Demographics of the Republic of Turkey
1961-2005
Size:	70,413,958 (2006 est.)
Growth:	1.06% (2006 est.)
Birth:	16.62 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death:	5.97 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Life expectancy:	72.62 years (2006 est.)
Life expectancy(m):	70.18 years
Life expectancy(f):	75.18 years
Fertility:	1.92 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Age Structure:
0-14 years:	25.5% (male 9,133,226; female 8,800,070)
15-64 years:	67.7% (male 24,218,277; female 23,456,761)
65-0ver years:	6.8% (male 2,198,073; female 2,607,551) (2006 est.)
Sex Ratio:
At birth:	1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Under 15 years:	1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	1.03 male(s)/female
Nationality:
nationality:	noun: Turk(s) adjective: Turkish
Major ethnic:	Turks
Minor ethnic:	Abkhazians, Albanians, Arabs, Armenians, Bosniaks, Chechens, Circassians, Georgians, Greeks, Hamshenis, Jews, Kabardin, Kurds, Laz, Levantines, Ossetians, Pomaks, Roma and Zazas.[1]
Language:
Official:	Turkish
Spoken:	Turkish, Kurdish, Azeri, Kabardian

As of 2005, the population of Turkey stood at 72.6 million with a growth rate of 1.5% per annum.^[2][3] The Turkish population is relatively young with 25.5% falling within the 0-15 age bracket.^[4] There are more than 1 million people of non-Turkish descent, and about 1 million of which are foreign residents. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

East-West migration

Modern Turkey spans bustling cosmopolitan centers, pastoral farming villages, barren wastelands, peaceful Aegean and Mediterranean coastlines, and steep mountain regions. More than half of Turkey's population lives in urban areas that juxtapose typically Western lifestyles alongside mosques and markets.

Immigration

Main article: Immigration to Turkey

Turkey is a country shaped and defined by immigration. ...

Ottoman Empire period

Throughout its history, the Ottoman Empire welcomed altogether hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of Spanish and Portuguese Jews after 1492; political and confessional refugees from Central Europe: Russian schismatics in XVII-XVIIIth centuries, Nekrasov Cossacks (after rebellion), Polish and Hungarian revolutionaries after 1848, Jews escaping the pogroms and later the Shoah, White Russians fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, Russian and other socialist or communist revolutionaries, Trotskyists fleeing the USSR in the 1930's; Nekrasov Cossacks, Nekrasovite Cossacks, Nekrasovites, Nekrasovtsy (Russian: ) are descendants of Don Cossacks which, after the defeat of the Bulavin Rebellion fled to Kuban (in September 1708), headed by Ignat Nekrasov, hence the name. ... The October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was the second phase of the Russian Revolution, the first having been instigated by the events around the February Revolution. ...

• See also History of the Jews in Ottoman Empire

Jews have lived in what is now know as Turkey (and, before that, the Ottoman Empire and other former states in Anatolia) for over two thousand years. ...

Republican period (since 1923)

Muslim refugees (Muhajir) from formerly Muslim-dominated regions invaded by Christian States, like Crimean Tatars, Circassians and Chechens from the Russian Empire, Algerian followers of Abd-el-Kader, Mahdists from Sudan, Turkmens, Kazakhs, Kirghizs and other Central Asian Turkic-speaking peoples fleeing the USSR and later the war-torn Afghanistan, Balkan Muslims, either Turkish-speaking or Bosniaks, Pomaks, Albanians, Greek Muslims etc., fleeing either the new Christian states or later the Communist regimes, in Yugoslavia and Bulgaria for instance. Muhajir or Mohajir (Arabic: مهاجر) is an Arabic word meaning refugee or immigrant or emigrant. ... The Crimean Tatars (sg. ... Circassians is a term derived from the Turkic Cherkess (Çerkes), and is not the self-designation of any people. ... This article covers the Chechen people as an ethnic group, not Chechen meaning citizens of Chechnya. ... The Bosniaks (Bosnian: Bošnjaci, IPA: ) are a South Slav people living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Sandžak region of Serbia and Montenegro, with a smaller autochthonous population also present in Kosovo and Macedonia. ... The Pomaks (Помаци, Pomatsi) or Bulgarian Muslims (Българи Мюсюлмани, Bălgari Myusyulmani), also known locally as Ahryani, are Slavs of the Islamic faith. ...

Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, there has been a considerable influx of Eastern Europeans to Turkey, particularly from the former USSR. Some of them have chosen to become Turkish citizens, while others continue to live and work in Turkey as foreigners. The district of Laleli in Istanbul is known with the nickname "Little Russia" due to its large Russian community and the numerous street signs, restaurant names, shop names and hotel names in the Russian language. Warsaw Pact countries to the east of the Iron Curtain are shaded red; NATO members to the west of it — blue. ... Regions of Europe as delineated by the United Nations (UN definition of Eastern Europe marked salmon):  Northern Europe  Western Europe  Eastern Europe  Southern Europe Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium... Istanbul (Turkish: Ä°stanbul, Greek: , historically known in English as Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. ... Russian ( , tr. ...

Property acquisition since the 1990s

After a change in the Turkish constitution gave foreigners the right to purchase real estate in the country in 2005, a large number of people, mostly pensioners from Western Europe, bought houses in the popular tourist destinations and moved to Turkey. The largest groups, according to the volume of purchases, are the Germans, British, Dutch, Irish, Greeks, Italians and Americans. A common understanding of Western Europe in modern times. ...

