HISTORY

Turkey’s long history begins with some of the oldest known human settlements in the world, back to 100,000-8,000 BC on the Anatolian peninsula (also known as Asia Minor). With a prime geographical location and coastlines on the Black, Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, Turkey’s history is filled with numerous power struggles and conquests. The first known “empire” of the region dates back to the Hittites in 2,000 BC, who developed a city-state system rich from mining and agriculture. The Hittites' empire, although powerful, met its ultimate destruction from a large scale invasion in 1,200 BC. 546 BC marked Persia’s conquest of the region, which lasted until Alexander the Great’s invasion in 334 BC adding the region to the Macedonian Empire.

 The region once again traded hands in early 100 BC, joining the expanding Roman Empire. Several hundred years later, Emperor Constantine named Christianity the official religion of the region and the city of Constantinople as the capitol of the Roman Empire (formerly known as Byzantium). Located directly between the Black and Mediterranean Sea, Constantinople became a critical trading intersection between Europe, Asia and Africa. However, it was this precisely highly profitable geographical location which caused attacks on the capitol from the Persians, Arabs and others. Despite these constant offenses, the Byzantine Empire was not overthrown until the 1400’s by the Ottoman Turks.

 After 1453, Constantinople was established as the capitol of the Ottoman Empire. The city expanded rapidly to a population of nearly half a million, and became the military, political and economic center of the growing empire. Istanbul remained critically important to the Ottoman Empire, which remained in control of the region until World War I. The city was not officially renamed to Istanbul until 1930, under Kemal Ataturk.

 Modern day Turkey as we know it was formed in 1923. Declared as a Republic in October of that year, and “Father of the Turks” Mustafa Kemal was established as President. During World War II, Turkey initially remained neutral until German forces reached the borders of Istanbul. Although the country signed a trade agreement with Germany in 1941, Turkey officially declared war on Germany in 1945 in order to gain entry into the United Nations. After a period of economic and political turmoil, a multi-party system was established in the 1950’s with US backed opposition politicians. However, political instability still plagued the country, with insurgent attacks from the Kurdistan Worker’s Party as recent as 2004.

POPULATION AND CULTURE

Despite the country’s tumultuous political history, Turkey’s population is generally homogenous. While there is no officially recognized religion, 99.8% of Turkey’s citizens are Muslim (primarily Sunni), with the remaining 0.2% of Turks practicing Christianity or Judaism. Ethnic groups are split between the Turkish and Kurdish (89% to 29% respectively). The population growth rate in 2007 was 1.04%, with an overall population of over 71 million. 24.9% of the population is under the age of 14, with the bulk of citizens (68.1%) falling between 15-64 years old. The remaining 6.9% of the population is 65 or older. Overall, 87.4% of the population can read and write, with 95.3% of males being literate and 79.6% of females. An increase in literacy rates was seen when Arabic script was replaced in 1928 with a Turkish alphabet using Latin characters.

 Despite Turkish being the official language of Turkey, Arabic, Bosnian, Zazaish, Cicassian and Kurdish dialects are also commonly spoken in the region. With the unique geographic position of the country, Turkey’s culture is a true blend of Eastern and Western ideals. Popular music in Turkey represents this unique mix of cultures, with anything from traditional Arab music to hip hop finding audiences in Turkey. Turkish literature, on the other hand, has been notably influenced by Persian and Arabic traditions. Conversely, Turkey’s most popular sport comes from the West, with the game of soccer. Marriage is frequently arranged by families, and up until 1926, polygamy and repudiation were legal.

Turkish cuisine is well known throughout the world. It has often been said that there are three major kinds of cuisine in the world: French, Chinese and Turkish. Kebabs are extremely common in the region, with each district contributing its own speciality to the dish. The rice dish pilav is also extremely popular in Turkey, as well as such dishes such as baklava, dolma and borek. Turkish coffee is also well known throughout the world, served thick and dark.

Ottoman art is known for its use of line and rhythm to create geometric patterns. Calligraphy is perhaps the most well known art form of the Ottomans. Even Turkish tax reports became works of art with skilled calligraphers. The tradition of calligraphy continued until 1928, when the Latin based Turkish alphabet was introduced. With Turkey's natural abundance of minerals, sculptures out of such materials as Meerschaum were common in the 18th and 19th Centuries. During the rule of Constantinople, Turkey imported massive amounts of silk via the silk route (from China), establishing a well known textile industry which is still active today.

ECONOMY

Turkey’s GDP in 2007 was estimated at $667.7 billion dollars, with a GDP growth rate of approximately 5.1%. The economy is split primarily between modern industries such a textiles, food processing, steel, petroleum and electronics and agriculture. An impressive 35.9% of the GDP is derived from the agriculture industry, which includes such products as tobacco, cotton, grain, beets, citrus, livestock and olives. The remaining GDP is split between the industry and service sectors (22.8% and 41.2% respectively). Despite obvious geographic advantages, Turkey faces  9.7% unemployment rate with many citizens seeking job opportunities abroad.

 Turkey’s economy has also faced new difficulties with the United State’s presence in Iraq. After refusing to allow American troops to pass through Turkey to invade Iraq in 2003, the US pulled $30,000 million in aid. Following two devasting earthquakes in 1999, the effect of lost profits and aid was staggering. However, the tourism industry is quickly developing to become one of Turkey’s bright economic spots. With 11 of the top 100 hotels in the world, tourism contributed over $18 billion in 2005 to the country.

GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

The strategic geographical location of Turkey has long shaped its political and cultural history. Located on Asia Minor (the Anatolian peninsula) the region borders the Black Sea to the North, the Aegean to the West and the Mediterranean to the south. Crossing the borders of the Asian and European continents, Turkey is also associated with the Middle East. The geographic features of Turkey are vast, with an outer range of mountains surrounding a central plateaux. Numerous salt water and fresh water lakes scatter the country, and lava deposits have left large expanses of uninhabited land on the eastern edges of the region.

 Natural resources of the region include: coal, iron, chromium, gold, mercury, copper, limestone, magnesite, marble and clay among others. 29.81% of the region is composed of arable land, while permanent crops cover 3.39%. Environmental hazards are primarily limited to sever earthquakes, especially along the northern edge of the country. Environmental issues include water pollution, urban air pollution and deforestation.

 Although the overall climate of Turkey is temperate, the wide variety of geographical features creates large variances in climate between regions. Summer temperatures can surpass 50 C while the temperatures in the winter can drop below -30 C in the east. This temperature difference between seasons is one of the largest variances in the world. However, regions near the Aegean coastlands enjoy far milder climates and conditions.