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Turkey

Turkey , officially the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasia Eurasia

Eurasia is the landmass [i] composed of Europe [i] and Asia [i]. ... 

n country that stretches across the Anatolia Anatolia

Anatolia is a region of Southwest Asia [i] which corresponds today to the Asiatic portion of Turkey [i] ... 

n peninsula Peninsula

A peninsula is a geographical [i] formation [i] consisting of an extension of land [i] ... 

 in Southwestern Southwest Asia

Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia is the southwestern portion [i] of Asia [i]. ... 

 Asia Asia

Asia is the largest and most populous continent [i] or region, depending on the definition.... 

 and the Balkan Balkans

The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe a region [i] of southeastern ... 

 region of Southeastern Balkans

The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe a region [i] of southeastern ... 

 Europe Europe

Europe is one of the seven traditional continent [i]s of the Earth [i]. ... 

. Turkey borders eight countries: Bulgaria Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in Southeastern Europe [i]. ... 

 to the northwest; Greece Greece

Greece Greece lies at the juncture of Europe [i], Asia [i], and Africa [i]. ... 

 to the west; Georgia Georgia

Georgia may mean: *Georgia [i], a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia: **Formerly ... 

 to the northeast; Armenia Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked [i] mountainous country in the South ... 

, Iran Iran

Throughout history, Iran has been of great geostrategic [i] importance because of its centr ... 

 and the Nakhichevan Nakhichevan

The Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, known simply as Nakhichevan is a landlocked [i] exclave [i] ... 

 exclave of Azerbaijan Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan , is a country in the South Caucasus [i]. ... 

 to the east; and Iraq Iraq

The Republic of Iraq, is a Middle East [i]ern country [i] in southwestern Asia [i] encomp ... 

 and Syria Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in the Middle East [i]. ... 

 to the southeast. In addition, it borders the Black Sea Black Sea

The Black Sea is an inland sea [i] between southeastern Europe [i] and Anatolia [i] that is actually a d ... 

 to the north; the Aegean Sea Aegean Sea

The Aegean Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea [i], located between the Greek peninsula and Anatolia [i] ... 

 and the Sea of Marmara Sea of Marmara

The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea [i] ... 

 to the west; and the Mediterranean Sea Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean [i] almost completely enclosed by land: on the nor ... 

 to the south.

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Timeline

378   August 9: Battle of Adrianople Battle of Adrianople

The second Battle of Adrianople was fought between a Roman [i] army led by the Emperor [i] ... 

: A large Roman army led by Emperor Valens Valens

Flavius Iulius Valens was Roman Emperor [i] , after he was given the Eastern part of the empire by his ... 

 is defeated by the Visigoths Visigoth

The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths [i], an East Germanic tribe [i] . ... 

 in present-day Turkey. Valens is killed along with two-thirds of his army.

459   What is possibly the world's first recognizable labor union Trade union

"A Trade Union , ... is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or imp... 

 is formed in modern Turkey

715   Major earthquake hits Turkey

832   Heraclea-Cybistra Heraclea

Heraclea was the name of a large number of ancient cities founded by the Greeks [i]. ... 

, Turkey is sacked by Arabs.

1077   Süleyman I of Rüm becomes the leader of the Sultanate of Rüm in modern Turkey.

1077   Anush Tigin Gharchai becomes leader of the Khwarezmid Empire Khwarezmian Empire

The Khwarezmid Empire was a Muslim [i] Iranian [i] state in the 11th century [i] in Khwarezmia [i] ... 

 in modern Turkey.

1273   Followers of the recently deceased Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi

Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi ? , also known as Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi , but k... 

 establish the Sufi Sufism

Sufism or Irfan is a mystic [i] tradition [i] of Islam [i]. ... 

 order of the Whirling Dervishes Mevlevi

The Mevlevi Order or the Mevleviye are a Sufi [i] order founded by the followers of Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi [i] ... 

 in the city of Konya Konya

Konya is a city in Turkey [i], on the central plateau of Anatolia [i]. ... 

 (in present-day Turkey).

