With its unique position at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Turkey has played a crucial role in world history. The country served as a barrier and bridge between two continents, became the focal point of a trade route that brought prosperity to the country, and laid the foundations of the rich cultural mix that exists in the country today.
Turkish culture has undergone a great change in the last 100 years. Before 1923, the Ottoman Empire was a multinational state. However, it was isolated and ethnic and religious groups did not mix with each other, maintaining their own separate identities.
Today, Turkey is a modern country with various intertwined cultures, including Muslims, Jews, Greeks, Armenians, and Syrians. There is also a strong distinction between rural and cosmopolitan life; Turks in the countryside adopt a more conservative lifestyle, while Turks living in the city look to a more modern lifestyle.
Turkey is home to about 80 million citizens. Three-quarters of the population is of Turkish descent, primarily progressive Muslims. Turkey is also home to a large Muslim Kurdish population, which makes up about 18% of Turkey’s population. Over the past few years, Turkey has also hosted a large number of Syrian refugees, with around 3.5 million thought to live in the country.
Turkey’s population is very young and active. Young professionals are moving to cities in greater numbers, changing the face of Turkey’s city centers and shaping its economy.
Before Turkey became a republic, the lands were ruled by the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire was established in 1299 with the merger of a number of Turkish tribes. However, it was not until the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 that the Ottoman state became a true empire. From this point to 1683, the Ottoman Empire continued to grow through a series of conquests and invasions of other regions and tribes. At the height of the Ottoman Empire’s control over the region, the empire ruled a population of more than 15,000,000.
The mighty empire began to crumble in the 18th century, when a series of wars over the Ottomans fought on many fronts and over many territories.
With the First World War, the sun set on the Ottoman Empire and in 1923, the Turkish Republic witnessed the birth. One of the founders of this new movement is Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer who led the Turkish National Movement during the Turkish War of Independence.
After his victory, Atatürk began to transform the Ottoman Empire into a European Nation-State. He oversaw the opening of new schools, initiated government reform programs, and lowered taxes. The emergence of this new type of government in Turkey was the beginning of its growth as a modernized European nation.
In July 2018, Turkey abolished the 95-year-old parliamentary system that concentrated all political power in the office of the president. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who took office for the second time on the same date, radically reshaped a number of laws, regulations and institutions.
The president has the power to directly appoint ministers, several judges and bureaucrats, and one or more vice presidents, replacing an elected vice president. Erdogan will also determine the national budget.
Although the President seems to have ultimate power, the Turkish Parliament still has influence. They have the power to revoke presidential decrees and the president cannot overthrow them by decrees passed by Parliament. Moreover, it cannot issue decrees in areas that the constitution specifically reserves for parliamentary legislation. This includes criminal sanctions, declarations of war or allowing foreign troops to enter Turkish territory.
Başkan, seçilmiş bir başkan yardımcısının yerini alarak bakanları, birçok yargıç ve bürokratı ve bir veya daha fazla başkan yardımcısını doğrudan atama yetkisine sahiptir. Erdoğan milli bütçeyi de belirleyecek.
Cumhurbaşkanının nihai gücü varmış gibi görünse de, Türkiye Parlamentosu hâlâ nüfuz sahibi. Cumhurbaşkanlığı kararnamelerini iptal etme yetkisine sahipler ve cumhurbaşkanı, Parlamento tarafından kabul edilen kanun hükmünde kararnamelerle deviremez. Ayrıca, anayasanın özellikle parlamenter mevzuat için ayırdığı alanlarda kararname çıkaramaz. Buna cezai yaptırımlar, savaş ilanları veya yabancı birliklerin Türk topraklarına girmesine izin verilmesi dahildir
Turkey is more than just beaches. The country is home to a diverse and rich collection of landscapes. Surrounded by three seas, Turkey has a coastline of approximately 8000 kilometers. The country is divided into seven geographical regions: Aegean, Central Anatolia, Eastern Anatolia, Southeastern Anatolia, Black Sea, Marmara and Mediterranean regions. Turkey’s largest land area is Anatolia, which connects Turkey to Asia. Most of Anatolia consists of narrow coastal plains and high plateaus. To the east, most of the terrain is mountainous and connected to major river systems.
Total Area: 783, 562 km²
Climate: Hot and dry summers and mild winters
Highest Point: Mount Ararat 5.166 m
Lowest Point: Mediterranean 0 m
These different regions also have different climates, which is a characteristic unique to Turkey. On the shores of the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, summers are hot and dry, and winters are cool and rainy. Coastal areas along the Black Sea tend to be cooler and rainier in summer than other coastal areas of Turkey.