Information on Turkey

National Symbols

National Flag
'Ay Yıldız'( Turkish moon and star) is the name of Turkish flag consists of a white crescent and star on a red background. Red is a prominent color in Turkish history, especially associated with the bloody battles of the Turkish War of Independence. The crescent and star are generally regarded as Islamic symbols today.
The Flag's origins spring from various legends, the most popular of which include: A reflection of the moon and a star appearing in pools of blood after the Battle of Kosovo, reportedly witnessed by Sultan Murad I, which led to the adoption of a Turkish flag with this appearance. Another story reports that in a dream, the first Ottoman Emperor saw this image on the flag. Another story says a crescent and star were spotted on the night of the fall of Constantinople to Mehmet II in 1453. The most widely believed story, however, tells of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish Republic, walking on a battlefield one night after a victorious battle in the Turkish War of Independence, and seeing the reflection of the star and crescent formation in a large pool of blood on the rocky hill terrain of Sakarya.


National Flower

The national flower of Turkey is Tulip.


National Anthem
The "istiklal Marşı" (Independence March) is the Turkish National Anthem, officially adopted on March 12, 1921. A total of 724 poems were submitted to a nation-wide competition organized to find and select the most suitable original composition for this National March. A 10-verse poem written by the renowned poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy was adopted unanimously by the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Twenty-four composers participated in another competition arranged for the selection of a musical composition that would suit the elected National Anthem best. The Council, which was only able to convene in 1924, due to the Turkish War of Independence, adopted the music composed by Ali Rıfat Çağatay. The words of the National Anthem were sung to this music until 1930. Thereafter, the music of the National Anthem was changed to an arrangement written by Osman Zeki Üngör, conductor of the Presidential Symphonic Orchestra, and the words have been sung to this musical accompaniment ever since. It should be noted, however, that only the first two verses are sung. This song is also used as the National Anthem by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Climate

The climate is a Mediterranean temperate climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, wet and cold winters, though conditions can be much harsher in the more arid interior.

	Average Temp	High Temp	Low Temp	Average Hum.	Average Rain
Marmara Region	13.5	44.6	-27.8	71.2	564.3
Aegean Region	15.4	48.5	-45.6	60.9	706.0
Mediteranian Region	16.4	45.6	-33.5	63.9	706.0
Black Sea Region	12.3	44.2	-32.8	70.9	828.5
Central Anatolia	10.6	41.8	-36.2	62.6	392.0
East Anatolia	9.7	44.4	-45.6	60.9	569.0
Southeast Anatolia	16.5	48.4	-24.3	53.4	584.5

Four Distinct Seasons
There are four seasons in most of Turkey’s climate. However, spring and autumn are generally rather brief. Yet, in some areas such as Antalya, Adana and Van, there are two different seasons according to the altitude of the area you are in. Snow can be found on top of the mountains, and hot weather can be found at sea level in the same province on the same day. That is why every season can be felt all year round in Turkey.

Language

The official language is Turkish, but over 7 % of the poplulation uses Kurdish as their primary language(1965 census). Although it wasn’t always the case, Turkey currently allows Kurds and other minorities to use, broadcast and teach their own language publicly. The other most commonly spoken languages besides Turkish are Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Laz and Greek.

Background
The Turks were one of many linguistic and ethnic groups within the Ottoman Empire. Members of the military, civil and religious elite conducted their business in Ottoman Turkish dialect, a mixture of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish. Arabic was the primary language of religion and religious law, while Persian was the language of art, literature. and diplomacy. Ottoman Turkish borrowed vocabulary words as well as entire expressions and syntactic structures from Arabic and Persian.


When Mustafa Kemal Ataturk came to power in 1923, he instituted sweeping reforms in Turkey. One of these reforms dealt with language. The goal was to introduce a language more Turkish, modern, practical, precise, and easier to learn than the old language. Beginning in May, 1928, numbers written in Arabic were replaced with their Westem equivalents. In November of that year, the Grand National Assembly approved the new Roman (or Latin) alphabet, which had been devised by a committee of scholars including several American linguists. On January 1, 1929, it became unlawful to use the Arabic alphabet. The new alphabet represents the Turkish vowels and consonants more clearly that does the old alphabet. Composed of Latin letters and a few additional variants including s (as in church), 6 (as in shell), and U (as in few), it contains one symbol for each sound of standard Turkish. The adoption of the Latin alphabet was a conscious tum away from the Islamic world and toward the West.


