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Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly in Anatolia in West Asia, with a smaller part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east; Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean Sea (and Cyprus) to the south; and the Aegean Sea, Greece, and Bulgaria to the west. Turkey is home to over 85 million people; most are ethnic Turks, while ethnic Kurds are the largest ethnic minority. Officially a secular state, Turkey has a Muslim-majority population. Ankara is Turkey's capital and second-largest city. Istanbul is its largest city, and its economic and financial center, as well as the largest city in Europe. Other major cities include İzmir, Bursa and Antalya.

Human habitation began in the Late Paleolithic. Home to important Neolithic sites like Göbekli Tepe and some of the earliest farming areas, present-day Turkey was inhabited by various ancient peoples. Hattians were assimilated by the Anatolian peoples. Classical Anatolia transitioned into cultural Hellenization following the conquests of Alexander the Great; Hellenization continued during the Roman and Byzantine eras. The Seljuk Turks began migrating into Anatolia in the 11th century, starting the Turkification process. The Seljuk Sultanate of Rum ruled Anatolia until the Mongol invasion in 1243, when it disintegrated into Turkish principalities. Beginning in 1299, the Ottomans united the principalities and expanded; Mehmed II conquered Istanbul in 1453. During the reigns of Selim I and Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Empire became a global power. From 1789 onwards, the empire saw major transformation, reforms, and centralization while its territory declined.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, persecution of Muslims during the Ottoman contraction and in the Russian Empire resulted in large-scale loss of life and mass migration into modern-day Turkey from the Balkans, Caucasus, and Crimea. Under the control of the Three Pashas, the Ottoman Empire entered World War I in 1914, during which the Ottoman government committed genocides against its Armenian, Greek and Assyrian subjects. Following Ottoman defeat, the Turkish War of Independence resulted in the abolition of the sultanate and the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne. The Republic was proclaimed on 29 October 1923, modelled on the reforms initiated by the country's first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Turkey remained neutral during most of World War II, but was involved in the Korean War. Coups in 1960 and 1980 interrupted the transition to a multi-party system.

Turkey is an upper-middle-income and emerging country; its economy is the world's 18th-largest by nominal and 11th-largest by PPP-adjusted GDP. It is a unitary presidential republic. Turkey is a founding member of the OECD, G20, and Organization of Turkic States. With a geopolitically significant location, Turkey is a regional power and an early member of NATO. An EU-candidate, Turkey is part of the EU Customs Union, CoE, OIC, and TURKSOY.

Turkey has coastal plains, a high central plateau, and various mountain ranges; its climate is temperate with harsher conditions in the interior. Home to three biodiversity hotspots, Turkey is prone to frequent earthquakes and is highly vulnerable to climate change. Turkey has universal healthcare, growing access to education, and increasing innovativeness. It is a leading TV content exporter. With 21 UNESCO World Heritage sites, 30 UNESCO intangible cultural heritage inscriptions, and a rich and diverse cuisine, Turkey is the fourth most visited country in the world. (Full article...)

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Levent business district in Istanbul

Turkey is a founding member of the OECD and G20. The country's economy ranked as the 18th-largest in the world and 8th-largest in Europe by nominal GDP in 2023. It also ranked as the 11th-largest in the world and 5th-largest in Europe by PPP in 2023. According to the IMF, as of 2022, Turkey had an upper-middle income, mixed-market, emerging economy. Turkey has often been defined as a newly industrialized country since the turn of the 21st century. The country is the fifth most visited destination in the world, and has over 1,500 R&D centres established both by multinational and national firms. Turkey is among the world's leading producers of agricultural products, textiles, motor vehicles, transportation equipment, construction materials, consumer electronics, and home appliances. Among OECD nations, Turkey has a highly efficient and strong social security system; social expenditure stood at roughly 12.5% of GDP.

