Turkey!

Turkey (Turkiye in Turkish) is a

country located at a point where

the 3 continents of the old world (Asia, Africa and Europe)

are closest to each other and where Asia and

Europe meet.

oBecause of its geographical location, Anatolia has always been important throughout history and is the birthplace of many great civilizations.

oThe surface area of Turkey including the lakes is 814,578 km² / 314,503 sq miles. It is much larger than many European countries or even Texas (18%) in the US. Out of the total land, 97% is in Asia and this part is called Anatolia or Asia Minor; 3% is in Europe which is called Thrace.

oAlthough 97% of Turkey is located in Asia, in many respects it is accepted as a European country and as a result, Turkey takes its place in nearly all European contests and associations.

oTurkey is rectangular in shape with a length of 1,660 km / 1,031 miles and a width of 550 km / 341 miles.

The Black Sea Region

The Black Sea Region

oa mountainous area in the northo It has a steep and rocky coast and rivers

cascade through the gorges of the coastal ranges.

oAs the Northern Anatolian Mountains run parallel to the coastline access inland from the coast is limited to a few narrow valleys, so the coast therefore has always been isolated from inland areas. It is densely wooded; comprising more than one-fourth of Turkey’s forested areas.

The Marmara Region

ocovers the European part as well as the northwest of the Anatolian plain.

oAlthough it is the smallest region after Southeastern Anatolia, it has the highest population density.

oThe Marmara region is economically the most developed area of Turkey.

The Marmara Region

The Aegean Region

o extends from the Aegean coast to the inner parts of Western Anatolia.

o Forest lands and fertile plains carrying the same names as its rivers are dominant.

o Its wealth rests on the production of several export crops, including tobacco (more than 50% of Turkey’s total production), cotton (30% of the total), high-quality grapes suitable for drying, olives (more than 50% of the Turkish output) and figs.

The Aegean Region

The Mediterranean Region

o located in the south of Anatolia.oThe region has several subregions:

the sparsely populated limestone plateaus of Taseli in the middle;

the lake district in the west with its continental climate, where grain is grown; and

the intensively cultivated, densely populated coastal plains.

The Mediterranean Region

The Central Anatolia Region

oexactly in the middle of Turkey and is less mountainous when compared to the other regions.

oThis region varies in altitude from 600-1,200 m (1,970-3,940 ft) west to east.

oSteppes are common. oFor the most part, the region is bare and

monotonous and is used for grazing.

The Central Anatolia Region

The Eastern Anatolia Region

o largest and highest regionoNearly all of the area has an

average altitude of 1,500-2,000 m / 4,920-6,560 ft.

oAnatolia’s highest peak Mount Ararat is located in this region.

oThis is the most thinly populated region of the country.

The Eastern Anatolia Region

Mount Ararat

The Southeastern Anatolia Region

onotable for the uniformity of its landscape.

oVast stretches of this region consist only of wild or barren wasteland.

oAgriculture is confined mainly to irrigated valleys and basins (wheat, rice, vegetables, grapes).

oMuch of the population is nomadic or seminomadic

The Southeastern Anatolia Region

Facts and Statistics

• Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated

Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the

title Ataturk or "Father of the Turks.“conventional long form: Republic of

Turkeyconventional short form: Turkey

local long form: Turkiye Cumhuriyetilocal short form: Turkiye

Facts and Statistics

Government type: republican parliamentary democracy

Capital: AnkaraIndependence: 29 October 1923 (successor

state to the Ottoman Empire)Climate: temperate; hot, dry summers with

mild, wet winters; harsher in interiorPopulation: 68,893,918 (July 2004 est.)

Ethnic Make-up: Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated)

Religions: Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)

Meeting and Greeting Etiquette–When meeting shake hands firmly. –When departing it is not always customary to

shake hands although it is practised occasionally.– Friends and relations would greet each other

with either one or two kisses on the cheek. –Elders are always respected by kissing their

right hand then placing the forehead onto the hand.

Etiquette & Customs in Turkey

Meeting and Greeting Etiquette–When entering a room, if you are not

automatically met by someone greet the most elderly or most senior first. –At social occasions greet the person closest to

you then work your way around the room or table anti-clockwise.–Greet people with either the Islamic greeting of

'Asalamu alaykum' (peace be upon you) or 'Nasilsiniz' (How are you? pronounced na-sul-su-nuz). Other useful phrases are 'Gunaydin' (Good Morning, pronounced goon-ay-dun), 'iyi gunler' (Good Day, pronounced ee-yee gun-ler) or 'Memnun Oldum' (pleased to meet you).


Gift Giving Etiquette– if a gift is given it will be accepted well. It is always a good

idea to bring gifts from your own country such as food stuffs or craft items.

– Be aware that Turkey is a Muslim country. Before giving alcohol to anyone be 100% sure that they drink.

– The only time you would need to give any great thought to gifts would be if you were invited to a Turk's home for dinner.

– The most usual gifts to take are pastries, (especially 'baklava') and decorative items for the home such as ornaments or vases.

– Flowers are not usually taken to a host but can be if felt appropriate. It is best to ask a florist for advice on what is best to take.

– If the host has children take some expensive sweets or candy.


Dining Etiquette– The protocol of Turkish hospitality dictates that

the host always pays for the meal. – The concept of sharing a bill is completely alien.

You may try and offer to pay, which may be seen as polite, but you would never be allowed to do so.

– The best policy is to graciously thank the host then a few days later invite them to do dinner at a restaurant of your choice.

– Evening meals may be accompanied by some alcohol, usually the local tipple called Raký (pronounced rak-uh). It will comprise of a few courses with the main course always meat or fish based, accompanied by bread and a salad.