Religion

Main articles: Religion in Turkey and Secularism in Turkey

Nominally, 99.0% of the Turkish population is Muslim, of whom a majority belong to the Sunni branch of Islam. A sizeable minority of the population is affiliated with the Alevi sect.^[5] The remainder of the population practice other religions, particularly of the Christian denominations (Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Syriac Orthodox), Judaism, Yezidism and Atheism.^[6] Interior of the Selimiye Mosque, Edirne Nominally, 99. ... // Since the establishment of the republic in 1923, there has been a strong tradition of secularism in Turkey. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... Alevis (Turkish: Aleviler) are adherents of a specific strand of Islam, with influences that include Anatolian traditions and ancient Turkic Shamanism . ... Christians believe that Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant (see Hebrews 8:6). ... The Eastern Orthodox Church is a Christian body that views itself: as the historical continuation of the original Christian community established by Jesus Christ and the Twelve Apostles. ... The Armenian Apostolic Church, sometimes called the Armenian Orthodox Church is one of the original churches, having separated from the then-still-united Roman Catholic/Byzantine Orthodox church in 506, after the Council of Chalcedon (see Oriental Orthodoxy). ... The Syriac Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Middle East with members spread throughout the world. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... The Yezidi or Yazidi (Kurdish; Êzidî) are adherents of a small Middle Eastern religion with ancient origins. ... The 18th-century French author Baron dHolbach was one of the first self-described atheists. ...

There is a strong tradition of secularism in Turkey. Even though the state has no official religion nor promotes any, it actively monitors the area between the religions. The constitution recognises freedom of religion for individuals whereas religious communities are placed under the protection of the state, but the constitution explicitly states that they cannot become involved in the political process (by forming a religious party for instance) or establish faith-based schools. No party can claim that it represents a form of religious belief; nevertheless, religious sensibilities are generally represented through conservative parties.^[7] Turkey prohibits by law the wearing of religious headcover and theo-political symbolic garments for both genders in government buildings, schools, and universities;^[8] a law upheld by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights as "legitimate" in Leyla Şahin v. Turkey on November 10, 2005.^[9] // Since the establishment of the republic in 1923, there has been a strong tradition of secularism in Turkey. ... The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen guarantees freedom of religion, as long as religious activities do not infringe on public order in ways detrimental to society. ... Hijab or ħijāb () is the Arabic term for cover (noun), based on the root حجب meaning to veil, to cover (verb), to screen, to shelter In some Arabic-speaking countries and Western countries, the word hijab primarily refers to womens head, face, and body covering. ... European Court of Human Rights building in Strasbourg The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), often referred to informally as the Strasbourg Court, was created to systematise the hearing of human rights complaints against States Parties to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by...

Ethnic groups

The Turkish people (Türk Halkı), are a nation (millet) in the meaning an ethnos (Halk in Turkish), defined more by a sense of sharing a common Turkish culture and having a Turkish mother tongue, than by citizenship, religion or by being subjects to any particular country. Languages Turkish Religions Muslim or nominally Muslim, predominantly Sunni Islam, followed by Alevis. ... One of the most influential doctrines in history is that all humans are divided into groups called nations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... An ethnic group or ethnicity is a population of human beings whose members identify with each other, usually on the basis of a presumed common genealogy or ancestry [1]. Recognition by others as a distinct ethnic group is often a contributing factor to developing this bond of identification. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... First language (native language, mother tongue, or vernacular) is the language a person learns first. ... Citizenship is membership in a political community (originally a city or town but now usually a country) and carries with it rights to political participation; a person having such membership is a citizen. ... In political geography and international politics a country is a geographical entity, a territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation. ...

The word Turk or Turkish also has a wider meaning in an historical context because, at times, especially in the past, it has been used to refer to all Muslim inhabitants of the Ottoman Empire irrespective of their ethnicity.^[10] Among the Turkish people, perhaps less than one-third of those who self-identify as ethnic Turks in Turkey today are predominantly of Altaic origin. The remainder are actually an amalgamation of Turkified Greeks, Armenians, Jews, Roma, Georgians, Kurds, Slavs, Assyrians and other people.^{[citation needed]} Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI... Altaic is a putative language family which would include 60 languages spoken by about 250 million people, mostly in and around central Asia. ... Alternate meaning: crucible (science) The melting pot is a metaphor for the way in which heterogenous societies develop, in which the ingredients in the pot (iron, tin; people of different backgrounds and religions, etc. ... Turkification is a term used to describe a cultural change in which something or someone non-Turkish is made to become Turkish. ... Tzigane redirects here; for the composition by Maurice Ravel, see Tzigane (Ravel). ... Languages Kurdish Religions Predominantly Sunni Muslim also some Shia, Yazidism, Yarsan, Judaism, Christianity Related ethnic groups other Iranian peoples (Talysh Baluch Gilak Bakhtiari Persians) The Kurds are an ethnic group who consider themselves to be indigenous to a region often referred to as Kurdistan, an area which includes adjacent parts... The Slavic peoples are the most numerous ethnic and linguistic body of peoples in Europe. ... Languages Assyrian, Chaldean, Turoyo Religions Christianity Related ethnic groups other Semitic peoples Assyrians are an ethnic group whose origins lie in what is today Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria, but who have migrated to the Caucasus, North America and Western Europe during the past century. ...