The long-term effects of the language reform have been considered positive overall. Reading, spelling, and printing are now mush simpler than before, and literacy has greatly increased. Modem Turkish is more direct and concise than Ottoman Turkish which makes it better suited to modem life, including science and technology.


Guide to Pronunciation
Pronunciation of Turkish words is phonetic with all letters having the same value in every situation. The Turkish alphabet contains all the letters of the English alphabet except for q, x, and w. In general, most letters are pronounced about the same as in English with a few exceptions. The stress on Turkish words is different than in English. It usually falls on the last syllable, although many people argue it is the first syllable. Names of places are the exceptions where stress can be on any syllable, such as Istanbul, Marmaris, and Izmir.


Turkish Alphabet


Basic Expressions

Basic Conversational English	Turkish	Word - Places English	Turkish
Hi	Merhaba	Public phone	Sokak telefonu
How are you ? How do you do ?	Nasılsın / nasılsınız (respect form)	toilet	Lavabo, tuvalet
What's your name ?	Senin adın ne ?	Restaurant Coffe shop	Lokanta Kahve hane, çay evi
My name is .....	Benim adım ......	Subway station	Metro istasyonu
How old are you ?	Kaç yaşındasınız ?	Bus stop/ Taxi stand	Otobus durağı/ Taksi durağı
Good morning	Gün aydın.	Train Station/ Express bus terminal	Tren istasyonu/ Otogar
Thank you.	Sağ Ol ( Sagol)	Museum/ Art gallery	Müze/ Resim galleri
Excuse me	Pardon	Bank Police station	Banka Polis karakolu
You're welcome.	Bir şey değil	Post office Hospital	PTT (PeTeTe) Hastane
I am fine.	İyiyim.	Pharmacy	Ezcane
Yes	Evet	Church	Kilise
No	Hayır	Mosque	Camii
That's good !	Tamam !	Supermarket	Market
Please Hurry up !	Çavuk Lütfen !	Bookstore	Kitap evi
Please help me. How much is it ?	Yardım eder misiniz?, Ne kadar?	Bakery/ Department store	Pastane, Fırın/ alışveriş merkezi, Mağaza
I understand, I don't understand	Anladım, Anla-ma-dım	Tourist information	Turist merkezi
Could you say that again ?	Bir daha söyler misin ?	School	Okul
Slowly please !	Yavaş Lütfen !	Company	Firma, şirket
Please write here.	Buraya yazar mısınız ?	Bread, Milk	Ekmek, Süt
Wait a minute !	Bir dakika !	Ticket	Billet
Who ?, Where ?	Kim ?, Nerede ?	Water	Su
When?, How?	Ne zaman?, Nasıl?	Money	Para

History

The land of Anatolia has seen many civilizations, the remains of which can be found all over the country. These civilisations date back to the earliest ages of humanity. Paleolithic times go back approximately 500,000 years ago and constitute the first period from which discoveries of our oldest humans ancestors exist. Discoveries have been made by archeologists at Belbaşı and Beldibi near Antalya, shedding light on this age.

The period 8000-5000 BC, saw the Neolithic age, when the first settlements with the first communities occurred. Çatal Höyük in Konya, which is progably the world's first town in the modern sense, is in Turkey. The more sophisticated characteristics of the beginnings of human civilisatio found in this this period are easily observed from the findings at this settlement and also in Haçılar.

Next comes the Bronze Age, between 2500-2000 BC, during which the Hatti culture developed. This was followed by the Hittites from 1800 to 1200 BC. During these two periods, Anatolia witnessed more advanced social systems and the establishment of great monuments. Hattusas, (Boğazköy) near Ankara, was the capital of Hittites. Also, at Yazılıkaya, another Hittite center, hieroglyphic tablets from this period have been found.

Several centuries later, about 800 BC; the Carian, Lycian, Lydian and Phrygian Empires were established, as well as Greek colonies. The cultural signs from this age still evident all over the Aegean Coast.

