An informative cultural presentation on the country of Turkey.

1.  Kimberly Carbajo
 Intercultural Communication CST 229
 Professor Stefnoski
ACulturalJourney to
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2.  Estimated population since 2012- 74.5 million
 Area - 300,948 sq. miles
 Capitol – Ankara, Population: 3,517,182
 Largest city - Istanbul, Population: 11,174,257
 Average age of population - 28.5
 Average Life expectancy: Men 72, women 77
 United Nations member since 1945
•Turkey or Türkei, is a
Eurasian country situated
near the Balkan peninsula
and stretches into West
Asia.
• It is known for being the
gateway between eastern
and western civilization
Turkey Is bordered by 8 countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq and Syria)

3. •Symbol of independence
from the Ottoman empire.
•The red background is
associated with the struggle
and blood of the Turkish
people
•The star and moon stand
for sacrifice and
independence• Adopted March 12 1921
• Commemorates the National War of Independence
İstiklâl Marşı ( Independence March)

4. • Avoid conflict
• Easygoing
• Strong sense of loyalty and honor
• High respect for rank and authority
• Strong sense of nationalism
• Value hard work, very driven culture
• patriarchal culture with many of it’s values and attitudes
influenced by dominant Muslim and Islamic beliefs.
• Decisions are usually made by the eldest in the family
• Strong collectivist culture in business
• Religion is very important and intersects with almost all
aspects of life.

5. • Unlike inWestern cultures physical touching is more commonly
male/male and female/female in public.
• Individuals of the same gender tend to sit closer together than
with members of the opposite sex.
• A common gesture for shopkeepers when they receive their first
transaction of the day is to scrape the edge of the money on their
chin, a gesture which means "May God bless and multiply this.”
• A handshake that is too firm can be considered impolite or being
“fresh” with the opposite sex.
• A polite refusal can be indicated by putting ones palm to the chest
• If one does not like someone or something it can be easily
indicated by shaking one’s collar
• Indirect communication
style
• Do not always say what they
mean
• Very expressive, use lot’s of
hand motion and gestures to
convey message

6. • Family is the most
important social unit in
Turkish Culture
• Honor and loyalty are very
important
• Children are expected to
be obedient
• Premarital dating prohibited by Islamic law in both rural and urban areas of the
country
• Men usually expected to marry after required service in military
• Average age of marriage men 22, women 20
• Increase in education has led to a higher age in marriage
• Family takes on task of finding a suitable wife for the man
• Both individuals have a say in the final decision
• In some rural areas there is still the custom of paying a dowry to the brides
• While the Muslim faith condones polygamy the practice was outlawed by
Turkish parliament in 1926
• Problems with honor killings on the rise
• Estimated 1091 honor killings/ related acts of violence took place inTurkey
between 2000-2005

7. •Overwhelming 99% of the population identifies as Muslim
•secular republic - do not promote a single religion
•The Turkish constitution provides freedom of religion and
conscience
•The strong prevalence of Islamic Law does however find it’s
way into many aspects of life and government policy
•The majority of the Turkish population identifies as Sunni
Muslim, the remainder of the population is comprised of
Christian (Greek orthodox) and Jews (Sephardi)
•The capitol of Anatolia was once the main site for Christianity
in Turkey
Inside view of St.
Paul's church an
Orthodox Greek
church in Mersin
Province,Turkey.

8. • Ranks 110th worldwide
• Adult literacy rate 88 %
• Education in 2 parts
• Formal education
• Mass education
• Formal education – includes preschool, elementary and
secondary education
• Mass Education – includes national education centers,
apprentice training centers, open universities, and county
colleges.
• Mandatory education for allTurkish children ages 6-14

9. • Major differences between rural and urban
regions
• Most wealth is concentrated in the country‘s
major cities of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir
• Rural areas are mostly home to farmers who
work the land and survive from a combination
of exports and tourism
• Big cities are more metropolitan and have
adopted slightly more western behaviors due
to a higher concentration of young people and
Universities

10. •Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – 786 Billion
•18th largest economy in the world
•Average annual income – 26,577
•Turkey’s Main exports include:Clothing, textiles, fruit
and vegetables, iron, steel, cars, fuels and oils
•NewTurkish Lira
•Replaced Original
Turkish Lira in 2005
• 1 U.S dollar = 2.10
Turkish Lira
Monetary Unit
• Average annual growth rate
5%
• Ranked 30th out of 43
countries in the European
region
• Unemployment – 9.2 %
• Average household
disposable income is less than
23,938 USD$
• Average worker work’s
• 1,855 hours a year
• Overworked population

