subsequently defeated. Between ] and ] large parts of the ] population were deported from the area constituting today's Turkey. Whether the casualties were the result of genocide or the turmoils of ] is debated today. | ||
| On October 30th 1918, the Mondros Armistice was signed followed by the ] on August 10th 1920. These sought to break up the Ottoman empire and force large concessions on Turkey in favour of its rival ] who had fought against the Germans. Greece, ] and ] were awarded parts of the coast of Minor Asia. The city of ], with its large Greek population, was awarded to Greece. The Greek army took it over on May 15 1919 and triggered the War of Independence. A nationalist movement led by ], rejected the Sèvres and organised an army which repelled Greece from Asia Minor. By September 18th 1922 the country was liberated resulting in the ] of 1923, recognising the new borders of Turkey. | On October 30th 1918, the Mondros Armistice was signed followed by the ] on August 10th 1920. These sought to break up the Ottoman empire and force large concessions on Turkey in favour of its rival ] who had fought against the Germans. Greece, ] and ] were awarded parts of the coast of Minor Asia. The city of ], with its large Greek population, was awarded to Greece. The Greek army took it over on May 15 1919 and triggered the War of Independence. A nationalist movement led by ], rejected the Sèvres and organised an army which repelled Greece from Asia Minor. By September 18th 1922 the country was liberated resulting in the ] of 1923, recognising the new borders of Turkey. | ||
Revision as of 21:16, 9 July 2005
For other uses, see Turkey (disambiguation).The Republic of Turkey or Turkey, is a bicontinental country that is located mainly in the Middle East and partly in Southeast Europe. The Anatolian peninsula comprises most of its territory, and is situated between the Black Sea on the north and the Mediterranean Sea to south and west, with the Aegean Sea (and Marmara Sea) in between. A small portion of the country's territory (3%) is situated in southeastern Europe, west of the Bosporus straits. Turkey is bordered by Bulgaria (in European Turkey) and Greece on the west, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran on the east, and Iraq and Syria on the south. Until 1922, the country was the center of the Ottoman Empire.
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| National motto (unofficial): Peace in the Homeland, Peace in the World (Turkish: Yurtta Sulh, Cihanda Sulh) | |||
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| Official language | Turkish | ||
| Capital | Ankara | ||
| Largest city | Istanbul | ||
| Founder | Mustafa Kemal Atatürk | ||
| President | Ahmet Necdet Sezer | ||
| Prime Minister | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | ||
| Area – Total – % water |
Ranked 36th 780,580 km² 1.3% | ||
| Population – Total (2003) – Density |
Ranked 17th 68,109,469 86.2/km² | ||
| National Day Declaration of Republic |
October 29 1923 | ||
| Currency | New Turkish Lira | ||
| Time zone | UTC +2 | ||
| National anthem | İstiklâl Marşı | ||
| Internet TLD | .tr | ||
| Calling Code | 90 | ||
| Since January 1 2005, the New Turkish Lira (Yeni Türk Lirası) replaced the old Turkish Lira. | |||
History (pre Republic)
Main article: History of TurkeyAnatolia (Asia Minor), the landmass that is now Turkey, had been a cradle to a wide variety of civilizations and kingdoms in antiquity. The Seljuk Turks were the first Turkish power to arrive in the 11th century as conquerors (earlier Turkish peoples such as the Pechenegs had become allies and subordinates of the Byzantine Empire), who proceeded to gradually conquer the existing Byzantine Empire with its Greek population and heritage.
Their Turkish successors, the Ottoman Empire (named after its first leader Osman Gazi), began as a small tribe of nomadic Turks who would come to dominate the region for 600 years. Its first capital was located in Bursa in 1326 and by 1453 under Sultan Mehmed II the Ottomans would conquer the last stronghold of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople (see fall of Constantinople). The empire reached its peak under Sultan Suleyman the 'Magnificent' between 1520-1555, the empire stretched from the gates of Vienna to the Persian Gulf, from the Crimea to Morroco. Following the death of Suleyman, the empire began a slow course of gradual decline.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th century the Ottoman empire began to lose a foothold on its territories, first with Algeria and Tunisia, then Greece, Egypt, Libya and the Balkans in the 1912 Balkans war. Faced with territorial losses on all sides Turkey forged an alliance with Germany who supported it with troops and equipment. In World War I Turkey entered the war on the side of the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary and later Bulgaria) and was subsequently defeated. Between 1915 and 1917 large parts of the Armenian population were deported from the area constituting today's Turkey. Whether the casualties were the result of genocide or the turmoils of World War I is debated today.