The question of ethnicity in modern Turkey is a highly debated and difficult issue. Figures published in several different sources prove this difficulty by varying greatly. This article or section should be merged with ethnic group Ethnicity is the cultural characteristics that connect a particular group or groups of people to each other. ...

It is necessary to take into account all these difficulties and be cautious while evaluating the ethnic groups. A possible list of ethnic groups living in Turkey could be as follows (based on the classification of P.A. Andrews (1), however this book is more like a review and depends on other people's publications):

1. Turkic-speaking peoples: Kirghizs, Karakalpaks, Turkmens, Kazakhs, Kumyks, Yörüks, Uzbeks, Crimean Tatars, Azeris, Balkars, Uyghurs, Karachays.
2. Kurds and Zaza
3. Arabs and Assyrians
4. Georgians and Laz
5. Armenians and Hamshenis
6. Greeks, Pontic Greeks and Greek Muslims
7. Other Muslim groups originally from the Balkans (Bulgarians, Albanians, Serbs, Croats, Romanians and Bosniaks): These people migrated to Anatolia during the Ottoman Era and have been assumed to accept Turkish-Muslim identity.
8. Circassians and Chechens
9. Cossacks in Turkey (mostly left Turkey by 1962)
10. Others: There are small groups and individuals from all over the world living in Turkey, either remnants of past migrations (there is for instance a village near the Bosphorus named Adampol in Polish, Polonezköy, "the Polish village", in Turkish) or witnesses of contemporary mass migrations towards the European Union and its periphery (there are also illegal migrants camps with thousands of Africans and others intercepted while trying to embark, or swimming from the wreckage of overpopulated small boats, for the Greek or Italian shores).

Proving the difficulty of classifying ethnicities living in Turkey, there are as many classifications as the number of scientific attempts to make these classifications. Turkey is not a unique example for that and many European countries (e.g. France, Germany) bear a great ethnic diversity. So, the immense diversity observed in the published figures for the percentages of Turkish people living in Turkey (ranging from 75 to 97%) totally depends on the method used to classify the ethnicities, mainly whether to exclude or include Kurds. Complicating the matter even more is the fact that the last official and country-wide classification of spoken languages (which do not exactly coincide with ethnic groups) in Turkey was performed in 1965 and many of the figures published after that time are very loose estimates. A traditional Kyrgyz Manaschi performing part of the Manas epic poem at a yurt camp in Karakol Kyrgyz are a Turkic ethnic group found primarily in Kyrgyzstan. ... Karakalpak (also Kara Kalpak; Qara-Qalpaq; and other variants. ... Languages Kazakh (and/or languages in country of residence) Religions Sunni Islam Related ethnic groups Kipchaks and other Turkic tribes, ancient Indo-Iranian tribes, Mongols The Kazakhs (also spelled Qazaqs; Kazakh: Қазақтар []; Russian: Казахи; the English name is transliterated from Russian) are a Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia... Flag of the Kumyks Kumyks are a Turkic people occupying the Kumyk plateau in north Dagestan and south Terek, and the lands bordering the Caspian Sea. ... Main areas inhabited by Yoruk tribes in Anatolia The Yörük are a Turkic-speaking people primarily inhabiting the mountains of the southeast European Balkan peninsula and Anatolia. ... The Crimean Tatars (sg. ... It is hard to determine how many ethnic Azeris currently reside in Turkey due to the fact that the question of ethnicity in this country is a highly debated and difficult issue. ... The Balkar (малкъар /malqar/balqar) people are a Turkic people of the Caucasus region, the titular population of Kabardino-Balkaria. ... Uyghurs (also called Uighurs, Uygurs, or Uigurs) (Chinese:维吾尔 or 維吾爾 ; in pinyin: wéiwúěr) are a Turkic ethnic group of people living in northwestern China (mainly in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where they are the dominant ethnic group together with Han people... The Karachays (Къарачайлыла, Qaraçaylıla) are a Turkic people of the Ciscaucasus, mostly situated in the Russian Karachay-Cherkess Republic. ... Languages Kurdish Religions Predominantly Sunni Muslim also some Shia, Yazidism, Yarsan, Judaism, Christianity Related ethnic groups other Iranian peoples (Talysh Baluch Gilak Bakhtiari Persians) The Kurds are an ethnic group who consider themselves to be indigenous to a region often referred to as Kurdistan, an area which includes adjacent parts... The region where Zazas live in Turkey The Zazas are an ethnic minority in eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. ... In 1995 Turkeys ethnic Arab population was estimated at 800,000 to 1 million. ... Ottoman Assyrians The Ottoman Empire, before it began to decay, had an elaborate system of administering the non-Muslim People of the Book. ... The Laz (Lazi (ლაზი) or Lazepe (ლაზეფე) in Laz, Lazlar in Turkish, Lazi (ლაზი) or Chani (ჭანი) in Georgian) are an ethnic group who live primarily on the Black Sea coastal regions of Turkey and Georgia. ... The Hamshenis (also known as Hemshinlis or Khemshils; Õ€Õ¡Õ´Õ·Õ«Õ¶Õ« in Armenian; HemÅŸinli in Turkish; Амшенцы in Russian) are an ethnic group of Armenian origin that inhabit the Black Sea coastal areas of Turkey, Russia, and Georgia (Abkhazia). ... Traditional rural Pontic house The term Pontic Greeks, Pontian Greeks, Pontians or Greeks of Pontus (Greek: Πόντιοι, Ποντιακοί or Έλληνες του Πόντου, Turkish: Pontus Rumları) can refer to Greeks specifically from the area of Pontus in the region of the former Empire of Trebizond on the Black Sea coast of Eastern Turkey, or in other... The term refers to a religious minority in western Thrace, in north-east Greece. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Languages Serbian Religions Predominantly Serbian Orthodox Christian Related ethnic groups Other Slavic peoples, especially South Slavs See Cognate peoples below Serbs (Serbian: Срби or Srbi) are a South Slavic people who live mainly in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and, to a lesser extent, in Croatia and the Republic of Macedonia. ... Croats (Croatian: Hrvati) are a South Slavic people mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. ... The Bosniaks (Bosnian: BoÅ¡njaci, IPA: ) are a South Slav people living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Sandžak region of Serbia and Montenegro, with a smaller autochthonous population also present in Kosovo and Macedonia. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Circassians is a term derived from the Turkic Cherkess (Çerkes), and is not the self-designation of any people. ... // Geography The Chechen people are mainly inhabitants of Chechnya, which is internationally recognized as part of Russia. ... Cossacks in Turkey refers to descendants of a group of Don Cossacks who had lived in the territory of the Republic of Turkey until they migrated in 1962. ... Polonezköy or Adampol (pol. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

