Earthquakes in 1994, 1999, and 2001 slowed economic growth a bit. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was the first President of Turkey. In 2010, oil was found in the Turkish City of Diyarbakir, but there was not enough oil to extract. East of the Yeşil the system is higher, narrower, and steeper. [10] The earthquake was a 6.8 on the Richter Scale. Their aim is for the Kurds in the southeast of Turkey to have autonomy, with a government of their own. Each province is divided into districts. Turkey, meet Thanksgiving. Turkey has no petroleum or natural gas so it buys them from other countries, like Russia. About 15% are ethnic Kurds. These rivers break through the mountain barrier in a zone of weakness where summits are below 2,000 feet (600 metres), dividing the Pontic Mountains into western and eastern sections. They often come back to Turkey for summer holidays. Emeritus Professor of the Modern History of Western Asia, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Many civilizations were located in the area that is now Turkey, like the Hittites, the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. Author of. Religious secondary schools were gotten rid of, for example. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The history of Turkey, understood as the history of the region now forming the territory of the Republic of Turkey, includes the history of both Anatolia (the Asian part of Turkey) and Eastern Thrace (the European part of Turkey). In the southeast the Uludoruk Peak reaches 15,563 feet (4,744 metres); though further west, the Demirkazık Peak (12,320 feet [3,755 metres]) and Mount Aydos (11,414 feet [3,479 metres]) are also significant peaks. Dissenters are facing persecution, with 16,000 HDP members arrested or detained. Turkey is one of the countries in the world that is famous for its carpets, and Ethnicon and Dhoku are two stores (under the same management) where you can find some of the best examples. Eastern and Southeastern Turkey is made up of mostly Kurds. Travel to Turkey from the UK via a third country is permitted. Turkey with gravy became even more well-known when Charles Dickens wrote about it in A Christmas Carol in 1843. Turkey a special feature in America Thanksgiving comes with amazing health benefits that includes strengthening immune system, boosting metabolism, maintaining psychological health, supporting weight loss, promoting cardiovascular health, a good source of protein, supporting teeth and bones health, maintaining cholesterol levels, managing diabetes, treating anemia and supporting healthy skin. Turkey's beaches are world famous, offering a reliable summer mix of sun, sand and azure waters.Topping the list are Mediterranean and Aegean beauties such as Kaputaş, a tiny cove with dazzling shallows near Kalkan, and Patara, Turkey's longest beach. The Kingdom was ruled by Muslim law, but other religions had certain minority rights. This quiz is based on Britannica’s list of the world’s populations, so review that before you start. Later political disputes led to Coup d'état in 1960, 1971, and 1980, and several failed attempts. Of a total boundary length of some 4,000 miles (6,440 km), about three-fourths is maritime, including coastlines along the Black Sea, the Aegean, and the Mediterranean, as well as the narrows that link the Black and Aegean seas. Turkey is a republic. The Turks of Anatolia (Asian part of Turkey) have only 13% of genes from populations from Central Asia. It has hundreds of kilometers of beautiful beaches on its Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, and many important historical places. The second largest minority are Arabs. Visit top-rated & must-see attractions. Updates? Less than 50 miles from the coast, peaks rise to more than 10,000 feet (3,000 metres), with a maximum elevation of 12,917 feet (3,937 metres) in the Kaçkar range. Turkey is home to vivid landscapes. The country has a north-south extent that ranges from about 300 to 400 miles (480 to 640 km), and it stretches about 1,000 miles from west to east. The first coins were made in Turkey. The remainder—Turkish Thrace (Trakya)—lies in the extreme southeastern part of Europe, a tiny remnant of an empire that once extended over much of the Balkans. Mountain crests exceed 7,500 feet (2,300 metres) in many places, particularly in the east, where Turkey’s highest mountain, Mount Ararat (Ağrı), reaches 16,945 feet (5,165 metres) close to the borders with Armenia and Iran. One such is found in the Goreme National Park.This place can be best explored by walking. The cultural and economic center is in the European side of Istanbul. These narrows—which include the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles—are known collectively as the Turkish straits; Turkey’s control of the straits, the only outlet from the Black Sea, has been a major factor in its relations with other states. The system as a whole is referred to as the Pontic Mountains (Doğukaradeniz Dağları). (as) poor as a Job's turkey Very poor; having little or no money. Northerners, by the Black Sea have softer accents. In Turkey there are also minorities who speak languages such as Arabic, Kurdish, Armenian, Greek or Ladino, and many others. Turkey is divided into 81 provinces. Rich cities in Turkey include Istanbul, İzmir, Konya, Ankara, Mersin (also known as İçel), and Antalya. turkey definition: 1. a large bird grown for its meat on farms: 2. the flesh of this bird used as food: 3. something…. There crest lines are often above 8,000 feet (2,400 metres), and several peaks exceed 11,000 feet (3,400 metres). From 1950 BCE, Greeks and Assyrians inhabited parts of southeastern Turkey. Turkey: the rise and fall of the Kurdish party that threatened Erdoğan. There were 6065 high schools in Turkey in 2002 according to Ministry of National Education. