Turkey
Political system
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Turkey is a parliamentary representative democracy. Since its foundation as a
republic, Turkey has developed a strong tradition of secularism. Turkey's
constitution governs the legal framework of the country. It sets out the main
principles of government and establishes Turkey as a unitary centralized state.
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The President of the Republic is the head of the state and has a largely ceremonial
role. The president is elected for a five-year term by direct elections. Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan is the first president elected by direct voting.
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Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and the Council of
Ministers which make up the government, while the legislative power is vested in
the unicameral parliament, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
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The judiciary is independent from the executive and the legislature, and the
Constitutional Court is charged with ruling on the conformity of laws and
decrees with the constitution.
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The prime minister is elected by the parliament through a vote of confidence in the
government and is most often the head of the party having the most seats in the
parliament. The prime minister is Ahmet Davutoğlu who is also the leader of
the Justice and Development Party (AKP).
President-Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Prime Minister-Ahmet Davutogol
Geography
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Turkey is situated in Anatolia and the Balkans bordering the Black Sea, between
Bulgaria and Georgia and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea,
between Greece and Syria.
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The geographic coordinates of the country lie at: 39°00′N 35°00′E.
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The Black Sea region has a steep, rocky coast with rivers that cascade through the
gorges of the coastal ranges. A few larger rivers, those cutting back through the
Pontic Mountains.
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Istanbul, the largest city of Thrace and Turkey, has a population of 11,372,613.
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Turkey's tallest mountain with an elevation of 5,137 m is the legendary landing place
of Noah's Ark and is located in the far eastern part of the country.
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The European part of Turkey, known as Thrace (Turkish: Trakya), encompasses 3%
of the total area but is home to more than 10% of the total population.
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Turkey's diverse regions have different climates, with the weather system on the
coasts contrasting with that prevailing in the interior. The Aegean and
Mediterranean coasts have cool, rainy winters and hot, dry summers.
Ephesus
Beautiful beaches
The Turkish Riviera
Pamukkale
Istanbul
Culture of Turkey:
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The earliest known inhabitants were the Hittites, who probably came from Central
Asia.
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Although the present-day Turks are proud of their descent from the Hittites, they
are in fact a mixture of other peoples who entered the country at various times such
as Persians, Celts, Romans, Arabs, and Seljuk Turks.
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The Seljuk Turks came from Central Asia, where they had adopted the Muslim faith,
and entered Asia Minor in the 11th century.
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Children in Turkey must attend school between the ages of 7 and 12.
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Folk music and folk themes are still popular.
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Because of the Muslim ban on the use of the human figure in art, there was little
development of painting and sculpture in Turkey until 1923, when the ban was
removed. Even afterward, tradition and nationalism ran strong in Turkish art.
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Folk and decorative arts are the most popular forms.
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Oriental carpets, vases, pottery, and copper articles are all used to decorate the
home.
Cuisine
Turkish cuisine varies across the country. The cooking of Istanbul,
Bursa, Izmir, and rest of the Aegean region inherits many elements
of Ottoman court cuisine, with a lighter use of spices, a preference
for rice over bulgur, koftes and a wider availability of vegetables
stew (türlü), eggplant , stuffed dolmas and fish. The cuisine of
the Black Sea Region uses fish extensively, especially the Black Sea
anchovy (hamsi), it has been influenced by Balkan and Slavic
cuisine, and includes maize dishes. The cuisine of the southeast Urfa, Gaziantep and Adana - is famous for its variety of kebabs,
mezes and dough-based desserts such as baklava, kadayıf and
künefe.
Imam bayaldi & Kebab
Bazlama & Lahmacun
Religion
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Turkey is a secular state with no official state religion; the
Turkish Constitution provides for freedom of religion and
conscience.
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For many decades, wearing of the hijab was banned in schools
and government buildings because it was viewed as a symbol of
political Islam.
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Islam is the dominant religion of Turkey with 99.8% of the
population being registered as Muslim.
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There are about 26,000 people who are Jewish.
Interesting Facts
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Never give the "thumbs up" gesture to signify that you like something.
This gesture is obscene in Turkey and only used amongst males.
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The most popular sport in Turkey is football (soccer), the Turkish
national team came third in the 2002 World Cup Finals.
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The ancient city of Troy was located in modern day Turkey.
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Many famous ethnic foods come from Turkey such as manti, kebab,
Lokum (Turkish delight), baklava, kadayif and more.
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The highest point in Turkey is Mount Ararat 5137 m.
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Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey and is the third most populous urban
area in Europe. But it is not the capital, Ankara is in fact the capital of
Turkey.
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St. Nicholas, also known as Santa Claus, was born in Patara and became
the bishop of Demre on Turkey’s Mediterranean Coast.
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Turkish people introduced coffee to Europe.
Language
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Hello - Merhaba or Selam (is more informal than Merhaba)
Welcome! - Hoş geldin (familiar/singular) or Hoş
geldiniz (polite/plural)
Goodbye - Allahaısmarladık or Hoşca kalın
See you later - Görüşürüz
Thank you - Teşekkür ederim
Yes - Evet
No - Hayır
What's your name? - Isminiz nedir?
My name is… - Adım …
Nice to meet you - Memnun oldum!
Where are you from? - Nerelisiniz?
Where do you live? - Nerede oturuyorsunuz?
Turkey is a wonderful country - Türkiye çok güzel bir ülke
Alphabet