On October 30th 1918, the Mondros Armistice was signed followed by the Treaty of Sèvres on August 10th 1920. These sought to break up the Ottoman empire and force large concessions on Turkey in favour of its rival Greece who had fought against the Germans. Greece, France and Italy were awarded parts of the coast of Minor Asia. The city of Izmir (Smyrna), with its large Greek population, was awarded to Greece. The Greek army took it over on May 15 1919 and triggered the War of Independence. A nationalist movement led by Mustafa Kemal, rejected the Sèvres and organised an army which repelled Greece from Asia Minor. By September 18th 1922 the country was liberated resulting in the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, recognising the new borders of Turkey.
On October 29th 1923 The Republic of Turkey was proclaimed and Mustafa Kemal, later taking the last name Atatürk (meaning father of Turks), would be her first president.
History timeline (post Republic)
Since 1923, ...
- 1923 - 1938 After taking the presidency of the Republic of Turkey, Atatürk initiated a series of reforms with the aim of westernising Turkey, these included: a secular government and education, exile of the Sultan, introduction of the Latin alphabet and Gregorian calendar, equal rights for women, abolition of the caliphate and Sharia Law, introduction of western attire and adoption of surnames among many others.
- November 10, 1938 The founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk dies. He is succeeded by Ismet Inönü, a former general who leads Turkey until the first democratic elections in 1950.
- July 7, 1939 Province of Hatay joins Turkey.
- 1939 - 1945 Turkey stays neutral during World War II.
- Between 25 June 1950 and 27 July 1953, Turkey was a part of the joint UN operation against North Korea during the Korean war.
- Since the 1950's, Turkey hosted the USAF at the Incirlik Air Base as a deterrent against the Soviet Union.
- April 27-28, 1961 Jupiter missile crisis: Turkey hosted American Jupiter missiles (nuclear) for an undisclosed period until the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the U.S. agreed to remove her nuclear missiles from Turkey in exchange for the Soviet Union removing her missiles from Cuba.
- On May 27, 1960, the 1960 Coup d'Etat(1st "Darbe") took place due to the level of influence Islamists had gained in the nation. This clashed with the "separation of religion and state/goverment" which was one of the results of the clash between Inonu's republican party and his opponents, president Celal Bayar and prime minister Adnan Menderes, both former republican party members. Prime minister Adnan Menderes was held responsible and executed.
- On October 1965, military rule dissolved back into civilian, the political system was reestablished, and a new constitution was drafted that reaffirmed the "separation of religion and state/goverment".
- On March 12, 1971, military officials intervened, instead of taking over the goverment, forced an advisory committee due to the increasing anarchical situation caused by the Right (fascist/capitalist) - Left (communist) clash and ineffective policies in maintaining order. Although the military were not in charge they had significant influence.
- In 1974, Turkey invades Cyprus in response to an Athens-backed coup of the island (see Cyprus dispute). Turkey maintains a garisson in the de facto TRNC.
- On September 12, 1980, the 1980 Coup d'Etat (2nd "Darbe") took place, ending a long bloodshed of anarchical situation due to the Right (fascist/capitalist) - Left (communist) clash, and was welcomed by the general population, martial laws were almost immediately established and 25% of the military (about 475,000) were mobilised to settle the anarchical situation.
- On November 6, 1983, military rule dissolved and removed itself from the political scene after the reestablishment of a new "1982 Constitution".
- Between 1970 and 1983, there were many attacks by the Armenian organisation ASALA. Attacks start with assassinating Turkish diplomats and bombing consulates in the USA and Europe, airports in Paris and Ankara, the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, in an attempt to force the Turkish government to acknowledge that it committed "genocide against Armenians" in 1915. The organization ceases to exist after the Turkish secret service assassinates ASALA leaders.
- Between 1984 and 1999, Turkey suffered from terrorist attacks, primarily in form of PKK bombings. Capture of Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the organisation, resumed the conflict.
- Since the ending of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Incirlik Air Base enforced the Northern no-fly zone of Iraq.
- Between 24 March and 10 June 1999, Turkey was a part of the joint NATO operation, 1999 Kosovo War, in the Balkans to end a brutal civil war in the region that used to be Yugoslavia.
- Between June 2002 and February 2003, Turkey assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
- On December 17, 2004, the European Union (EU) agrees to begin negotiations on the eventual accession of Turkey.
- On February 14, 2005, Turkey assumed command of the ISAF in Afghanistan for a second time.
- Since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Turkey had been extremely concerned with the developments in Northern Iraq.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Turkey
Turkey has a very diverse culture due to its many ethnic minorities.