Over the past 20 years, there have been major developments in the financial and social aspects of Turkey's economy, such as increases in employment and average income since 2000. A period of strong economic growth between 2002 and 2013 (except for 2009) was followed by a slowdown in growth in terms of USD-based nominal GDP figures between 2014 and 2020, especially during the 2018 Turkish currency and debt crisis, although the growth sustained in these years as well in terms of nominal GDP. Furthermore, there has been a steady recovery and a faster pace in growth in Turkey's GDP figures since 2021, which have reached their all-time highest values by the end of 2023. Growth-focused financial policies, such as the preference to keep interest rates as low as possible (dubbed Erdoganomics) have led to high inflation in recent years. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Turkey-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Map showing the Anatolian Plate, the North Anatolian Fault and East Anatolian Fault in Turkey. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 2Originally a church, later a mosque, and now a Grand mosque, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul was built by the Byzantines in the 6th century. (from History of Turkey)
Image 3Antalya (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 4Ankara Opera House, designed by Şevki Balmumcu (1933–34) and renovation by Paul Bonatz (1946–47). (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 5Map of the Hittite Empire at its greatest extent, with Hittite rule c. 1350–1300 BC represented by the green line (from History of Turkey)
Image 6The Nation's Library of the Presidency, Ankara (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 7Sami Frashëri (1850–1904) and his wife Emine, May 1884. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 8Map of the Lydian Kingdom in its final period of sovereignty under Croesus, c. 547 BC. (from History of Turkey)
Image 9The Bath-Gymnasium complex at Sardis in Turkey. (from History of Turkey)
Image 10Karagöz and Hacivat are the lead characters of the traditional Turkish shadow play, popularized during the Ottoman period. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 11Turkish national basketball team won the silver medal in the 2010 FIBA World Championship. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 12Yalikavak Palmarina in Bodrum (2014) designed by Emre Arolat (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 13Anıtkabir designed by Emin Halid Onat and Ahmet Orhan Arda (1944–53) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 14One of the main entrance gates of the Dolmabahçe Palace. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 15The Ishak Pasha Palace, Eastern Turkey. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 16Roosevelt, İnönü and Churchill at the Second Cairo Conference which was held between 4–6 December 1943. (from History of Turkey)
Image 17Mount Erciyes near Kayseri (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 18The empire in 555 under Justinian the Great, at its greatest extent since the fall of the Western Roman Empire (its vassals in pink) (from History of Turkey)
Image 19Butterfly Valley on the Turkish Riviera. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 20Ankara (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 21A view from the interior of a traditional Turkish house, by John Frederick Lewis (1805–1875) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 22Turkish delight (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 23Interior of the Sultanahmet Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 24The Fountain of Ahmed III is an iconic example of Tulip period architecture (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 25Recaizade Mahmud Ekrem (1847–1914) was another prominent Turkish poet of the late Ottoman era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 26View from Levent district in Istanbul. Istanbul's skyline has changed especially since the early 2000s. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 27Map showing events of the first phases of the Greco-Persian Wars (from History of Turkey)
Image 28First Ziraat Bank Headquarters (1925–29) in Ankara designed by Giulio Mongeri is an important symbol of the First National Architectural Movement. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 29Istanbul University Faculty of Science and Faculty of Literature Buildings (1944–52) designed by Sedad Hakkı Eldem and Emin Onat (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 30Orhan Veli Kanık was the founder of the Garip Movement in Turkish poetry. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 31Namık Kemal was a prominent Turkish poet, novelist, playwright and journalist of the late-19th-century Ottoman Empire. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 32Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca was one of the most prolific Turkish poets of the Turkish Republic with more than 60 collections of his poems published, laureate of the Struga Poetry Evenings Golden Wreath Award. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 33View of Dilek Peninsula-Büyük Menderes Delta National Park (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 34Night view of the Taksim Mosque (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 35Adnan Menderes, İsmet İnönü, and the other members of the Parliament wearing a white tie and top hat. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 36The Ottoman Empire in 1683, at the start of the Great Turkish War (1683–1699) (from History of Turkey)
Image 37Köppen climate types of Turkey (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 38Mount Nemrut, Adıyaman (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 39Map of earthquakes in Turkey 1900–2023 (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 40Mehmed II enters Constantinople by Fausto Zonaro (from History of Turkey)
Image 41Ortaköy Mosque in the first quarter of the 20th century (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 42Istanbul Sapphire (2006–11) is the tallest building in Turkey and 4th in Europe. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 43Atatürk on the cover of the Time magazine, Vol. I No. 4, March 24, 1923. Title: "Mustapha Kemal Pasha" (from History of Turkey)
Image 44Mount Ararat (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 45Lake Van (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 46Beaches and marina of Kemer near Antalya on the Turkish Riviera (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 47Istanbul (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 48An Oil wrestling tournament in Istanbul. This has been the national sport of Turkey since Ottoman times. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 49Thrace and the Thracian Odrysian kingdom in its maximum extent under Sitalces (431-424 BC) (from History of Turkey)
Image 50View of Beydağları Coastal National Park (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 51Turkish coffee (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 52Tevfik Fikret (1867–1915) was a prominent Turkish poet of the late Ottoman era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 53Topkapı Palace, Istanbul. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 54A view of Levent from Kanlıca across the Bosporus (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 55Orhan Pamuk, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 56The sultan of the golden age, Suleiman the Magnificent. (from History of Turkey)
Image 57Kaçkar Mountains (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 58Designed by Şekip Akalın, Ankara Central Station (1937) is a notable art deco design of its era. (from Culture of Turkey)