1292   The Turkish Turkey

Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a Eurasia [i]n country that stretches across the Anatolia [i] ... 

 emirate of Candaroglu Candaroglu

Candaroglu Beylik is an Anatolian Turkoman emirate [i] that ruled in Kastamonu [i] ... 

 is founded in the Kastamonu Province Kastamonu Province

Kastamonu is one of the Provinces of Turkey [i], in the Black Sea Region, to the north of the country. ... 

.

1392   Afyonkarahisar in western Turkey is conquered by Sultan Beyazid I Bayezid I

Bayezid I was the sultan [i] of the Ottoman Empire [i] from 1389 to 1402. ... 

1492   Sultan Bayazid II of the Ottoman Empire Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , is also sometimes known in the West [i] as the Turkish Empire. ... 

, learning about the expulsion of Jews Jew

Jews are followers of Judaism [i] or, more generally, members of the Jewish people , an ethno [i] ... 

 from Spain Spain

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a Europe [i]an parliamentary monarchy [i]. ... 

, dispatched the Ottoman Navy to bring the Jews safely to Ottoman lands, mainly to the cities of Selanik Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki, Thessalonica or Salonica , is Greece [i]'s second-largest city. ... 

 (currently in Greece Greece

Greece Greece lies at the juncture of Europe [i], Asia [i], and Africa [i]. ... 

) and Izmir Izmir

Izmir is the third most populous city of Turkey [i] and the country's largest port after Istanbul [i] ... 

 (currently in Turkey).

   More Events >>



Encyclopedia

Turkey , officially the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasia Eurasia

Eurasia is the landmass [i] composed of Europe [i] and Asia [i].... 

n country that stretches across the Anatolia Anatolia

Anatolia is a region of Southwest Asia [i] which corresponds today to the Asiatic portion of Turkey [i] ... 

n peninsula Peninsula

A peninsula is a geographical [i] formation [i] consisting of an extension of land [i] ... 

 in Southwestern Southwest Asia

Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia is the southwestern portion [i] of Asia [i]. ... 

 Asia Asia

Asia is the largest and most populous continent [i] or region, depending on the definition.... 

 and the Balkan Balkans

The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe a region [i] of southeastern ... 

 region of Southeastern Balkans

The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe a region [i] of southeastern ... 

 Europe Europe

Europe is one of the seven traditional continent [i]s of the Earth [i]. ... 

. Turkey borders eight countries: Bulgaria Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in Southeastern Europe [i].... 

 to the northwest; Greece Greece

Greece
Greece lies at the juncture of Europe [i], Asia [i], and Africa [i]. ... 

 to the west; Georgia Georgia

Georgia may mean:
  • Georgia [i], a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia: **Formerly ... 

     to the northeast; Armenia Armenia

    Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked [i] mountainous country in the South ... 

    , Iran Iran



Throughout history, Iran has been of great geostrategic [i] importance because of its centr ... 

 and the Nakhichevan Nakhichevan

The Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, known simply as Nakhichevan is a landlocked [i] exclave [i] ... 

 exclave of Azerbaijan Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan , is a country in the South Caucasus [i]. ... 

 to the east; and Iraq Iraq

The Republic of Iraq, is a Middle East [i]ern country [i] in southwestern Asia [i] encomp ... 

 and Syria Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in the Middle East [i]. ... 

 to the southeast. In addition, it borders the Black Sea Black Sea

The Black Sea is an inland sea [i] between southeastern Europe [i] and Anatolia [i] that is actually a d ... 

 to the north; the Aegean Sea Aegean Sea

The Aegean Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea [i], located between the Greek peninsula and Anatolia [i] ... 

 and the Sea of Marmara Sea of Marmara

The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea [i] ... 

 to the west; and the Mediterranean Sea Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean [i] almost completely enclosed by land: on the nor... 

 to the south.

The Republic of Turkey is a democratic Democracy

Democracy is a form of government [i] for a nation state, or for an organiz ... 

, secular Secularism

Secularity is the state of being free from religious [i] or spiritual [i] qualities. ... 

, constitution Constitution

A constitution is a system, often codified [i] as a written document, which establishes the rules and pr... 

al republic Republic

In a broad definition, a republic is a state [i] or country [i] that is led by people whose political power [i] ... 

 whose political system was established in 1923. Turkey is a member state of the United Nations United Nations

name = United Nations
Nations Unies
... 