- Cinema of Turkey
- Cuisine of Turkey
- Islam in Turkey
- List of Turkish painters
- List of Turks
- Music of Turkey
- Turkish literature
- Yağlı Güreş
- Sports in Turkey
- Turkish newspapers
Politics and International Relations
Main article: Politics of Turkey
The Republic of Turkey was created in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a pragmatic leader who reformed Turkey into a modern, secular, and western-oriented republic. Over the years, fears of a shift from secularity and western orientation led to a left-wing military coup in 1961, and fears of a shift towards the Eastern Block have led to two more right-wing military coups in 1971 and 1980. Democratic rule has since returned. Turkey became a member of NATO in 1952, and is seeking membership of the European Union. December 17th 2004 marked the official opening of talks for the accession of Turkey to the European Union, and it remains one of the main issues in Turkish foreign diplomacy.
Following the rejection of the European Constitution by France and Netherlands, many EU countries have called into question as to whether Turkey should join. Many people cited Turkeys potential membership of the organisation as a reason for rejecting the constitution. While some countries such as the UK are ardent supporters of their membership, others such as France, Germany (with a large Turkish minority) and Netherlands are more sceptical. Though many Turks are in favour of joining the EU, many are uncomfortable with the conditions Brussels is attaching, without a guarantee of eventual membership.
International disputes such as Turkish involvement in Cyprus have hindered Turkeys accession. Turkey invaded the island in 1974 in response to an Athens backed coup of the island, Turkey states that it was invoking its role under the Treaty of Guarantee to ensure the independence of the island and protection of its Turkish Cypriot minority. The island has since been partitioned into the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the north (recognised only by Turkey) and the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus in the South. Turkey acknowledges the south only as the Greek Cypriot Administration, this has conflicted with calls from the EU to extend full diplomatic ties before joining the EU.
Another issue which has caused debate are the allegations relating to the genocide against Armenians in the Ottoman era. According to Armenian and Western sources, at least 600,000 people lost their lives between 1915 and 1917 as Armenians were deported from what is modern day Turkey. Armenia has campaigned for the deaths to be recognised as genocide, 16 countries have formally recognised this. Turkey maintains that the Armenian casualties were the result of inter-ethnic strife, disease and famine during the turmoil of World War I. They also state that hundreds of thousands of Turks and Muslims were killed in conflict with Russian backed Armenian militia.
See also:
Geography
Main article: Geography of Turkey
Turkey forms a bridge between Europe and Asia, with the division between the two running from the Black Sea to the north down along the Bosporus strait through the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles strait to the Aegean Sea and the larger Mediterranean Sea to the south.
The Anatolian peninsula (also known as Asia Minor) consists of a high central plateau with narrow coastal plains, in between the Pontus range to the north and the Taurus Mountains to the south. To the east is found a more mountainous landscape (main part of the Armenian Highland), home to the sources of rivers such as the Euphrates, Tigris and the Araks, as well as Lake Van and Mount Ararat, Turkey's highest point at 5,166 m.
The climate is a Mediterranean temperate climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, wet and cold winters, though conditions can be much harsher in the more arid interior. Turkey is also prone to very severe earthquakes. The Bosphorus and the Dardanelles owe their existence to the fault lines running through Turkey, leading to the creation of the Black Sea.
The capital city of Turkey is Ankara, but the largest city is İstanbul. Other important cities include İzmir, Bursa, Adana, Gaziantep, Erzurum, Kayseri, İzmit (Kocaeli), Konya, Mersin, Diyarbakır, Antalya, and Samsun. See the list of cities in Turkey.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Turkey
Turkey's economy is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that in 2001 still accounted for 40% of employment. It is estimated that 50% of the population lives under the international standards of poverty, especially in the war torn south-east areas.
Turkey has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. The most important industry - and largest export - is textiles and clothing, which is almost entirely in private hands.
In recent years the economic situation has been marked by erratic economic growth and serious imbalances. Real GNP growth has exceeded 6% in many years, but this strong expansion has been interrupted by sharp declines in output in 1994, 1999, and 2001.
Meanwhile the public sector fiscal deficit has regularly exceeded 10% of GDP - due in large part to the huge burden of interest payments, which in 2001 accounted for more than 50% of central government spending - while inflation has remained in the high double digit range.
Perhaps because of these problems, foreign direct investment in Turkey remains low - less than USD 1 billion annually. In late 2000 and early 2001 a growing trade deficit and serious weaknesses in the banking sector plunged the economy into crisis - forcing Ankara to float the lira and pushing the country into recession.
Results in 2002 were much better, because of strong financial support from the IMF and tighter fiscal policy. Continued slow global growth and serious political tensions in the Middle East cast a shadow over growth prospects in the future.
