Discover the culture and country of Turkey

1. Republic of
Turkey
KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY
KNOW YOUR WORLD
A PROGRAM OF GLOBAL TIES
AKRON

2. Turkey’s location is interesting because it is partially in Europe, partially in Asia.
The small area of land west of the Bosporus Strait is geographically Europe, while
the rest east of the strait is geographically Asia. Turkey borders three seas:
Aegean, Black, and Mediterranean. In area, it is slightly larger than the state of
Texas. Turkey’s geography includes plateaus, coastal plains, and mountain
ranges. Turkey borders eight countries: Bulgaria, Greece, Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Georgia, Iran, Iraq, and Syria.

3. Country Quick Facts
 Full name: Republic of Turkey
 Population: about 83,746,825 (2019)
 Capital: Ankara
 Largest city: Istanbul
 Official languages: Turkish
 Major religion: Muslim (99.8%, mostly Sunni)
 Life expectancy: male- 72.3 , female: 77
 Monetary unit: Turkish lira
 Main exports: apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufacturers, transport
equipment
 GNI per capita: $18,800 (2013)

4. Turkish History in Brief
 History in the land that is now Turkey dates
back to 7500 BC
 547 BC Cyrus of Persia conquers most of
Anatolia (Turkey)
 127 BC Anatolia becomes the Roman Province
of Asia or Asia Minor
 330 AD Constantine, the ruler of the Byzantine
Empire, founds New Rome (later to become
Constantinople and Istanbul, respectively)
 1243 Mongol Invasion
 1288 The Ottoman Empire is founded
Hagia Sophia was a Christian
basilica built in 537AD in
Constantinople (Istanbul). It was
later converted to a mosque when
the Ottomans took over
Constantinople. Today it is open as
a museum and is part of a
UNESCO World Heritage Site

5. History continued
 1453 Constantinople conquered and becomes Istanbul
 1520-1566 Golden Age of the Ottoman Empire
 1699 the decline of the Ottoman Empire begins
 1914 Turkey allies with Germany during WWI, but stays
neutral in WWII (1939)
 Late 1910s/early 1920s the Ottoman Empire falls
 1923 What is left of the Ottoman Empire becomes the
Republic of Turkey, great reforms start taking place
 1940s- democratic elections introduced
 1952 Turkey joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO)
 2005 The lira, Turkey’s current currency, is introduced Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent,
ruler during the Ottoman Golden
Age

6. Hagia Sophia interior (above)
Library of Celsus,
Selçuk, Turkey built
in 135AD (right)

7. Language
 HELLO: Merhaba
 GOODBYE: Hoşçakal
 YES: Evet
 NO: Hayır
 THANK YOU: Teşekkür ederim
 YOU’RE WELCOME: Bir şey değil
 PLEASE: Lütfen
 I LOVE YOU: Seni seviyorum
 HOW ARE YOU: Nasılsınız?

8. Government
 Executive President: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (since
2018)
 Republican parliamentary democracy
 Voting age: 18 years old

9. Current Issues
 Tons of refugees from Iraq and Syria (concerns that they
are not taken care of)
 Northern Cyprus: A self declared state (Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus) on the island of Cyprus, Turkey is the
only country to recognize it
 Disputes the idea that the mass killings of Armenians in
the early 20th century were genocide
 Unstable economy
 Turkey-PKK conflict: armed conflict between Turkey and
Kurdish insurgent groups that want separation and to
create their own independent Kurdistan; Kurds are an
ethnic minority in Turkey, they also have their own
language
 Human trafficking

10. Economy
 18th largest economy in the world
 Largely free market economy
 Has been a candidate country for the European Union since 1999
 Agricultural sector still accounts for 25% of employment
 High current account deficit
 G20 country: group of the world’s largest advanced and emerging
economies
 Germany is their largest trading partner
 Dependent on short-term investment to finance its large current account
deficit

11. Currency
 Turkish lira
 1 US Dollar= 2.79 lira

12. Traditional Turkish Dance
Whirling Dervishes- https://youtu.be/luDklth_mbM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2jOK_mWkjw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsE05nXQPwo

13. Traditional Turkish Clothing

14. Turkish Cuisine
 Turkey has one of the most famous cuisines in the world
 Turkish food is a mix of Central Asian, Middle Eastern,
and Balkan cuisine by Ottoman chefs
 Typically rich in fish, lamb, beef, chicken, eggplants, nuts,
garlic, lentils, cumin, pepper, mint, oregano, parsley, and
paprika
 Doner Kebabs- sliced strips of chicken or beef in a pita-
like wrap with onions, lettuce, and tomatoes
 Baklava-layered pastry filled with nuts and covered in
sweet syrup
 Turkish delight- one of the oldest sweets in the world, gel
candy often filled with some type of nut like hazelnut and
covered in powdered sugar

15. (Left) Various types of
Turkish delight, (Below)
street doner kebab, (bottom
left) baklava

16. Turkish Coffee and Tea
 Turkey is well know for its own version of tea and coffee
 Tea is drank all throughout the day and sharing tea is a sign of friendship;
sugar is often presented in cubes (pictured bottom left)
 Turkish coffee is much stronger than American coffee; it is often served
with a sweet like Turkish delight candies and in fancy cup

17. Fun Facts
 The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul has 64 streets, 4,000
shops, and 25,000 workers
 Istanbul, which is not the capital of Turkey, is the 3rd
largest city in Europe
 Turkey has 15 world heritage sites
 Turks introduced tulips to the Dutch, which the Dutch
are now famous for
 Turkey has 82,693 mosques
 The ancient real-life city of Troy was located in modern-
day Turkey and is one of the 15 UNESCO sites
 Every 10 days a new plant species is discovered in
Turkey

18. Archeological site of Troy, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hisarlık

19. Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey

20. Ankara
The Capital of Turkey

21. Istanbul
Turkey’s Largest City

22. Links
 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/geos/tu.html
 http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/tr.
htm