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Turkey is bounded on the north by the Black Sea, on the northeast by Georgia and Armenia, on the east by Azerbaijan and Iran, on the southeast by Iraq and Syria, on the southwest and west by the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea, and on the northwest by Greece and Bulgaria. Before, foreigners were usually not allowed to buy companies, land or property. Image Source. Time-lapse video of the northern Black Sea coast of Turkey. The Assyrians ruled over southeastern Turkey until the Assyrian Empire was conquered by Babylonia in the year 612 BC. Four main regions can be identified: the northern folded zone, the southern folded zone, the central massif, and the Arabian platform. In the front compartment of the turkey should be a paper-wrapped package. In the west the system has been fractured by the faulting that produced the Turkish straits; in Thrace the Ergene lowlands are among the largest in the country, and the main mountain range—the Yıldız (Istranca)—reaches only 3,379 feet (1,030 metres). The capital city is Ankara, a city in the central region, called Anatolia. Over most of its length, the Mediterranean coastal plain is narrow, but there are two major lowland embayments. After that it was easier for Turkish factories to sell products to the EU and for business people in the EU to buy companies in Turkey. Visit top-rated & must-see attractions. Turkey is split into 7 different regions- Marmara, Blacksea Coast, Eas… We have reviews of the best places to see in Turkey. West of Antalya a complex series of ridges with a north-south trend reaches 6,500 to 8,200 feet (2,000 to 2,500 metres), but the most prominent feature is the massive Taurus (Toros) mountain system, running parallel to the Mediterranean coast and extending along the southern border. Turkey is in the OECD and the G-20 and is one of the 20 largest economies. Lowlands also occur to the south of the Sea of Marmara and along the lower Sakarya River east of the Bosporus. According to a study, Anatolia is genetically more closely related to the Balkan populations than to the Central Asian populations. The area of Turkey is about 780,000 square kilometres (300,000 sq mi). Among the youngest universities in Turkey is Antalya International University (AIU), which welcomed its first students in the 2012/13 academic year, and aims to recruit mo… Find what to do today or anytime in January. It was established in 1453. Facebook, for example is very popular here. The third largest city is the coastal city of Izmir which is the main port of the country. My father was as poor as a Job's turkey growing up, so his sole focus was to give his kids every opportunity in life that he missed out on. Turkey, by land mass, is positioned 95% in Asia and 5% in Europe. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. It is currently working out the financial side of the process. Nearly all of the country is in Asia, comprising the oblong peninsula of Asia Minor—also known as Anatolia (Anadolu)—and, in the east, part of a mountainous region sometimes known as the Armenian Highland. Turkey's exports in 2010 were worth 117 billion United States dollars. Ankara University was the first university that was started after Turkey became a republic. Structurally, the country lies within the geologically young folded-mountain zone of Eurasia, which in Turkey trends predominantly east to west. They generally have less modern and more Islamic lifestyles. Turkey is a popular place for tourists to visit. During the war, 500,000 Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were massacred in the so-called Armenian Genocide. Things to Do in Turkey, Europe: See Tripadvisor's 4,990,363 traveler reviews and photos of Turkey tourist attractions. Identify the one with the larger population. Turkish culture is a modern Islamic culture, with some European influence. During the 14th century, after the fall of the Mongol Empire, Lord Osman built a new empire named after himself: the Ottoman Empire. Other ethnic languages have very few speakers including Turkish dialects, Balkan, Laz, … Turkey's climate, like its location, is varied and complicated to say the least. About one-fourth of the surface has an elevation above 4,000 feet (1,200 metres), and less than two-fifths lies below 1,500 feet (460 metres). In World War I the Ottoman Empire was one of the Central Powers. Turkey's best-preserved Ottoman town is a fabulously photogenic place of skinny winding alleys crammed with finely restored wooden mansions which were once the home of wealthy merchants and now have been transformed into boutique hotels and restaurants. Situated on the western edge of Turkey, Izmir is famous for its figs, olives, and grapes. See more. With a population of over 4 million, Izmir