, NATO NATO

Aznar also proposed a strategic co-operation with India [i] and Colombia [i]. ... 

, OSCE Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Created as an East-West forum during the Cold War era, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Eu... 

, OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an international organisation [i] of those ... 

, OIC Organization of the Islamic Conference

The Organization of the Islamic Conference is an inter-governmental organization with a Permanent Deleg... 

, the Council of Europe Council of Europe

The Council of Europe is an international organization [i] of 46 member states in the Europe [i]an regi ... 

 and a candidate to join the European Union European Union

The European Union is an intergovernmental [i] and supranational [i] ... 

. Due to its strategic location straddling Europe and Asia Transcontinental country

A transcontinental nation is a country [i] belonging to more than one continent [i]. ... 

, and sandwiched between three seas, Turkey has been a historical crossroad between eastern Eastern world

The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures [i], social structures [i] ... 

 and western Western culture

Western culture or Western civilization is a term used to refer to the culture [i]s of the people... 

 cultures. It has been a keystone in the development of world civilization and the location of many great civilizations.

Etymology

The Turkish name Türkiye subdivides into two words: Türk, means "strong" in Old Turkic and usually signifies the habitants of Turkey or a member of the Turkish nation; and the suffix -iye which means "owner" or "related to". The root appears commonly among early Altaic tribal ethnonyms, and also appears notably in the name of Turkmenistan Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is a country in Central Asia [i]. ... 

. A common point of confusion that arises is the relationship between the country and the bird called "turkey". European explorers who first encountered the bird in the New World New World

The New World is one of the names used for the Americas [i].... 

 named it as such, mistakenly believing it to have come from Turkey. The term "Türk" or "Türük" predates this by a long way, an example being the Göktürks Göktürks

The Gktrks or Kk-Trks were a Turkic people [i] of ancient Central Asia [i] and China [i] ... 

 . Ironically, the Turkish name for the bird, turkey, is "Hindi" which can be attributed to the belief that it originated in India India

India , officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia [i]. ... 

.

History

Because of its strategic location at the intersection of Asia Asia

Asia is the largest and most populous continent [i] or region, depending on the definition.... 

 and Europe Europe

Europe is one of the seven traditional continent [i]s of the Earth [i]. ... 

, Anatolia Anatolia

Anatolia is a region of Southwest Asia [i] which corresponds today to the Asiatic portion of Turkey [i] ... 

 has been a cradle for several civilization Civilization

The word civilization has a variety of meanings related to human society [i]. ... 

s since prehistoric Prehistory

Prehistory is a term often used to describe the period before written history [i] became available. ... 

 times, with Neolithic Neolithic

| style="border-bottom:3px solid; background:#efefef;" | This time period is part of theHolocene [i] epoch.
... 

 settlements such as Çatalhöyük Çatalhöyük

atalhyk was a very large Neolithic [i] and Chalcolithic [i] settlement in southern Anatolia [i], datin... 

 , Çayönü , Nevali Cori , Hacilar , Göbekli Tepe  and Mersin. The settlement of Troy Troy

Troy is a legendary city and center of the Trojan War [i], as described in the Trojan War cycle [i], es... 

 starts in the Neolithic and continues forward into the Iron Age. Through recorded history, Anatolians have spoken Indo-European Indo-European languages

The Indo-European languages comprise a family [i] of several hundred language [i]s and ... 

, Semitic Semitic languages

The Semitic languages are a family of languages spoken by more than 200 million people across much of th... 

 and Kartvelian languages, as well as many languages of uncertain affiliation. In fact, given the antiquity of the Indo-European Hittite and Luwian Luwian language

Luwian is an extinct part of the Anatolian branch [i] of the Indo-European [i] ... 

 languages, some scholars have proposed Anatolia as the hypothetical center from which the Indo-European language Indo-European languages

The Indo-European languages comprise a family [i] of several hundred language [i]s and ... 

s have radiated. Other authors have proposed an Anatolian origin for the Etruscans Etruscan civilization

The Etruscan civilization is the name given today to the culture and way of life of a people of ancient ... 

 of ancient Italy Italy

Italy, officially the Italian Republic , is a Southern European [i] country. ... 

