Turkey

The Republic of Turkey or Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye), is a bicontinental country that is located mainly in the Middle East (Southwest Asia) and partly in Southeast Europe; The Anatolian peninsula comprises most(97%) of its territory, and is situated between the Black Sea on the north and the Mediterranean Sea to south and west, with the Aegean Sea (and Marmara Sea) in between. A small portion of the country's territory (3%) is situated in southeastern Europe, west of the Bosphorus straits.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Turkey

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The majority of the Turkish population (about 90%) is of Turkish ethnicity, who speak the official language of the country, Turkish. The largest by far ethnic minority are the Kurds, a distinct ethnic group concetrated in the east, consisting of approximately 10% of the total population, though estimates are approximate since Turkey doesn't poll lingustic groups in census since 1965 following the example of France and others. The 1965 census determined that 7.1% of the population using the Kurdish as the primary language and the knowledge of the language is stated by the 12.7% of the population in total. Other minorities include Abkhaz, Albanians, Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Bosniaks, Chaldeans, Chechens, Circassians, Greeks, Georgians, Hamshenis, Jews, Laz, Levantines, Ossetians, Pomaks, Roma, Syriacs, and Zazas. The term "minority" itself remains a sensitive issue in Turkey, since the Turkish State only considers the communities mentioned in the text of Treaty of Lausanne (namely, Greek Orthodox, Armenian, and Jewish communities) as minorities (az?nl?k or ekalliyet). However the minorities in question do not have special rights as the race-blind system is based on equality.

Related Topics:
Turkish - Turkish - Kurds - Abkhaz - Albanians - Arab - Armenians - Assyrians - Bosniaks - Chaldeans - Chechens - Circassians - Greeks - Georgians - Hamshenis - Jews - Laz - Levantines - Ossetians - Pomaks - Roma - Syriacs - Zazas - Minority - Treaty of Lausanne - Greek Orthodox - Race-blind

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Due to a demand for an increased labour force in Western Europe between 1960 and 1980 many Turkish citizens emigrated to West Germany, the Netherlands, France and other Western European countries, forming a significant overseas population. Recently, many have also settled in Russia and other neighbouring countries.

Related Topics:
Western Europe - 1960 - 1980 - West Germany - Netherlands - France - Western European - Russia

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Nominally, 99.8% of the population is Muslim. Most belong to the Sunni branch of Islam. About 15-20% of the population are Alevi Muslims. There is also a Twelver Shia minority, mainly of Azeri descent. Jewish, and Christian Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic (Gregorian), Roman Catholic and Protestant minorities are also present.

Related Topics:
Muslim - Sunni - Alevi - Twelver - Shia - Azeri - Jewish - Greek Orthodox - Armenian Apostolic - Roman Catholic - Protestant

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Although, unlike other majority Muslim countries, there is a strong tradition of separation of church and state in Turkey, in practice this means rather the subordination of religion to the state instead of what Westerners would consider separation. The Turkish constitution recognizes freedom of religion for individuals, but explicitly states that religious communities derive no rights at all from this. The mainstream Hanafi school of Sunni Islam is largely organized by the state, through Diyanet ??leri Ba?kanl??? (Department of Religious Affairs). The Diyanet is the main Islamic framework established after abolition of the Ulama and Seyh-ul-Islam of the old régime. As a consequence, they control all mosques and Muslim clerics. Imams are trained in Imam vocational schools and at theology departments at universities. The department supports Sunni Islam and has comissions authorized to give Fatwa judgments on Islamic issues. The department is criticized by the Alevi muslims for not supporting their beliefs.

Related Topics:
Muslim - Separation of church and state - Freedom of religion - Hanafi - Sunni Islam - Mosque - Imam - Fatwa

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