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Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located 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 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, while Istanbul is its largest city and economic and financial center. Other major cities include İzmir, Bursa, and Antalya.

Turkey was first inhabited by modern humans during 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. The Hattians were assimilated by the Anatolian peoples, such as the Hittites. 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 Constantinople 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 a 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. Several military interventions interfered with the transition to a multi-party system.

Turkey is an upper-middle-income and emerging country; its economy is the world's 17th-largest by nominal and 12th-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 a universal healthcare system, growing access to education, and increasing levels of 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 fifth most visited country in the world. (Full article...)

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The Ottoman Empire (/ˈɒtəmən/ ^ⓘ), also called the Turkish Empire, was an imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Central Europe, between the early 16th and early 18th centuries.

The empire emerged from a beylik, or principality, founded in northwestern Anatolia in c. 1299 by the Turkoman tribal leader Osman I. His successors conquered much of Anatolia and expanded into the Balkans by the mid-14th century, transforming their petty kingdom into a transcontinental empire. The Ottomans ended the Byzantine Empire with the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 by Mehmed II, which marked the Ottomans' emergence as a major regional power in the Balkans and in Anatolia in the second half of the 15th century. Under Suleiman the Magnificent (1520–1566), the empire reached the zenith of its power, prosperity, and political development expanding its influence further into Middle East and Central Europe. By the start of the 17th century, the Ottomans presided over 32 provinces and numerous vassal states, which over time were either absorbed into the Empire or granted various degrees of autonomy. With its capital at Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and control over a significant portion of the Mediterranean Basin, the Ottoman Empire was at the centre of interactions between the Middle East and Europe for six centuries. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Mount Nemrut, Adıyaman (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 2Turkish coffee (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 3Istanbul (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 4Entrance portal of the Karatay Madrasa in Konya (c. 1251) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 5Butterfly Valley on the Turkish Riviera. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 6Köppen climate types of Turkey (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 7Mehmed II enters Constantinople by Fausto Zonaro (from History of Turkey)
Image 8Ankara (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 9A view of Levent from Kanlıca across the Bosporus (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 10The 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 11Map showing events of the first phases of the Greco-Persian Wars (from History of Turkey)
Image 12Yalikavak Palmarina in Bodrum (2014) designed by Emre Arolat (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 13View from Levent district in Istanbul. Istanbul's skyline has changed especially since the early 2000s. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 14Roosevelt, İnönü and Churchill at the Second Cairo Conference which was held between 4–6 December 1943. (from History of Turkey)
Image 15Mount Ararat (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 16Designed by Şekip Akalın, Ankara Central Station (1937) is a notable art deco design of its era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 17Antalya (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 18View of Beydağları Coastal National Park (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 19Mount Erciyes near Kayseri (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 20Namık Kemal was a prominent Turkish poet, novelist, playwright and journalist of the late-19th-century Ottoman Empire. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 21Map showing the Anatolian Plate, the North Anatolian Fault and East Anatolian Fault in Turkey. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 22Night view of the Taksim Mosque (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 23An Oil wrestling tournament in Istanbul. This has been the national sport of Turkey since Ottoman times. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 24Orhan Pamuk, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 25Tevfik Fikret (1867–1915) was a prominent Turkish poet of the late Ottoman era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 26Map of Istanbul by the miniature artist Matrakçı Nasuh (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 27Turkish delight (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 28Atatürk on the cover of the Time magazine, Vol. I No. 4, March 24, 1923. Title: "Mustapha Kemal Pasha" (from History of Turkey)
Image 29Thrace and the Thracian Odrysian kingdom in its maximum extent under Sitalces (431-424 BC) (from History of Turkey)
Image 30Kaçkar Mountains (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 31Fazıl 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 32First 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 33Sami Frashëri (1850–1904) and his wife Emine, May 1884. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 34The sultan of the golden age, Suleiman the Magnificent. (from History of Turkey)
Image 35The Nation's Library of the Presidency, Ankara (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 36Anıtkabir designed by Emin Halid Onat and Ahmet Orhan Arda (1944–53) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 37Orhan Veli Kanık was the founder of the Garip Movement in Turkish poetry. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 38Originally 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 39Istanbul Sapphire (2006–11) is the tallest building in Turkey and 4th in Europe. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 40Beaches and marina of Kemer near Antalya on the Turkish Riviera (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 41Karagöz and Hacivat are the lead characters of the traditional Turkish shadow play, popularized during the Ottoman period. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 42Map of the Lydian Kingdom in its final period of sovereignty under Croesus, c. 547 BC. (from History of Turkey)
Image 43Ankara Opera House, designed by Şevki Balmumcu (1933–34) and renovation by Paul Bonatz (1946–47). (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 44Map of earthquakes in Turkey 1900–2023 (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 45View of Dilek Peninsula-Büyük Menderes Delta National Park (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 46Lake Van (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 47The Bath-Gymnasium complex at Sardis in Turkey. (from History of Turkey)
Image 48The Ottoman Empire in 1683, at the start of the Great Turkish War (1683–1699) (from History of Turkey)
Image 49Recaizade Mahmud Ekrem (1847–1914) was another prominent Turkish poet of the late Ottoman era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 50Istanbul University Faculty of Science and Faculty of Literature Buildings (1944–52) designed by Sedad Hakkı Eldem and Emin Onat (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 51Selimiye Mosque in Edirne (1568–1574) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 52Turkish national basketball team won the silver medal in the 2010 FIBA World Championship. (from Culture of Turkey)

