The People
About 90 per cent of the people are of Turkish origin. Seven per cent are Kurds. The rest include Arabs, Circassians, Greeks, Georgians, and Armenians.
The greatest concentrations of people are on the Black Sea coast, the area from Istanbul to Bursa, and in the Izmir and Antakya regions. About 74 per cent of Turkey's inhabitants live in urban areas; the rest live on farms or in small towns and villages.
Turkish, the official language, is spoken by most of the people. It originated in Central Asia and is a Ural-Altaic language. An alphabet with Latin rather than Arabic characters has been in use since 1928. Kurdish is the language of the Kurds. ( )
Although Islam is no longer the state religion of Turkey, almost 99 per cent of the Turks are Muslims, mainly of the Sunni branch of Islam. Many of the traditional Muslim laws and customs, however, were abolished by the government after church and state were separated in 1924. Non-Muslims, which include both Christians and Jews, have freedom of worship.
Primary education is required of all children from age 7 to 12. State schools, which are free and coeducational, are under the supervision of the Ministry of National Education. They include primary and secondary schools (divided into middle schools and the more advanced lycées). In addition, there are teacher-training, vocational, and technical schools. Private schools are also supervised by the Ministry of National Education.
Religious instruction, discontinued in 1923, was made optional in 1947. Compulsory education of illiterate adults was introduced in 1929. The literacy rate is about 75 per cent.
Istanbul University, established in 1453 and reorganized in 1900, is one of the oldest universities in the world and is the largest in Turkey. Also located in Istanbul is the Technical University of Istanbul (1773). At Ankara are the University of Ankara (1946), noted for studies in Hittite and Sumerian civilization, and the Middle East Technical University (1956). Other institutions of higher education in Turkey include Aegean University (1955) at Izmir, Atatürk University (1957) in Erzurum, and Black Sea University (1963) at Trabzon.
Turkey is a cultural as well as a geographical bridge between East and West. Since the mid-19th century, Western ideas and institutions have had a noticeable impact on Turkish life, marking a distinct break with the past.
Premodern culture was a blend of several heritages, mainly from the Arabs and Persians, but also from the Byzantines and earlier peoples of Asia Minor. Every phase of life was influenced by Islam. Much of the literature was religious and mystical in character. Architecture was dominated by the elaborately ornamented mosques that still abound throughout the country. Paintings usually depicted rulers and battles. Minor arts, such as calligraphy, illumination, and carpet making, flourished.
With modernization came a new literature, which while utilizing Western techniques fostered Turkish nationalism. Modern Turkish music draws on both classical Turkish and European sources. Painting has been influenced by various Western schools of art. The cultural centers of modern Turkey are Istanbul and Ankara.
| Important dates in Turkey | |||
| 1500 B.C. | The Hittites ruled in Anatolia. | ||
| 63 B.C. | The Roman general Pompey conquered Anatolia. | ||
| A.D. 330 | Constantine the Great established a new capital of the Roman Empire at Byzantium and renamed the town Constantinople. | ||
| 1071 | The Seljuk Turks defeated the Byzantine forces in the Battle of Manzikert, which led to the conquest of most of Anatolia. | ||
| 1326 | The Ottoman Turks captured Bursa, which marked the beginning of the Ottoman Empire. | ||
| 1453 | The Ottomans captured Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire. | ||
| 1783-1914 | The Ottoman Empire lost much of its territory in a series of military defeats. | ||
| 1908 | The Young Turks revolted against the government. | ||
| 1914-1918 | In World War I, the Ottoman Empire allied with Germany and lost much of its remaining territory. | ||
| 1923 | Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) set up the Republic of Turkey and began a program to modernize the nation. | ||
| 1960 | Turkish army units overthrew the government and ruled until free elections were held in 1961. | ||
| 1974 | Turkish forces invaded Cyprus. | ||
| 1980-1983 | Army units again controlled the government. | ||
| 1999 | A powerful earthquake struck northwestern Turkey, killing more than 17,000 people. | ||
The national sport of Turkey is soccer. Wrestling, gymnastics, and horseback riding are also popular sports. Folk dancing in regional costumes is a favorite pastime.