. Iron Age peoples that have settled in or conquered Anatolia include the Phrygia Phrygia

In antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of the Anatolia [i] . ... 

ns, Hittites, Lydia Lydia

Lydia is a historic region of western Anatolia [i], congruent with Turkey [i]'s modern provinces of Izmir [i] ... 

ns, Lycia Lycia

Lycia is a region in the modern day Antalya Province [i] on the southern coast of Turkey [i]. ... 

ns, Celt Celt

The term Celt, normally pronounced // , refers to a member of any of a number of peoples in Europe u... 

s, Mushki Mushki

The Mushki were an Iron Age [i] people of Anatolia [i], known from Assyria [i]n sources. ... 

, Urartians Urartu

Urartu was an ancient kingdom [i] in eastern Anatolia [i], centered in the mountainous region ... 

, Kurds Kurdish people

group=Kurds
|image=
|poptime= 27 - 37.5 million
... 

, Cimmerian Cimmerians

The Cimmerians were ancient equestrian nomad [i]s who, according to Herodotus [i], originally inhabited ... 

s, Armenians Armenians

The Armenians are a nation [i] and an ethnic group [i] originating in the Caucasus [i] and eastern Anatolia [i] ... 

, Persians Persian people

The Persians are an Iranian people [i] who speak the Persian language [i] and share a co ... 

, Tabals and Greeks Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece is the period in Greek history [i] which lasted for around one thousand years and ended w ... 

.


The gradual conquest of Anatolia from the Byzantines Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used since the 19th century [i] to describe the Greek-spea ... 

 by Turkic peoples Turkic peoples

Turkic peoples are Northern and Central Eurasian [i] peoples who speak languages belonging to th ... 

, under the Seljuks Seljuq dynasty

The Seljuqs were a Muslim dynasty of Oghuz Turkic [i] descentConcise Britannica Online a ... 

 with the Battle of Manzikert Battle of Manzikert

The Battle of Manzikert, or The Battle of Malazgirt, was fought between the Byzantine Empire [i] a ... 

 and the rise of the Seljuk Empire Seljuq dynasty

The Seljuqs were a Muslim dynasty of Oghuz Turkic [i] descentConcise Britannica Online a ... 

 in the 11th century 11th century

As a means of recording the passage of time [i], the 11th century was that century [i] which lasted from ... 

 was finalized by the rise of the Ottoman Empire Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , is also sometimes known in the West [i] as the Turkish Empire. ... 

. By the end of the 16th century, at the height of its power, the Ottoman Empire grew to cover Anatolia, the Balkans Balkans

The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe a region [i] of southeastern ... 

, North Africa North Africa

North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost [i] region [i] of the Africa [i]n continent [i] ... 

, the Middle East Middle East

The Middle East is a subcontinent [i] for the historical [i] and cultural [i] ... 

, Eastern Europe Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe is the east [i]ern region [i] of Europe [i] variably defined. ... 

 and the Caucasus Caucasus

The Caucasus or Caucasia is a region in Eurasia [i] bordered on the south by Turkey [i] and Iran [i] ... 

. It comprised an area of about 5.6 million km², though it controlled a much larger area, if adjoining areas dominated mainly by nomad Nomad

Communities of nomadic people move from place to place, rather than settling down [i] in one loc ... 

ic tribes, where the empire's suzerainty was recognized, are included. The empire interacted with both Eastern Eastern world

The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures [i], social structures [i] ... 

 and Western Western culture

Western culture or Western civilization is a term used to refer to the culture [i]s of the people... 

 cultures throughout its 631-year history.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ottoman Empire was among the world's most powerful political entities, often locking horns with the powers of eastern Europe in its steady advance through the Balkans Balkans

The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe a region [i] of southeastern ... 

 and the southern part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, also known as the "Republic of the Two Nations" or "Commonweal... 

. Its navy was also a powerful force in the Mediterranean. On several occasions, the Ottoman army reached central Europe, laying siege Siege

A siege is a military [i] blockade [i] and assault [i] of a city [i] or fortress [i] with the int ... 

 to Vienna Vienna

Vienna is the capital [i] of Austria [i], and also one of the nine States of Austria [i]. ... 

 in 1529 and again in 1683 in an attempt to conquer the Habsburg Habsburg

Habsburg was an important ruling house [i] of Europe [i] and is best known as the ruling Ho ... 

 domain, and was finally repulsed only by grand coalitions of European powers at sea and on land.