is the third largest city in Turkey. Turkey's literacy rate is currently 95%. Turkey's international trade is mostly with the EU, the United States, the Russian Federation, and Japan. The Turkish currency is called the Lira. Inside that package is the gizzard, the heart, and the liver. Central Turkey is somewhat more traditional. Turkey definition is - a large North American gallinaceous bird (Meleagris gallopavo) that is domesticated in most parts of the world. The southern folded zone occupies the southern third of the country, from the Aegean to the Gulf of Iskenderun, from which it extends to the northeast and east around the northern side of the Arabian platform. Prices in Turkey This country had 31299 entries in the past 12 months by 2082 different contributors. Kurdish is also spoken in areas of the East of TurkeyPolitics : Secular democracyGeography : Turkey covers 72,454 sq kilometres and comprises of 81 provinces that are further divided into separate districts.The time difference is +GMT2 (GMT +3 during winter) Turkish manufactures include airplanes, electronics, cars, clothing and textiles for home and for other countries. Turkey has a rich history and is a country that must make it on to your list of places to visit. Turkey borders the Black Sea and Georgia and Armenia to the northeast, Iran to the east, Iraq to the southeast, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Mediterranean to the south, the Aegean Sea to the west and Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest. The cultural and economic center is in the European side of Istanbul. The Turkish language came from central Asia, but now it is a bit different from the languages spoken in central Asia. About 80 million people live in Turkey. The first major empire in the area was the Hittites (from the 18th century to the 13th century BC). There are 973 districts altogether. Turkey is situated at the crossroads of the Balkans, Caucasus, Middle East, and eastern Mediterranean. The republic was … Kurds live mostly in South Eastern and Eastern Turkey. Turkish people have many ethnic and famous foods, such as mantı (Turkish ravioli), döner, kebabs, Turkish delight, baklava, börek, köfte, and other foods. The vast majority of Turks are Muslim and Male Circumcision is a big Festival. Turkey A country of southwest Asia and southeast Europe … Omissions? Before that, Turkey was the core of the Ottoman Empire. Appart from the souvenirs, the lamps, carpets and the products made for tourists, there are many other products made in Turkey. You probably didn´t know it, but Turkey is a country that exports many goods and materials to other countries, as they have many resources. On 15 July 2016, a coup d'état was attempted. High ridges trending east-west rise abruptly from the Black Sea coast, and the coastal plain is thus narrow, opening out only in the deltas of the Kızıl and Yeşil rivers. Most of them are ethnic Turks. Most of these institutions are relatively young; as recently as 1970, there were only eight state institutions, and the first private university (Bilkent University), was not established until 1984. And if you brine your turkey before you roast it, it will be so juicy, you won’t need some weird sauce. Another Turkish electronics brand, Profilo Telra, was Europe's third-largest TV producer in 2005. Quiz. People have been living in Anatolia (the Asian part of Turkey - also called Asia Minor) longer than almost anywhere else in the world, except Africa. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, Mustafa Kemal and the Turkish War of Independence, 1919–23, The Fundamental Law and abolition of the sultanate, World War II and the postwar era, 1938–50, Military intervention and coalition governments, AKP challenges Kemalist, military entrenchment, An emboldened Erdoğan and the AKP face resistance, AKP under pressure: failed coup attempt, crackdown on dissidents, and economic crisis, Early Cold War era: Western-oriented policy and membership in NATO and CTO, 1974 Cyprus crisis, cooling of relations with the West, and the thawing of relations with the Soviet Union, Neoliberalism, attempt to join the European Union, and the “zero problems” doctrine, Regional activism, the Arab Spring, and the Syrian Civil War, Central Intelligence Agency - The World Factbook - Turkey, Turkey - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Turkey - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). The provinces are in 7 regions. Turks living by the Mediterranean have southern, much thicker, and more masculine accents than western Turkey. Many of the young adults can also speak English, which is taught throughout Primary, Middle and High school. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. In the past Istanbul was called Constantinople. The modern Turkish republic, founded in 1923 after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, is a nationalist, secular, parliamentary democracy. Turkmen tribes invaded Anatolia in the 11th century ce, founding the Seljuq empire; during the 14th century the Ottoman Empire began a long expansion, reaching its peak during the 17th century. Turkey's Vestel is the largest TV producer in Europe, accounting for a quarter of all TV sets manufactured and sold on the continent in 2006. 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