Turkey has recently adopted a new currency, slashing away many "zeros" from the old currency after years of double digit inflation. For example, a taxi ride would cost a few million liras. Overnight, many "millionaires" were gone.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Turkey
The majority of the Turkish population (around 78-92%) is of Turkish ethnicity, who speak the official language of the country, Turkish. Other minorities include Abkhaz, Albanians, Arabs, Armenians, Bosniaks, Chaldeans, Circassians, Greeks, Georgians, Hamshenis, Jews, Kurds, Laz, Levantines, Pomaks, Roma, Syriacs, and Zazas. The term "minority" itself remains a sensitive issue in Turkey, since the Turkish State only considers the communities mentioned in the text of Treaty of Lausanne (namely, Greek Orthodox, Armenian, and Jewish communities) as minorities (azınlık or ekalliyet). However the minorities in question do not have special rights as the race-blind system is based on equality. According to CIA factbook estimates Kurds comprise the second largest ethnic group at 8.76%. As Turkish censuses do not record ethnicity, the accuracy of this fact is disputed by the government. Several minorities have requested recognition throughout the history of the state, either through violence (see PKK) or through political means.
Due to a demand for an increased labour force in Western Europe between 1960 and 1980 many Turkish citizens emigrated to West Germany, the Netherlands, France and other Western European countries, forming a significant overseas population. Recently, many have also settled in Russia and other neighbouring countries.
Nominally, 99.8% of the population is Muslim. Most belong to the Sunni branch of Islam. About 15-20% of the population are Alevi Muslims. There is also a Twelver Shia minority, mainly of Azeri descent. Jewish, and Christian Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic (Gregorian), Roman Catholic and Protestant minorities are also present.
Although, unlike other majority Muslim countries, there is a strong tradition of separation of church and state in Turkey, in practice this means rather the subordination of religion to the state instead of what Westerners would consider separation. The Turkish constitution recognizes freedom of religion for individuals, but explicitly states that religious communities derive no rights at all from this. The mainstream Hanafi school of Sunni Islam is largely organized by the state, through Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı (Department of Religious Affairs). The Diyanet is the main religious framework, successor to the Ulama, Seyh-ul-Islam and Caliph of the Ottoman Empire. As a consequence, they control all mosques and Muslim clerics. Imams are trained in Imam vocational schools and at an academic level at universities. The department is heavily criticized for not supporting religious beliefs aside from Sunni Islam.
The major regional diversities depend on culture, economy (industry and cash crops in coastal regions), and precipitation (Black Sea littoral where summer drought is unknown).
Provinces
Main article: Provinces of Turkey
Turkey is subdivided into 81 provinces (iller, singular - il):
Miscellaneous topics
- Communications in Turkey
- Transportation in Turkey
- Military of Turkey
- Pan-Turkism
- Human rights in Turkey
- Holidays in Turkey
- List of Turkey-related topics
External links
Official:
- E-Turkiye - Official gateway to Turkish government (in Turkish)
- Çankaya - Official presidential site (in Turkish)
- Başbakanlık - Official prime ministerial site (in Turkish)
- TBMM - Official parliamentary site (in Turkish)
- Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Turkey official site (in English)
- All About Turkey - Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Turkish Embassy in Washington D.C.
- Constitution of Turkish Republic (in Turkish)
Unofficial (Tourism):
- Nomads of Ararat - Visiting Kurdish Nomads
- Pictures of Turkey - Annotated pictures of Turkey
- Turkey Tribune - High-resolution pictures of cities, nature, and people in Turkey
- Examples of Traditional Turkish and Ottoman Costumes on Dolls
- Pictures from almost all cities, many museums etc. with English texts The result of 12 years of travel all over Turkey, 4700+ pictures, over 90 galleries
- Turkey News
- Guide for property and tourism in Turkey
- Kuşadası(a tourism center)
- Pictures from a backpackers trip through Turkey
Unofficial (Other):
- The Kurdish Institut of Paris - About Kurdish news from Turkey, history and language analyses, human rights organisations.
- Learn Turkish Language - Turkish language lessons and pictures, videos and information about Turkey
- Historic Pictures Kağan Tuncay
- Turkey information - Information about Turkey and pictures
- Turkish Cookbook - Turkish recipes
- Tulumba.com - Largest Turkish Online Megastore in the US
- Law Search engine - Law Search engine (in Turkish)
- Health Law - Health law (in Turkish)
- Istanbul - Turkey
- BBC News Country Profile - Turkey
- CIA World Factbook - Turkey
- Library of Congress Country Studies - Turkey data as of January 1995
- LookSmart - Republic of Turkey directory category
- Open Directory Project - Turkey directory category
- Yahoo! - Turkey directory category
- Yahoo! News Full Coverage - Turkey news headline links
- Information about Turkey (in Turkish)
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