Following years of decline, the Ottoman Empire entered World War I World War I

World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War and "The War to End All War... 

 in an alliance with Germany German Empire

The German Empire is the name conventionally given in English [i] to the German [i] ... 

 in 1914, in which it was ultimately defeated. After the war, western powers sought to partition the empire through the Treaty of Sèvres Treaty of Sèvres

The Treaty of Svres of August 10 [i], 1920 [i], was a peace treaty [i] between the Entente [i] ... 

. With the support of the Allies, Greece had occupied Izmir Izmir

Izmir is the third most populous city of Turkey [i] and the country's largest port after Istanbul [i]... 

 as provided for in the Treaty. On 19 May 1919 this prompted the beginning of a nationalist movement under the command of Mustafa Kemal Pasha Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

... 

, a military commander who had distinguished himself in the Battle of Gallipoli Battle of Gallipoli

The Battle of Gallipoli took place on the Turkish peninsula [i] of Gallipoli [i] from April 1915 [i] to ... 

 . Kemal Pasha sought to revoke the terms of the treaty signed by the Sultan in Istanbul Istanbul

Istanbul is Turkey [i]'s most populous city [i], and its cultural, and economic [i] centre. ... 

. This involved mobilizing every available part of Turkish society in what would become the Turkish War of Independence Turkish War of Independence

The Turkish War of Independence, or sometimes referred to as "birth of a nation" was part of the ... 

 .


By 18 September 1922 the occupying armies were repelled and the country saw the birth of a Turkish state. On 1 November 1922 the Turkish Grand National Assembly Grand National Assembly of Turkey

The Grand National Assembly is the unicameral [i] parliament [i] of Turkey [i] which carries out legislative [i] ... 

 formally abolished the office of the Sultan, ending 631 years of Ottoman rule. The Treaty of Lausanne Treaty of Lausanne

The Treaty of Lausanne was a peace treaty [i] that was signed in Lausanne [i], Switzerland [i] on July 24 [i] ... 

 of 1923 led to the international recognization of the sovereignty of the newly formed Republic of Turkey as the successor state of the defunct Ottoman Empire. Kemal Pasha became the Republic's first President and instituted far reaching reforms Atatürk's Reforms

... 

 with the aim of modernizing the new Republic from the remnants of its Ottoman past. According to the Law on Family Names, the Turkish Grand Assembly presented Mustafa Kemal with the honorific name "Atatürk" in 1934.

Turkey entered World War II World War II

World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide [i] conflict [i] fought betwe ... 

 on the Allied side in the latter stages of the war as a ceremonial gesture and became a charter member of the United Nations. Difficulties faced by Greece after World War II in quelling a communist rebellion and demands by the Soviet Union Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , more commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a Communist state [i] ... 

 for military bases in the Turkish Straits prompted the United States to declare the Truman Doctrine Truman Doctrine

The Truman Doctrine was a United States [i] foreign policy announced by President Harry S. Truman [i] ... 

 in 1947. The doctrine enunciated American intentions to guarantee the security of Turkey and Greece and resulted in large scale U.S. military and economic support.

After participating with United Nations forces in the Korean conflict Korean War

The Korean War began on June 25 [i], 1950 [i] and ended with a truce [i] on July 27 [i], 1953 [i] . ... 

, Turkey in 1952 joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO

Aznar also proposed a strategic co-operation with India [i] and Colombia [i]. ... 

. Turkey intervened and militarily invaded Cyprus Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasia [i]n island nation [i] in the eastern pa ... 

 in July 1974 in response to a Greek Cypriot coup by EOKA-B EOKA-B

Sorry, no overview for this topic 

. The resultant breakaway de-facto independent Northern Cyprus Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus or Turkish Cypriot State is a de facto [i] break-away [i] ... 

 is not officially recognised by any country except Turkey itself.

Turkey experienced a series of coups Coup d'état

A coup d'tat , or simply coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government [i] through unconstitutiona ... 