11. • 98 Airports
• Average of 67 motor
vehicles per 100 people
• Transportation is best
within urban areas
• Some rural areas still lack
paved roads
• Hastanesi (Hospital)
• Health standards improving
• Most doctors inTurkey speech English
• Visitors encouraged to buy travelers
insurance
• Prescription drugs in the US are usually
found over the counter
• Private hospitals in the cities
• Conditions worse in rural areas
• Struggle with maintaining clean water
supply and abdicate sewage disposal in
rural areas

12. Safety Precautions
• The Kurdistan People's Congress or
KurdistanWorkers' Party is an active terrorist
organization that mainly targets theTurkish
government
• Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party –
Attack US embassy in Ankara on Feb 1st using
a suicide bomber, one person was killed
• Turkiye Halk Kurtulus Partisi (Turkish
people’s liberation party - Terrorist attack
May 11th 2013 involving 2 car bombs which
killed 50 people and wounded another 100
• Religious violence against missionaries
promoting non-Islamic religions
• US travelers are urged to be extremely
vigilant
• Women should dress
conservatively
• Women should also not go
out alone at night without
being accompanied by a
male they know/ trust
• Avoid certain political
topics such as corruption
and the Armenian
genocide whichTurkish
individuals have strong
feelings on.
• Couples shod avoid excess
touching in rural areas of
the country
TerrorismThreats

13. Turkey is divided into seven
geographical regions:
•Black Sea region,
•The Marmara region
•The Aegean region
•The Mediterranean region
•Central Anatolia
•and the East and Southeast
Anatolia regions
• Turkey’s location gives it
direct control to the
entrance of the Black Sea
• Turkey's largest rivers,
the Kýzýlýrmak,
Yeþilýrmak and Sakarya,
both flow into the Black
Sea making it the ideal
route for trade.
Turkey is a country that is steeped with history
The Anatolian peninsula is one of the oldest
inhabited regions worldwide
For thousands of yearsTurkey has been home
to various empires including the Sumerians,
Hittites, Byzantines and Ottomans.
•The coastal regions enjoy mild
climates year-round
•Turkey’s inland region experiences hot
summers and cold winters with limited
amounts of rainfall.

14. Turkish language:
•Over 63 million native
speakers
•Altaic language family
•Predominantly spoken in
Turkey, but large speaking
populations can be found in
Germany, Bulgaria, Macedonia,
Greece, and some parts of
Eastern Europe, and Central
Asia.
Listen toTurkish commercial
Major Languages:
•Turkish
•English
•Kurdish
Turkish is the official language but a large
majority of people speak English in major cities
like Istanbul and Anatolia

15. • May 19 Atatürk'ü Anma Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı (Commemoration
of Atatürk,Youth and Sports Day) – Commemorates the beginning
of the national liberation movement in 1919
• August 30 Zafer Bayramı (Victory day) – Celebrates the victory of
final battle of Dumlupınar which brought an end to theTurkish
IndependenceWar in 1922
• October 29 Cumhuriyet Bayramı (Republic Day) - Celebrates the
establishment of the newTurkish republic in 1923.
Religious Holidays
• Şeker Bayramı (Ramadan Feast) – Muslim religious holiday that
lasts for three days after a month of fasting
• Kurban Bayramı (Sacrafice Feast) – Muslim religious holiday for 4
days during the Haji period of the year (pilgrimage to mecca)
• Neither Christmas,
Thanksgiving or
Halloween are celebrated
inTurkey
• Instead ofValentines day,
Turkey has Lovers day a
mostly commercial
holiday celebrated in big
cities.

16. Mustafa Kemal
Atatürk
• Born in former
Ottoman Empire
• Involved withYoung
Turks
• LedTurkish war of
independence
• Elected first
president
• Democratic
• Grand National Assembly
elected by popular vote
• Parliamentary system
• Nation is governed by
elected council and Prime
Minister
• Entered European Union
membership negotiations in
2005
Symbol for the
Grand national
Assembly ofTurkey
• Government censoring of Social
media sites

17. TROY
•The ancient city ofTroy is
located in Çanakkale province
in modern dayTurkey
•The ancient city was founded
over 5000 years ago, and is on
UNESCO’s world heritage list
Pamukkale
•Unesco world heritage site
•Famous hot springs
•Unique milky white water made from
limestone and calcium stone deposits.
Hagia Sophia
• Means “Holy wisdom” in Latin
•Former Greek orthodox church
•1453 Constantinople captured
by the ottomanTurks
•Converted into a mosque under
Sultan Mehmed the II
•Is a religious and cultural
museum today which houses
both relics from it’s Christian and
Islamic past.