See also: Peoples of the Caucasus in Turkey

The terms Peoples of the Caucasus and Caucasian Peoples indicate two main groups of people in Turkey: Immigrants from North Caucasus: Circassians (including the Abkhaz and Abazins): Following the end of Circassian insurgency in 1864 and as an exodus from North Caucasia, Circassian peoples had settled in the territory of...

Turkic

See also: Turkic peoples

Self-identify as ethnic Turks in Turkey today are predominantly of Altaic origin. The Oğuz people, which once constituted the majority of the reigning fraction of Turkic people in Anatolia, gained political and military dominance in the region but remained for centuries only a tiny part of the population, demographically speaking. Anatolia, which was formerly a part of many civilizations like the Hittites and the Byzantine Empire, was (and still is) an ethnically very mixed region where the last official religion was Greek Orthodox, and where there are many adherents of other Christian churches or "deviant" Christian or syncretist movements, as well as Jews. It is, therefore, absurd to speak about a "pure Turkish people", even more in the tangled ethnic mix of Anatolia. This article is about the various peoples speaking one of the Turkic languages. ... The Oghuz Turks (also with various alternate spellings, including Oguz, OÄŸuz, Ouz, Okuz, Oufoi, Guozz and Ghuzz) are regarded as one of the major branches of Turkic peoples. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Relief of Suppiluliuma II, last known king of the Hittite Empire The Hittites were an ancient people who spoke an Indo-European language, and established a kingdom centered at Hattusa (Hittite URU) in north-central Anatolia from the 18th century BC. In the 14th century BC, the Hittite empire was... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ...

People walking in a Turkish street or watching a Turkish movie can see Turks of about all physical types prevalent in the world, from the blond haired and-blue-eyed to individuals with an East Asian appearance or the black-haired Mediterranean appearing ones, and even some with Black African roots, from the times when the Ottoman Empire stretched till Somalia, including Sudan. East Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...

Kurds

Main article: Kurds in Turkey

The largest group of non-Turkic ethnicity are the Kurds, a distinct ethnic group concentrated in the southeast. The 1965 census determined that Kurdish was the mother tongue of 7.1% of the population and knowledge of the language was stated by 8.4% of the population in total^[11]. Because of the prohibitions on the use of the Kurdish language by the government of Turkey until the 1990's, this number is not believed to reflect the number of ethnic Kurds. No accurate up-to-date figures are available for the Kurdish population, though some estimates such as the CIA World Factbook place their population at approximately 20%. ^[12] About half of all Kurds live in Turkey, numbering some 15 million where they comprise an estimated 20%[1] of the total population of Turkey and are predominantly distributed in the southeastern corner of the country. ... Kurds are one of the Iranian peoples and speak Kurdish, a north-Western Iranian language related to Persian. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... First language (native language, mother tongue, or vernacular) is the language a person learns first. ... World Factbook 2004 cover The World Factbook is an annual publication by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States with basic almanac-style information about the various countries of the world. ...

The Minority Rights Group report of 1985 (by Martin Short and Anthony McDermott) gave an estimate of 19% Kurds in the population of Turkey in 1980, i.e 8,455,000 out of 44,500,000, with the preceding comment 'Nothing, apart from the actual 'borders' of Kurdistan, generates as much heat in the Kurdish question as the estimate of the Kurdish population. Kurdish nationalists are tempted to exaggerate it, and governments of the region to understate it. In Turkey only those Kurds who do not speak Turkish are officially counted for census purposes as Kurds, yielding a very low figure.'. In Turkey: A Country Study, a 1995 on line publication of the U.S. Library of Congress, there is a whole chapter about Kurds in Turkey where it is stated that 'Turkey's censuses do not list Kurds as a separate ethnic group. Consequently, there are no reliable data on their total numbers. In 1995 estimates of the number of Kurds in Turkey ranged from 6 million to 12 million.' out of 61.2 million, which means from 10 to 20%. And higher percentage (between 20 and 25%) can be found elsewhere in various sources. Kurdish national identity is far from being limited to kurmanji language, as many Kurds whose parents migrated towards Istanbul or other big non Kurdish cities mostly speak Turkish, which is one of the languages used by the Kurdish nationalist publications. Also, there is a considerable circassian population estimated 5%of Population which is equal to over 3 millions

Others (Christians)

An exception is the Hamshenis, Armenians converted to Islam in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, still keep some pre-Islamic traditions and retain the use of two distinct Armenian dialects, but reject Armenian ethnic or national identity whereas their Laz neighbours name them "Ermeni," the Turkish term for Armenians. There are also some Pontic Greek Muslims. The Hamshenis (also known as Hemshinlis or Khemshils; Համշինի in Armenian; Hemşinli in Turkish; Амшенцы in Russian) are an ethnic group of Armenian origin that inhabit the Black Sea coastal areas of Turkey, Russia, and Georgia (Abkhazia). ... The term refers to a religious minority in western Thrace, in north-east Greece. ...