: Coup of 60, Coup by Memorandum, Coup of 80 and the Postmodern Coup D'etat. The period of the 70s and 80s was marked by political instability and rapid, but at times erratic economic growth. A series of economic shocks led to new elections in 2002, bringing into power the conservative Justice and Development Party  led by the former mayor of Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In October 2005, the European Union European Union

The European Union is an intergovernmental [i] and supranational [i] ... 

 opened accession negotiations with Ankara and thus Turkey is a candidate country to join the European Union as a full member, having been an associate member since 1964.

Politics

The Politics of Turkey takes place in a framework of a secular Secularism

Secularity is the state of being free from religious [i] or spiritual [i] qualities. ... 

 parliamentary Parliamentary system

|
|-
|
|}
A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism, is distinguished by the executive branch of government [i] ... 

 representative democratic republic Republic

In a broad definition, a republic is a state [i] or country [i] that is led by people whose political power [i] ... 

, whereby the Prime Minister of Turkey is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power Legislature

A legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly [i] with the power to adopt law [i]s. ... 

 is vested in both the government and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Grand National Assembly of Turkey

The Grand National Assembly is the unicameral [i] parliament [i] of Turkey [i] which carries out legislative [i] ... 

. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

Executive branch

The function of Head of State is performed by the President of the Republic List of Presidents of Turkey

There have been ten Presidents of the Republic of Turkey [i] since its inception. ... 

 '. A president is elected every seven years by the Grand National Assembly but he does not have to be a member of parliament. The current President Ahmet Necdet Sezer was elected on May 16, 2000.
Executive power rests in the Prime Minister 
' and the Council of Ministers ', who make up the government. Neither the Prime Minister nor the Ministers have to be members of Parliament; nevertheless almost all the time they are . The Prime Minister is elected by the parliament through a vote of confidence in his government, and he is generally the head of the party that has won the elections. The current Prime Minister is Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose Islamic conservative AKP won an absolute majority of parliamentary seats in the 2002 general elections.
The President of the Parliament is Bülent Arinç, also from the same party.

Legislative branch


Legislative Legislature

A legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly [i] with the power to adopt law [i]s. ... 

 power is invested in the 550-seat Grand National Assembly of Turkey Grand National Assembly of Turkey

The Grand National Assembly is the unicameral [i] parliament [i] of Turkey [i] which carries out legislative [i] ... 

  that represents the Turkish Nation. Its members are elected for a five year term by mitigated proportional representation with a national election threshold of 10%. There are 85 electoral districts that represent the 81 administrative provinces of Turkey . To avoid a hung parliament and its excessive political fragmentation, only parties that win at least 10% of the national vote in a national parliamentary election gain the right to parliamentary representation. Independent candidates may run, and to be elected, they must only win 10% of the vote in the district they are running from. Political parties deemed anti-secular or separatist by the Constitutional Court can have their public financing and activities suspended or its existence be banned altogether. Turkey has a multi-party system, with several well-established parties, ranging from the extreme-left to the extreme-right.

Judicial branch

The freedom and independence of the Judicial System is guaranteed by the constitution. There is no organization, person, or institution that can interfere in the functioning of the courts: the executive and legislative structures must follow the decisions of the courts. The courts, who are independent in discharging their duties, must explain all of their rulings on the basis of the provisions of the Constitution, the applicable laws, the corresponding jurisprudence and their personal convictions as jurists.

The Judicial system obeys a strict hiearachy. Turkish courts have no jury system; judges render decisions after establishing the facts in each case based on evidence presented by lawyers and prosecutors. A Justice of the peace statutes on misdemeanor charges and petty complaints, and he does so as a single judge. Three-judge courts of first instance have jurisdiction over major civil suits and felony charges. Any conviction in a case can be taken to a Court of Appeals for judicial review. If that fails, the case can be referred to the Danistay for administrative cases and to Yargitay High Court of Appeals

The High Court of Appeals is the last instance for reviewing decisions and judgements given by courts of... 

for judicial cases, conforming to the principle of the seperation of powers. The Constitutional Court statutes on the conformity of laws and regulations to the Constitution, and it can be seized by the President of the Republic, the government, the members of Parliament or any judge before which an exception of unconstitutionality has been raised by a defendant or a plaintiff. The Constitutional Court has the right to both a priori and a posteriori review, and it can invalidate whole laws or regulations and ban their application for all future cases. The current President of the Constitutional Court is Mustafa Bumin.