Did you know - show different entries

... that before its restoration the Kasim Ağa Mosque in Istanbul was used as a shanty? (April 7, 2012)
... that Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus
(pictured) in Turkey, established in 1955, is the longest-serving member of the Hilton Hotels chain outside the United States? (February 21, 2013)
... that the Ottoman Bank, established as a private bank in 1856, became a central bank in 1863 and issued banknotes in the Ottoman Empire and then Turkey until 1931? (March 8, 2007) Wikipedia:Recent additions 125
... that visitors to the Ulucanlar Prison Museum who pay extra to be handcuffed and locked in an isolation cell for a limited time may not leave it before the agreed time is up? (April 26, 2013)
... that Kieran Prendergast was the British Ambassador to Turkey before serving as United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs? (June 21, 2008) Wikipedia:Recent additions 220
... that, when completed, the Deriner Dam will be the tallest in Turkey? (September 7, 2010)
... that Istanbul University Professor Semavi Eyice is regarded as the pioneer of Byzantine studies in Turkey? (April 27, 2012)

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Image 1Kemer
Image 2Lahmacun
Image 3Aydilge Sarp; Turkish singer, songwriter and novelist
Image 4An airplane with a nazar boncuğu symbol that is said to offer protection from the "evil eye".
Image 5Ölüdeniz
Image 6Antalya
Image 7The Temple of Athena at Priene, an ancient site near Turunçlar in Aydın province.
Image 8A tram in Istanbul
Image 9Flag of Turkey, from flowers
Image 10The tughra of Mahmud II. "Mahmud Han bin Abdulhamid muzaffer daima" ("Mahmud Khan son of Abdulhamid is forever victorious").
Image 11Iznik, 16th-century vase
Image 12Rize
Image 13Lake Akdoğan in Muş
Image 14The ancient Lake Abant Nature Park in Bolu
Image 15The sun setting over the Golden Horn in the city of Istanbul.
Image 16Mount Nemrut
Image 171. picture on portal: The prominent towers of Dayro d-Mor Gabriel; 15th December 2005
Image 18Tarkan with Hungarian fans
Image 19Cappadocia
Image 20Safranbolu
Image 21the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne
Image 22A faculty of Sakarya University
Image 2318th-century Ottoman barber's apron
Image 24A Kocek
Image 25Tünel, Istanbul
Image 26Atatürk praying
Image 27the Bosphorus Bridge

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Pamuk in 2009

Ferit Orhan Pamuk (born 7 June 1952; Turkish pronunciation: [feˈɾit oɾˈhan paˈmuk]) is a Turkish novelist, screenwriter, academic, and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of Turkey's most prominent novelists, he has sold over 13 million books in 63 languages, making him the country's best-selling writer.

Pamuk's novels include Silent House, The White Castle, The Black Book, The New Life, My Name Is Red and Snow. He is the Robert Yik-Fong Tam Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, where he teaches writing and comparative literature. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2018. (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 Sıla (singer) Erol Gelenbe Kemal Derviş Hande Yener Sertab Erener Said Altınordu Tarkan (singer) Junayd of Aydın Daron Acemoglu

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Ephesus was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, three kilometres southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey

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Videos from Turkey on Wikimedia Commons

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“

Heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives! You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours. You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.

”

1934 ~ 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