Among the Black Sea Turkish intellectuals, there have been in the last few years a revival of interest for the forgotten ethnic and religious identities of their ancestors. The research by Özhan Öztürk, but also the books of Ömer Asan and Selma Koçiva are good illustrations at this trend. Picture of Ömer Asan, 2005 in Edirne. ...

There have also been through the XIXth and XXth centuries, and still nowadays, rumors of the existence, mostly in rural and small town areas, of large populations of Crypto-Christians and Crypto-Jews, notably among the Dönme, descendants of Sabbatai Zevi's followers who had to convert en masse following Zevi's example. Crypto-Christianity commonly refers to the secret practice of the Christian religion, usually while attempting to camouflage it as another faith or observing the rituals of another religion publically. ... Crypto-Judaism is secret practicing of Judaism while publicly pretending to be of another faith. ... Donmeh refers to a group of Crypto-Jews of the Near East who followed Sabbatai Zevi (also called Shabbatai Zvi) and converted to Islam in 1666. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Islam spread slowly over many generations either through voluntary or forced conversions; many poor families chose to become Muslims in order to escape a special tax levied on conquered millet peoples or for reasons of upward mobility. Another common motivation was to escape the devşirme system for recruiting Janissaries to the Ottoman forces, and the similar institution of using dhimmi children to serve as odalisques or köçeks in the Ottoman harems or as tellaks in the hammams. Conversion to Islam was usually accompanied by the adoption of Ottoman-Turkish language and identity and eventual acceptance into the mainstream population, because conversion was generally irreversible and resulted in ostracism from the original ethnic group. Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... Religious conversion is the adoption of new religious beliefs that differ from the converts previous beliefs; in some cultures (e. ... In states ruled by Islamic law, jizya or jizyah (Arabic: جزْية; Ottoman Turkish cizye) is a per capita tax imposed on free non-Muslim adult males who are neither old nor sick nor monks [1], known as dhimmis, in exchange for being allowed to live, practice their faith, subject to certain... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Devshirmeh (Turkish devÅŸirme, Greek, paedomazoma) refers to the system used by the Ottoman sultans to tax newly conquered states, and build a loyal slave army and class of administrators: the Janissaries. ... Chamberlain of Sultan Murad IV with janissaries. ... This article is about dhimmi in the context of Islamic law. ... Odalisque with a slave by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, painted 1840. ... The köçek phenomenon is considered to be one of the most significant symbols of Ottoman Empire culture. ... The Ottoman Turks were the ethnic subdivision of the Turkish people who dominated the ruling class of the Ottoman Empire. ... In traditional Arab culture, the harîm حريم (cf. ... Tellak Detail of an illustration from the Hubanname (The Book of the Handsome Ones), an 18th century homoerotic work by the Turkish poet Fazyl bin Tahir Enderuni. ... A hammam in Chefchaouen, Morocco The Turkish hammam (also Turkish bath or hamam) is the Middle Eastern variant of a steam bath, which can be categorized as a wet relative of the sauna. ... Shunning is the act of deliberately avoiding association with, and habitually keeping away from an individual or group. ...

Literacy

See also: Education in Turkey

Education is compulsory and free from ages 6 to 15. The literacy rate is 95.3% for men and 79.6% for women, for an overall average of 87.4%.^[13] This low figure is mainly due to prevailing feudal attitudes against women in the Arab and Kurdish inhabited southeastern provinces of the country.^[14] Education in Turkey. ... Literacy is the ability to use text to communicate across space and time. ... In 1995 Turkeys ethnic Arab population was estimated at 800,000 to 1 million. ... About half of all Kurds live in Turkey, numbering some 15 million where they comprise an estimated 20%[1] of the total population of Turkey and are predominantly distributed in the southeastern corner of the country. ...

Life expectancy

According to statistics released by the government in 2005, life expectancy stands at 68.9 years for men and 73.8 years for women, for an overall average of 71.3 years for the populace as a whole.^[15] World map of life expectancy, 2005 Life expectancy is a statistical measure defined as the expected (mean) survival of human beings based upon a number of criteria such as gender and geographic location. ...