The Turkish military also plays an informal political role, seeing itself as the guardian of the secular, unitary nature of the republic and reforms of Ataturk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

... 

.

Foreign Relations


Turkish - EU relations


Turkey's main political, economic and military relations remain rooted within Western Europe Western Europe

Western Europe is mainly a socio-political concept coined [i], forged and used during the Cold War [i]. ... 

 and the United States United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

. An associate member of the European Union since 1964, Turkey is currently in the process of accession pending the completion of negotiations Accession of Turkey to the European Union

Turkey [i]'s formal application to join the European Community [i]—the organisation that has since ... 

. Based on what it views as lukewarm support for its accession to the EU and alleged double standards in its negotiations the Turkish public has become increasingly euroskeptic Euroscepticism

Euroscepticism is scepticism [i] about, or disagreement with, existing and many proposed fut ... 

 in recent times. A mid-2006 Eurobarometer survey revealed that 43% of Turkish citizens view the EU positively; just 35% trust the EU, 45% support enlargement and just 29% support an EU constitution. It is believed that the accession process would take at least 10 years, and the earliest date that Turkey could enter the EU is 2013, the date when the next six-year EU budget will come into force .

Turkish - American relations


Turkey has remained a close ally of the United States, supporting it in the war on terror War on Terrorism

The War on Terrorism or War on Terror is the name used by the United States [i], enlisting the sup ... 

 in the post September 11th climate. However, the Iraq war Iraq War

The Iraq War, also known alternatively as the Second or Third Gulf War [i], is a military en ... 

 faced strong domestic opposition in Turkey and as such, the Turkish parliament voted against allowing US troops to attack Iraq from its south-eastern border. This led to a period of cooling in relations, but soon regained momentum through diplomatic, humanitarian and indirect military support. Turkey is particularly cautious about an independent Kurdish state arising from a destabilised Iraq Iraq

The Republic of Iraq, is a Middle East [i]ern country [i] in southwestern Asia [i] encomp ... 

. Turkey has fought an insurgent war against the Kurdistan Workers Party , that seeks Kurdish independence, in which some estimated 30,000 people have lost their lives. This has led Ankara to pressure the US into clamping down on guerrilla training camps in northern Iraq, though it remains reluctant due to its relative stability compared to the rest of Iraq. Turkey must therefore balance domestic pressures with commitments to its strongest ally.

Turkish - Greek relations


Historically, relations with neighbour Greece Greece

Greece
Greece lies at the juncture of Europe [i], Asia [i], and Africa [i]. ... 

 have been strained and occasionally close to war. The antagonism can be traced all the way back to centuries of Ottoman Turkish rule over the Greek people and consequent struggle by the latter for the creation of a Greek nation state. The last one emerged over the Cyprus dispute Cyprus dispute

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The Cyprus Dispute is the conflict between Greek Cypriot [i]s and Turkish Cypriots [i] and als ... 

 and conflicts on the status of the Aegean Sea Aegean Sea

The Aegean Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea [i], located between the Greek peninsula and Anatolia [i] ... 

 are the current main points of contention. Cyprus remains divided between a Greek Cypriot south, and a Turkish Cypriot north Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus or Turkish Cypriot State is a de facto [i] break-away [i] ... 

 recognized only by Turkey. Efforts to reunite the island under the auspices of the United Nations United Nations

name = United Nations
Nations Unies
... 

 have failed thus far. As far as the Aegean Sea is concerned, Ankara considers it strategically important for easy passage of Turkish vessels. Turkey does not recognise the extension of Greek territorial waters to 12-mile around the islands of the Aegean. Ankara argues that the Turkish Aegean coasts would then be blocked by Greek territorial waters, despite the innocent passage of vessels that is universally recognised within the territorial waters Territorial waters

Territorial waters, or a territorial sea, is a belt of coastal waters extending at most twelve nautical mile [i] ... 

 of any state according to the Law of the Sea. Turkey has warned that such an act would be considered a casus belli or an act of war on Turkey.

Nonetheless, following consecutive earthquakes in both Turkey and Greece and the prompt response of aid and rescue teams from both sides, the two nations have entered a much more positive period of relations, with Greece actively supporting Turkey's candidacy to enter the European Union European Union

The European Union is an intergovernmental [i] and supranational [i] ... 

