Turkey is a transcontinental country located in both Europe and Asia. It borders 8 countries and 3 seas. Turkey has a population of around 79 million and its largest city and cultural center is Istanbul. Turkey was formerly the center of the Ottoman Empire and adopted many reforms to become a secular republic in 1923. Today Turkey has a developing economy and seeks membership in the European Union while also facing domestic issues related to its Kurdish population and refugees from neighboring conflicts.

1. Republic of Turkey
KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY- KNOW YOUR WORLD

2. Speaker:

3. 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.

4. Country Quick Facts
 Full name: Republic of Turkey
 Population: about 79.4 million (July 2015)
 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)

5. 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

6. 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

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

8. 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?

9. Government
 President: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
 Prime minister: Ahmet Davutoğlu
 Republican parliamentary democracy
 Voting age: 18 years old
Erdoğan
Davutoğl
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10. 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

11. 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

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

13. 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

14. Traditional Turkish Clothing

15. 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

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

17. 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

18. 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

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

20. Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey

21. Ankara
The Capital of Turkey

22. Istanbul
Turkey’s Largest City

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