Languages spoken

Turkish (official), Kurdish, Circassian, Zazaki, Arabic, Armenian (and its Hamshin dialects), Laz, Georgian (and its dialect Ajar), Greek and Pontic Greek, Bosnian and several others. The 1965 census determined that 7.1% of the population has used the Kurdish as their mother tongue and knowledge of the language has been stated by the 8.4% of the population in total. The Kurdish language is a language spoken in the region called Kurdistan, including Kurdish populations in parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. ... The Kabardian language is a Russia, Jordan and Turkey. ... Zazaki (Zazakî, Zazaish) or Dimli is a language closely related to the Persian and , spoken by the Zaza in eastern Anatolia Zazaland Zazaistan, (Turkey), an ethnic minority related to the Iranians. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... The Hamshenis (also known as Hemshinlis or Khemshils; Õ€Õ¡Õ´Õ·Õ«Õ¶Õ« in Armenian; HemÅŸinli in Turkish; Амшенцы in Russian) are an ethnic group of Armenian origin that inhabit the Black Sea coastal areas of Turkey, Russia, and Georgia (Abkhazia). ... The Laz language (lazuri in Laz; ლაზური, lazuri, or ჭანური, chanuri, in Georgian) is spoken by an ethnic group of the same name on the Southeast shore of the Black Sea. ... Look up AJAR, ajar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Pontic Greek is a Greek language which was originally spoken on the shores of the Black Sea, the Pontus. ...

Questions asked: "What is your mother tongue ?" and "What is the second language which you are in command of best other than your mother tongue ?". The total population was 31,391,421.

The Abaza language (Абаза Бызшва/Abaza Byzšwa) is a language of the Caucasus mountains in the Russian autonomous republic of Turkey, where the Roman alphabet is used. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... The Pomaks (Помаци, Pomatsi) or Bulgarian Muslims (Българи Мюсюлмани, Bălgari Myusyulmani), also known locally as Ahryani, are Slavs of the Islamic faith. ... The Kabardian language is a Russia, Jordan and Turkey. ... The term Flemish can be a linguistic one, referring to the speech of the Flemings, inhabitants of Flanders, or a geographical one, referring to any attribute of Flanders, but not to its official language, which is exclusively Dutch. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The Kurdish language is a language spoken in the region called Kurdistan, including Kurdish populations in parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Not to be confused with Ladin. ... The Laz language (lazuri in Laz; ლაზური, lazuri, or ჭანური, chanuri, in Georgian) is spoken by an ethnic group of the same name on the Southeast shore of the Black Sea. ... Persian (Local names: فارسی Fârsi or پارسی Pârsi)* is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as by minorities in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... Serbian (српски језик; srpski jezik) is one of the standard versions of the Shtokavian dialect, used primarily in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, and by Serbs everywhere. ... Zazaki (Zazaish) is a language spoken by Zazas in eastern Anatolia (Turkey). ...

Minorities

Modern Turkey was founded by Mustafa Kemal as secular (Laiklik, Turkish adaptation of French Laïcité), i.e. without a state religion, nor discrimination of minorities. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881 – November 10, 1938), Turkish soldier and statesman, was the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. ... Secularity is the state of being without religious or spiritual qualities. ... Motto of the French republic on the tympanum of a church, in Aups (Var département) which was installed after the 1905 law on the Separation of the State and the Church. ... Nations with state religions:  Buddhism  Islam  Shia Islam  Sunni Islam  Orthodox Christianity  Protestantism  Roman Catholic Church A state religion (also called an official religion, established church or state church) is a religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state. ...

The concept of "minorities" has only been accepted by the Republic of Turkey as defined by the Treaty of Lausanne of 1924 and thence strictly limited to Greeks, Jews and Armenians, only on religious matters, excluding from the scope of the concept the ethnic identities of these minorities as of others, including Christian Assyrians of various denominations, Alevis and all the others. In this matter, Turkish governments of all political creeds acted just like their Greek counterparts who have always refused to recognize any other minority than the Muslims, as defined by the same treaty of 1924, thus not allowing any manifestation of Turkish or Pomak identity, nor for Macedonians, Albanians or Vlachs. Borders as shaped by the treaty The Treaty of Lausanne (July 24, 1923) was a peace treaty that settle a part of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire that reflected the consequences of the Turkish Independence War between Allies of World War I and Turkish national movement, (Grand National Assembly...

There are many reports from sources like (Human Rights Watch, European Parliament, European Commission, national parliaments in EU member states, Amnesty International etc.) on persistent yet declining discriminations. Human Rights Watch Banner Human Rights Watch is a United States-based international non-government organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. ... The European Parliament (formerly European Parliamentary Assembly) is the parliamentary body of the European Union (EU), directly elected by EU citizens once every five years. ... The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ... Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) comprising a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights.[1] Founded in the UK in 1961, AI compares actual practices of human rights with internationally accepted standards and demands compliance where these...

Certain current trends are:

• The religious affiliation is compulsory on the ID cards, the Muslim religion is a compulsory item in state-owned schools;
• Turkish imams get salaries from the state (like Greek Orthodox clerics in Greece), whereas Turkish Alevi as well as non-Orthodox and non-Armenian clerics are not paid at all because Turkey is 98% Muslim.
• Imams can be trained freely at the numerous religious schools and theology departments of universities throughout the country; minority religions can not re-open schools for training of their local clerics due to legislation and international treaties dating back to the end of Turkish War of Independence. The closing of the Theological School of Halki is a sore bone of contention between Turkey and the Eastern Orthodox world.;
• The Turkish state sends out paid imams, working under authority from the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı) to various European or Asian countries with Turkish- or Turkic-speaking populations, with as local heads officials from the Turkish consulates;
• Turkey has recently recognised a series of languages such as Kurdish (Kurmanji), Arabic and Zaza as minority languages together with several other smaller ethnic group languages. A few private schools teaching Kurdish have recently been allowed to open. Kurdish language TV broadcasts a few hours a week on government-owned stations while the private national channels show no interest as there is already satellite Kurdish TV operating from Western Europe and broadcasting in Kurdish, Turkish and Neo-Aramaic languages, Med TV;
• Non-Muslim minority numbers are said to be falling rapidly, mainly as a result of aging, migration (to Israel, Greece, the United States and Western Europe) and an overall Islamic influence on society fueled by bordering countries such as Iran.
• There is concern over the future of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate which suffers from a lack of trained clergy due to the closure of the Halki school. The state does not recognise the Ecumenical status of the Patriarch of Constantinople.