. In 2002, Turkey and Greece made an unsuccessful attempt to jointly host the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship 2008 UEFA European Football Championship

The 2008 UEFA [i] European Football Championship will take place in Austria [i] and Switzerland [i], fro ... 

. The bid was one of the four candidacies that was recommended to the UEFA Executive Committee, the joint Austria/Switzerland bid winning the right to host the tournament.

A clear sign of improved relations was visible in the response to a mid air collision by Greek and Turkish fighter jets in the southern Aegean in May 2006. While the Turkish pilot ejected safely, the Greek pilot lost his life. Both countries agreed that the event should not affect their bilateral relations.

Military





The Turkish Armed Forces Turkish Armed Forces

Turkish Armed Forces consists of the Army [i], Navy [i] and Air Force [i] ... 

  consists of the Army Turkish Army

Branch of Turkish Armed Forces [i], or for short, Turkish Army [i] can deploy 90,000 to 100,000 men stre ... 

, Navy Turkish Navy

Branch of Turkish Armed Forces [i], Turkish Navy [i] can participate in international operations and exe ... 

  and Air Force Turkish Air Force

The Turkish Air Force is the aviation branch of the Turkish Armed Forces [i].
... 

. The Gendarmerie Turkish Gendarmerie

The Gendarmerie of The Republic of Turkey is a branch of Turkish Armed Forces [i], which is responsible ... 

 and the Coast Guard Turkish Coast Guard

Branch of the Turkish Armed Forces [i] during war time, the Turkish Coast Guard [i] was established in 1 ... 

 operate as parts of the Department of Internal Affairs in peacetime. They are subordinated to the Army and Navy Commands respectively in wartime, during which they both have law enforcement and military functions. The Turkish Armed forces, with a combined troop strength of 1,043,550 people, is the second largest standing armed force in NATO, after the United States of America. The Turkish Armed Forces became a member of the NATO Alliance on February 18, 1952. Currently, 36,000 troops are stationed in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Every fit male Turkish citizen has to serve military service for varying time periods ranging between 1 month to 15 months depending on his education and job location.

In 1998, Turkey announced a modernization programme worth some $31 billion over a period of ten years including tanks, helicopters and assault rifles. Turkey is also a level three contributor to the Joint Strike Fighter F-35 Lightning II

The F-35 Lightning II previously called the X-35 and the Joint Strike Fighter is a single... 

  program, gaining an opportunity to develop and influence the creation of the next generation fighter spearheaded by the United States.


The Armed forces have traditionally been a politically powerful institution, considering themselves the guardians of Atatürk's legacy. They have staged three coups between 1960 and 1980, whilst also influencing the removal of the Islam-oriented government of Necmettin Erbakan in 1997. Through the National Security Council , the army has influenced policy on issues it deems a threat to the country, including those relating to Kurdish insurgency and Islamism. In recent years, reforms have seen an increased civilian presence on the NSC and a decline in the military's influence as it attempts to comply with the EU's Copenhagen criteria Copenhagen criteria

The Copenhagen criteria are the rules that define whether a nation [i] is eligible to join the European Union [i] ... 

. Despite its influence in civilian affairs, the military continues to enjoy strong support from the nation, frequently seen as Turkey's most trusted institution.

The Commander of The Turkish Armed Forces is The Chief of the General Staff Chief of the Turkish General Staff

The Chief of the Turkish General Staff is a military officer of the rank of General [i] and presides ove ... 

 General Yasar Büyükanit Yasar Büyükanit

... 

 who succeeded General Hilmi Özkök Hilmi Özkök

General Hilmi zkk was the Commander-in-Chief [i] of the armed forces [i] of Turkey [i] ... 

 on August 30, 2006. The President, as the Head of State, is The Commander in Chief, in times of peace. The Chief of the General Staff becomes the Commander in Chief, on behalf of the President, in times of war.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Turkey Geography of Turkey

Turkey [i] is situated in Anatolia [i] and Southeastern Europe [i] , bordering the Black Sea [i], betwee ... 





The territory of Turkey extends from 36° to 42° N and from 26° to 45° E in Eurasia Eurasia