Did you know - show different entries

... that when Turkey gave out personal identification numbers to their citizens in 2000, they chose to number all 120 million people born since 1840, living or dead? (November 11, 2009) Wikipedia:Recent additions 250
... that the British Levant Company avoided a fatal mistake of other chartered companies by paying their consuls and ambassadors a pension, so that they would not impose taxes on merchants for personal gain? (June 18, 2006) Wikipedia:Recent additions 72
... that the award ceremony of Turkey's most important film festival, the Golden Orange, is held at the Roman amphitheatre of Aspendos
(pictured) in Antalya? (June 22, 2007) Wikipedia:Recent additions 149
... that, with its total installed capacity of 95 MW, the Kızıldere Geothermal Power Plant is the biggest of its kind in Turkey? (January 13, 2014)
... that human rights activist Ayse Nur Zarakolu, an Amnesty International "prisoner of conscience", was arrested 30 times and jailed four for violating censorship laws in Turkey? (March 13, 2009) Wikipedia:Recent additions 242
... that the prosecution of writer and poet Perihan Magden for urging defiance of mandatory military service has complicated Turkey's negotiations for membership in the European Union? (June 11, 2006) Wikipedia:Recent additions 71
... that the Brig "Mercury" Attacked by Two Turkish Ships
(pictured) was one of over 3,000 seascapes painted by Russian artist Ivan Aivazovsky? (August 10, 2007) Wikipedia:Recent additions 161

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Image 11. picture on portal: The prominent towers of Dayro d-Mor Gabriel; 15th December 2005
Image 2A faculty of Sakarya University
Image 3Cappadocia
Image 4the Bosphorus Bridge
Image 5the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne
Image 6Tünel, Istanbul
Image 7A Kocek
Image 818th-century Ottoman barber's apron
Image 9Aydilge Sarp; Turkish singer, songwriter and novelist
Image 10Lahmacun
Image 11Antalya
Image 12Rize
Image 13Kemer
Image 14Lake Akdoğan in Muş
Image 15Iznik, 16th-century vase
Image 16Mount Nemrut
Image 17Atatürk praying
Image 18Safranbolu
Image 19The Temple of Athena at Priene, an ancient site near Turunçlar in Aydın province.
Image 20A tram in Istanbul
Image 21Ölüdeniz
Image 22The ancient Lake Abant Nature Park in Bolu
Image 23The tughra of Mahmud II. "Mahmud Han bin Abdulhamid muzaffer daima" ("Mahmud Khan son of Abdulhamid is forever victorious").
Image 24An airplane with a nazar boncuğu symbol that is said to offer protection from the "evil eye".
Image 25Tarkan with Hungarian fans
Image 26Flag of Turkey, from flowers
Image 27The sun setting over the Golden Horn in the city of Istanbul.

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Sıla in 2011

Sıla Gençoğlu (born 17 June 1980) is a Turkish singer-songwriter. She was born in Acıpayam, Denizli, and later moved to İzmir and then to Istanbul to finish her studies. She started to learn performing arts at high school. After studying jazz at Istanbul Bilgi University, she became a backing vocalist for Kenan Doğulu.

Sıla released her self-titled debut album in 2007. The song "...Dan Sonra" became a number-one hit on Türkçe Top 20, and after critical and commercial success she released the albums İmza (2009), Konuşmadığımız Şeyler Var (2010), Vaveyla (2012), Yeni Ay (2014) and Mürekkep (2016) all of which were praised by fans and critics alike. A number of songs in these albums, including "Sevişmeden Uyumayalım", "Acısa da Öldürmez", "Kafa", "Boş Yere", "Vaziyetler", "Yabancı" and "Hediye", became number-one hits in Turkey. The songs "Yoruldum", "İmkânsız" and "Zor Sevdiğimden" ranked among the top five on Turkey's music charts. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies
Burak Yılmaz Piri Reis Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Ahmet Necdet Sezer Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Alp Arslan Nureddin Pasha Tuncay Şanlı İsmet İnönü Orhan Pamuk Erol Gelenbe Kemal Derviş Hande Yener Sertab Erener Said Altınordu Tarkan (singer) Junayd of Aydın Daron Acemoglu

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Boats in Istanbul

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Videos from Turkey on Wikimedia Commons

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“

Everything we see in the world is the creative work of women.

”

~ Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

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Turkish proverbs in Wikiquote

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Recognized content

	Alanya, Byzantine Empire, SMS Goeben, The Turk, List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul, Italian War of 1521–1526, Italian War of 1542–1546, List of battleships of the Ottoman Empire, Rhodes blood libel
	2004 Istanbul summit, 2008 Turkish Grand Prix, Battle of Manzikert, Battle of Marash, Battle of Vaslui, Church of St. Polyeuctus, First Crusade, Great Zab, Hood event, Limyra Bridge, Siege of Szigetvár, Night Attack at Târgoviște, Third Perso-Turkic War, Walls of Constantinople, Gallipoli Campaign, Battle of Lone Pine