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Halki seminary was, until its closure by the Turkish authorities in 1971, the main school of theology of the Eastern Orthodox Churchs Patriarchate of Constantinople. ... The Eastern Orthodox Church is a Christian body that views itself: as the historical continuation of the original Christian community established by Jesus Christ and the Twelve Apostles. ... The Diyanet İşleri Bakanlığı (en: Presidency of Religious Affairs) is the highest, islamic, religious authority in Turkey. ... A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a country. ... MED TV Logo MED TV is an International Kurdish satellite TV station with studios in London, England and Denderleeuw, Belgium. ... mtDNA-based chart of large human migrations. ... The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, ranking as the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox communion. ...

See also

This is a list of Turkey-related articles. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the various peoples speaking one of the Turkic languages. ... Languages Turkish Religions Muslim or nominally Muslim, predominantly Sunni Islam, followed by Alevis. ... The People of Turkey covers the changes to Turkish people during the 20th century. ... Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–November 10, 1938), Turkish army officer, revolutionary, and anti-imperialist statesman, was the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. ... Generals Mustafa Kemal and Ä°smet Ä°nönü before the Battle of Dumlupınar, August 1922 Ä°nönüs tomb Mustafa Ä°smet Ä°nönü (September 24, 1884–December 25, 1973) was a Turkish soldier, statesman and the second President of Turkey. ... Mustafa Bülent Ecevit (May 28, 1925–November 5, 2006; pronounced ), was a Turkish politician, poet, writer and journalist. ... Turkey is a successor state of the Ottoman Empire, a multi-ethnic empire consolidated by gradual conquest during medieval and early modern times (1300-1700). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Anatolian beyliks (also Turkmen beyliks, Tevâif-i mülûk (in Ottoman Turkish) were small Turkish emirates or muslim principalities (beylik) governed by tribal beys, which were founded in several locations of Anatolia as of the end of the 13th century. ... Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI... In the late 13th century the Seljuq empire had collapsed and Anatolia was divided into many small states. ... This article is in need of attention. ... The Battle of Vienna of 1683 was the real point at which the Empire began its decline. ... Graphical timeline Decline of the Ottoman Empire covers the military and political events between 1828 to 1908. ... // Balkan Wars The Ottoman army in the balkans was large and appeared on the surface to be modern. ... History of Turkey redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Atatürk, modern Turkeys founder and first President The history of modern Turkey begins with the foundation of the republic on October 29, 1923 (the Republic was declared on January 20, 1921), with Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) as its first president. ... This page summarizes the history after the Multi-party period. ... This article details the military of the Ottoman Empire. ... // Over the centuries, Turkey has had many constitutions and can be caracterized by the steady establishment of a nation-state, democratization and internationalisation. ... At the time of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire (see Economy of the Ottoman Empire) during World War I, the Turkish economy was underdeveloped: agriculture depended on outmoded techniques and poor-quality livestock, and the few factories producing basic products such as sugar and flour were under foreign control. ... A graphical timeline is available here: History of the Republic of Turkey // The wearing of the turban and the fez, a traditional Ottoman hat, is outlawed. ... Turkey is a secular, republican parliamentary democracy. ... There have been ten Presidents of the Republic of Turkey since its inception. ... This is a chronological list of every government formed by the Prime Ministers of the Republic of Turkey. ... The Grand National Assembly (Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi in Turkish) is the unicameral parliament of Turkey which carries out legislative functions. ... Political parties in Turkey lists political parties in Turkey. ... Elections in Turkey gives information on election and election results in Turkey. ... Because of geopolitical reasons, foreign relations of the Republic of Turkey are primarily with the Western world and its neighboring countries. ... // Since the establishment of the republic in 1923, there has been a strong tradition of secularism in Turkey. ... // Overview Part Four, Section Two of the Turkish Constitution has established the Constitutional Court of Turkey that statutes on the conformity of laws and decrees to the Constitution, and it can be seized by the President of the Republic, the government, the members of Parliament or any judge before whom... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... — Other Turkish Topics Culture - Education Geography - History - Politics Turkey Portal Tourism in Turkey is focused largely on a variety of archaeological and historical sites, and on seaside resorts along its Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Below each region you will find associated Cities with the region. ... Provinces of Turkey are called iller in Turkish (singular is il, see Turkish alphabet for capitalization of i). ... The provinces of Turkey are divided into 923 districts (ilçeler; sing. ... This is a list of cities in Turkey by population (according to the 2000 census). ... Combination of nature and history in Kekova bay near Antalya View of KuÅŸadası from bird island. ... Other Turkish Topics Culture - Education Geography - History - Politics Turkey Portal This is a list of companies from Turkey. ... // Bayındırbank A.Åž. Albaraka Turk Arap Türk Bankası A.Åž. BankEuropa Bankası A.Åž. Kuveyt Türk Bankası A.Åž. Citibank A.Åž. Deutsche Bank A.Åž. Fortis Bank A.Åž. HSBC Bank A.Åž. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. Banca di Roma S.P.A. Bank Mellat Habib Bank Limited J P Morgan Chase... On 31 December 1995 the customs union between Turkey and the European Union came into effect. ... Other Turkish Topics Culture - Education Geography - History - Politics Turkey Portal The Southeastern Anatolia Project (Turkish: GüneydoÄŸu Anadolu Projesi, GAP) is a multi-sector integrated regional development project based on the concept of sustainable development for the 9 million people [1] living in a region. ... TRY banknotes and coins The Turkish new lira is the current currency of Turkey and of the de facto state Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. ... Turkish () is a Turkic language, spoken mainly in Turkey, with smaller communities of speakers in Bulgaria,[3] the Republic of Macedonia,[4] Uzbekistan,[5] Cyprus,[6] Greece,[7] as well as by several million emigrants in Western Europe. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Turkey is a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights and the Turkish Constitution guarantees basic human rights to all Turkish citizens. ... Traditional Turkish coffee The culture of Turkey is a diverse one, derived from various elements of the Ottoman Empire, European, and the Islamic traditions. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Turkish art is a term referring to the visual arts and plastic arts (often including architecture, woodwork, textiles and ceramics) originating from the geographical area of what is present day Turkey. ... Turkish cuisine inherited its Ottoman heritage which could be described as a fusion and refinement of Turkic, Arabic, Greek and Persian cuisines. ... Turkish dances include Halay, Zeybek, Horon, and Karsilama. ... More than 100 festivals are held in Turkey every year. ... Ahi Evren Ahriyan Al Basti Alaturbi Ancomah Bardi Cazi Germakoçi Karakoncolos Karakura Kolot Tavara // Breaking vine In Trabzon region folklore (ÇarşıbaÅŸi town) For testing whether the new bride is propitious, when she comes to the house, she is asked to break a vine from three points and... The official holidays in Turkey are established by the Act 2429 of March 19, 1981 that replaced the Act 2739 of May 27, 1935. ... A page from the Dîvân-ı Fuzûlî, the collected poems of the 16th-century Ottoman poet Fuzûlî Turkish literature is the collection of written and oral texts composed in the Turkish language, either in its Ottoman form or in less exclusively literary forms, such as that spoken... History (Timeline and Samples) Genres: Alternative - Classical - Dance - Folk - Hip hop - Jazz - Military - Ottoman - Opera - Pop - Religious - Rock Music awards Kral - MÃœ-YAP - MGD Charts Powerturk 40 - Kral 20 Annual festivals Istanbul International Music Festival - Istanbul International Jazz Festival - Ankara IMF - Izmir European Jazz Festival - Aspendos International Opera and Ballet... Turkish theatre can be observed under two main titles: Traditional Turkish theatre and Westernized Turkish theatre. ... This is a list of radio stations in Turkey. ... The Coat of Arms of Turkey is a red oval containing a vertically-oriented crescent and star from the Turkish flag surrouned by the official name of the country in Turkish. ... Flag ratio: 2:3 The flag of Turkey consists of a white crescent moon and a star on a red background. ... The Ä°stiklâl Marşı (i. ...