Between 33 - 323 BC, the Greeks conquered the Persian states that had been founded in the 6th century BC. The Greek (Hellenistic) Empire spread all over the land. From this period city walls, gymnasiums, theaters and stadiums remain.

By 230 BC, Romans were crossing the Aegean towards Anatolia, and from this period onwards, the Anatolian lifestyle was influenced by the Romans. Many changes took place in the land of Turkey during these times. The Cappadocia region still bears the imprint of Rome to this day, with Roman bridges and roads still visible in places.

After the advent of Christianity, the Roman Empire eventually divided in two in AD 395. The Western Empire eventually collapsed and the Eastern half of the empire evolved into the Byzantine Empire. Constantinople (Istanbul) became the new capital, but was eventually sacked by the Latin incursion in AD 1204 during the time of the crusades. Long before this time, Islam had been brought to Anatolia with the invasions of Arabs in AD 654. They passed their religion onto the Seljuk Turks in the region who later occupied most of the land. Konya became the Seljuk capital around 1000 AD and although the Selcuks ruled much of Anatolia, there were still remnants of the old Byzantine Empire, particularly Constantinople and some neighboring areas.

After AD 1243, the Mongols invaded Anatolia, and then soon after, the Ottoman Turks, founded the Ottoman Empire in 1299 around Bursa. From there the empire rapidly advanced. By the time of the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Ottoman Empire had enlarged its borders to include territory in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Until its official end in 1918, this empire saw many periods of flourishing growth followed by retrenchment and finally, gradual decay and retreat, but not without leaving behind its rich heritage, culture and treasures throughout this region of the world.

In 1923, the Republic of Turkey was founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the national hero of Turkey. After witnessing such a vast parade of civilizations rising and falling in its land, Turkey now encompasses a modern country, working to attain integration and influence in the whole world. Indeed, Turkey is considered by many analysts as one of the most infuential countries in the region. As a fully functioning democracy, it has become known as a bridge between the democratic world and the world of Islam. It is seen as a nation with a growing and dynamic economy and should only continue to grow in its importance to the world.

Religion

Most of the population introduce themselves as Muslim. The Islam in Turkey is largely a secular one, not strongly attached into the mainstream of Sunni practice. Nominally speaking, 95%-96% of the population is Muslim and a few percent would consider themselves atheist. However, only a minority would consider themselves to be particularly devout Muslims. Most belong to the Sunni branch of Islam. About 15-20% of the population are Alevi Muslims, a very unique sect with some beliefs very different than traditional Sunni Islam.

Unlike other Muslim-majority countries, there is a strong tradition of a fair amount of separation between religion and state in Turkey. Even though the state does not officially enforce belief in any religion, it actively monitors the relationships between the religions and provides funds and teachers for religious education for the Sunni sect of Islam.

The Orthodox Patriarch (patrik) governs the Greek-Orthodox Church in Turkey and acts as the spiritual leader of all Orthodox churches throughout the world. The Armenian patriarch of the Armenian Church resides here, while the Jewish community is lead by the Hahambasi, Turkey's Chief Rabbi. All of these leaders are based in Istanbul. The Jewish population in Turkey is one of the largest and most prominent outside of Israel and the United States. (See Jews of Turkey for more)

Turks: People in Turkey

• Population: 74,816,000 (2009 est.)
• Age structure:
  0-14 years: 28.42% (male 9,620,291; female 9,276,347)
  15-64 years: 65.45% (male 22,116,599; female 21,401,165)
  65 years and over: 6.13% (male 1,878,571; female 2,200,997) (2001 est.)
• Population growth rate: 1.24% (2001 est.)
• Birth rate: 18.31 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
• Death rate: 5.95 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
• Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
• Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
• Infant mortality rate: 47.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
• Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 71.24 years
  male: 68.89 years
  female: 73.71 years (2001 est.)
• Total fertility rate: 2.12 children born/woman (2001 est.)
• HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (1999 est.)
• Nationality:
  noun: Turk(s)
  adjective: Turkish
• Ethnic groups: Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20%
• Religions: Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (Christian and Jews)
• Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek
• Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 85%
  male: 94%
  female: 77% (2000)