18. •Turkish Cuisine is largely based of the
heritage left over from the Ottoman
Empire
• A fusion of Asian, Middle Eastern and
Balkan palates
•The food varies slightly in every region
•The Black sea region has a main diet of
corn and anchovies
•The southeast region is famous for it’s
kebabs (skewered grilled meat)
•The diet in the Mediterranean region is
rich in herbs, vegetables and fish
•Central Turkey’s cuisine is heavily
influenced by the use of grains and pasta.
Video slideshow of common
Turkish meals in Istanbul
• Western style of dining
with utensils
• Do not sit until invited
• Host sits at the head of the
table
• Guest of honor sits at his
right
• Customary to say "Afiyet
olsun" (May what you eat
bring well-being) before
meals
• And "Elinize saglik“ (Bless
your hand) as a
compliment to the host
after a meal

19. •Form of active meditation
•Origins in the 12th century
•Customary dance preformed in the
Sema worship ceremony
•Characterized by elaborate spinning in
repetitive circles
•Aim is to focus on God and let go of all
egos and personal desires.
Sufi Dancing
(Whirling Dervishes)
Turkish Folk Music
• Stylistic influences date back to
the Ottoman Empire
• Use ofTurkish Saz or Bağlama, a
seven stringed instrument that
resembles a guitar
• Use of Kaval, a wind type
instrument traditionally used by
shepherds that resembles a flute
Turkish Mosaic lamps
• 16th century “Golden Age”
ofTurkish glass making
• Crafted using mosaic glass
working techniques from
the byzantine era
• Traditionally made by hand
• Exported from Istanbul
today

20. • Program lasted
between 1961-1973
• 2.5 million applied
• Only 750,000
actually accepted
• Today over 2.5
million people with
Turkish background
live inTurkey
•Guest workers or “Gastarbeiter”
•Invited from Turkey to enter the German workforce
after shortage of labor crisis during the end of WW2
•Brought in from central and eastern Turkey by train to
West Germany
•Worked as unskilled laborers and in manufacturing
positions
•Helped rebuild the German economy after the war

21. St. Nicholas RecepTayyip Erdogan
Mesut Özil
• Born in Patara,
present-dayTurkey
• Famous Christian
Bishop who helped the
needy
• Believed to be the
man behind modern
day Santa Claus
• Became Prime
Minister ofTurkey
in 2003
• Formerly the
mayor of Istanbul
• Popular for vision
ofTurkey-Arab
interdependence
• Famous
Soccer player
• Turkish
ancestry
• Plays for the
German
national
football team
• Holds both German &
Turkish Dual
citizenship

22. Sources:
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<http://studyinturkey.org.tr/index.php/en/about-turkey/42-education-system-in-turkey>.
"Geography: Republic of Turkey ." Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 2 July 2014. <http://www.infoplease.com/country/turkey.html>.
"Mustafa Kemal Ataturk." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 06 July 2014.
"Statistics."Go Turkey Official Tourism Portal of Turkey. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 July 2014. <http://www.goturkey.com/en/pages/read/statistics>.
"Statistics: Turkey." Turkey. UNICEF, 31 Dec. 2013. Web. 06 July 2014. <http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/Turkey_statistics.html>.
"Turkey country profile." BBC News. N.p., 18 Mar. 2014. Web. 26 June 2014. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17988453>.
"Turkey Facts."National Geographic, n.d. Web. 27 June 2014. <http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/turkey-facts/>.
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Christie-Miller, Alexander. "Turkey Grapples with Spike in 'honor' Killings." The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Apr. 2011.
Web. 06 July 2014. <http://www.csmonitor.com/World/2011/0414/Turkey-grapples-with-spike-in-honor-killings>.

23. Jarus, Owen. "Hagia Sophia: Facts, History & Architecture." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 1 Mar. 2013. Web. 2 July 2014.
<http://www.livescience.com/27574-hagia-sophia.html>.
MCPHERSON, CHARLOTTE. "Tips on Communication Styles in Turkish." Today's Zaman, n.d. Web. 05 July 2014.
<http://www.todayszaman.com/columnists/charlotte-mcpherson_303295-tips-on-communication-styles-in-turkish.html>.
Prevezanos, Klaudia. "Turkish Guest Workers Transformed German Society | Germany | DW.DE | 30.10.2011." DW.DE. Deutsche Welle, 30 Oct. 2011. Web.
06 July 2014. <http://www.dw.de/turkish-guest-workers-transformed-german-society/a-15489210>.
Sayin, Natalie. "Dating Customs and Traditions in Turkey – Love and Weddings." Turkey Travel Centre. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 July 2014.
<http://www.turkeytravelcentre.com/blog/dating-customs-traditions-turkey-love-weddings/>.
Scott, Alev. "Turkey's YouTube and Twitter bans show a government in serious trouble." theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 28 Mar. 2014. Web.
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