Notes

{{year nav|1939 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... West boarders of Turkey The Treaty of Lausanne was a peace treaty that was signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 24, 1923 by Turkey and Entente powers that fought in the First World War and in the Turkish Independence War. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... The United Nations Fund for Population Activities was started in 1969 and renamed the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 1987. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (362nd in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... European Court of Human Rights building in Strasbourg The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), often referred to informally as the Strasbourg Court, was created to systematise the hearing of human rights complaints against States Parties to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 30 is the 334th day (335th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days remaining. ... The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (AHD) is a dictionary of American English published by Boston publisher Houghton-Mifflin, the first edition of which appeared in 1969. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (362nd in leap years). ... Heinz Kloss (1904 - 1987) was a German linguist and internationally recognised authority on linguistic minorities . ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in leap years). ... Turkish Statistical Institute (Turkish: Devlet Istatistik Enstitusu) is the Turkish government bureau commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Turkey, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Anadolu Agency (AA) (Turkish: Anadolu Ajansı) is the Turkish state news agency commissioned with producing news releases pertaining to the country. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Heinz Kloss (1904 - 1987) was a German linguist and internationally recognised authority on linguistic minorities . ...

References

1. UE Commission, 'Issues arising from Turkey's EU membership', 2004, http://europa.eu/comm/enlargement/report_2004/pdf/issues_paper_en.pdf, 2004.
2. UE Commission, 'Recommendation of the European Commission on Turkey's progress towards ascession', 2004, http://europa.eu/comm/enlargement/report_2004/pdf/tr_recommendation_en.pdf.
3. AI report on Turkey, 2003, http://web.amnesty.org/report2003/Tur-summary-englink
4. Human Rights Watch overview, 2003, http://hrw.org/english/docs/2003/12/31/turkey7023.htm
5. Human Rights Watch Bachgrounder, http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/eca/turkey/2004/torture/2.htm
6. Andrews, Peter A. Ethnic groups in the Republic of Turkey., Beiheft Nr. B 60, Tübinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients, Wiesbaden: Reichert Publications, 1989, ISBN 3-89500-297-6 ; + 2nd enlarged edition in 2 vols., 2002, ISBN 3-89500-229-1
7. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Black Sea
8. Lazuri - Selma Koçiva (In Turkish and Laz)