Dining Etiquette– Turks smoke during meals and will often take

breaks between courses to have a cigarette and a few drinks before moving onto the next.

– Tea or Turkish coffee is served at the end of a meal sometimes with pastries.

– Turkish coffee is a national drink and should at least be sampled. It comes either without sugar, a little sugar or sweet. Turkish coffee is sipped and allowed to melt into the taste buds so do not gulp it down as you would instant coffee. Never drink to the bottom of the cup as it will be full of ground coffee and taste awful.


Turkish - The official language. The first language spoken by 90% of the 63m population.

Minority languages include:–Kurdish, spoken by 6% of the population.–Arabic is spoken by 1.2% of the Turkish

population; most of those speakers are bilingual Arabic and Turkish speakers.

–Circassian, spoken by more than 0.09% throughout the country

–Greek, Armenian and Judezmo, a Romance language spoken by Jews.

The Turkish Language and Literature

• history of Turkish Literature may be divided into three periods:–the period up to the adoption of Islam, –the Islamic period–the period under western influence.


the period up to the adoption of Islamo Turkish literature was the joint product of

the Turkish clans and was mostly oral. o The oldest known examples of Turkish

writings are on obelisks dating from the late 7th and early 8th centuries.

o The Orhun monumental inscriptions written in 720 for Tonyukuk, in 732 for Kültigin and in 735 for Bilge Kagan are masterpieces of Turkish literature with their subject matter and perfect style.


oTurkish epics dating from those times include the Yaratilis, Saka, Oguz-Kagan, Göktürk, Uygur and Manas.

oThe "Book of Dede Korkut", put down in writing in the 14th century, is an extremely valuable work that preserves the memory of that epic era in beautiful language.


the Islamic periodo Following Turkish migrations into Anatolia in the

wake of the Malazgirt victory in 1071, the establishment of various Beyliks in Anatolia and the eventual founding of the Seljuk and Ottoman Empires set the scene for Turkish literature to develop along two distinct lines, with "divan" or classical literature drawing its inspiration from the Arabic and Persian languages and Turkish folk literature still remaining deeply rooted in Central Asian traditions.

o Divan poets did not have independent philosophies, they were content to express the same ideas in different ways. The magnificence of the poet came from his artistry in finding original and beautiful forms of expression. The most famous of the Divan poets were Baki, Fuzuli, Nedim and Nef'i.


o Initially based on two foreign literary traditions, Arab and Persian, literature gradually stopped being merely imitative and took on Ottoman national characteristics.

o To a certain extent, the Turkish folk literature which has survived till the day, reflects the influence of Islam and the new life style and form of the traditional literature of Central Asia after the adoption of Islam. Turkish folk literature comprised anonymous works of bard poems and Tekke (mystical religious retreats) literature. Yunus Emre who lived in the second half of the 13th and early 14th centuries was an epoch making poet and sufi (mystical philosopher) expert in all three areas of folk literature as well as divan poetry. Important figures of poetic literature were Karacaoglan, Atik Ömer, Erzurumlu Emrah and Kayserili Seyrani.


the period under western influenceoChanges in social, economic and

political life were reflected in the literature of the time and the quest for change continued till the proclamation of the Republic.

oThe distinguishing characteristic of the era in literature was the concern with intellectual content rather than esthetic values or perfection of style.


o The latest period in literature, which is known as the Turkish Literature of the Republican period, came to be influenced by the following literary schools after Divan literary styles had been abandoned:Tanzimat (reforms), Servet-i Fünun (scientific wealth), Fecr-i Ati (dawn of the new age)Ulusal Edebiyat (national literature).


o National Literature was created between the years 1911 and 1923. The leading literary figures of the period were Ziya Gokalp, Ömer Seyfettin, Mehmet Emin Yurdakul, Yusuf Ziya Ortaç, Faruk Nafiz Camlibel, Enis Behiç Koryürek, Kemalletin Kamu, Aka Gündüz, Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoglu, Halide Edip Adivar, Halit Karay, Resat Nuri Güntekin, Ahmet Hikmet Müftüoglu, Necip Fazil Kisakürek, Halide Nusret Zorlutuna, Sükufe Nihal, Peyami Safa, and Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar.


oThe topics, written in simple language, were taken from real life and mirrored the conditions of the country.

oÖmer Seyfettin, the founder and most successful representative of the short story tradition in Turkish literature


o The most well-known and widely-read writers of the 1950-1990 period can be listed as follows: Tarik Dursun K., Atilla lhan, Yasar Kemal, Orhan Kemal, Kemal Tahir, Tarik Bugra, Aziz Nesin, Mustafa Necati Sepetçioglu, Firuzan, Adalet Agaoglu, Sevgi Soysal, Tomris Uyar, Selim Ileri, Cevat Sakir (Halikarnas Balikçisi), Necati Cumali, Haldun Taner. Prominent poets in this period are: Behçet Kemal Çaglar, Necati Cumali , Oktay Rifat, Melih Cevdet Anday, Cemal Süreya, Edip Cansever, Özdemir Ince, Ataol Behramoglu, Ismet Özel, Ece Ayhan, Turgut Uyar, Sezai Karakoç, Bahaettin Karakoç, Ümit Yasar Oguzcan, Orhan Pamuk .


Mehmet Nusret(December 20, 1915 - July 6, 1995) was a popular Turkish humorist and author of more than 100 books.

He was born from very poor and deeply muslim parents and struggled through life.

he became the editor of a series of satirical periodicals with a socialist slant.

• He was jailed, arrested, detained, deported, tortured, beaten several times and under all governments for his political views.

• Nesin provided a strong indictment of the oppression and brutalization of the common man.

• He satirized bureaucracy and exposed economic inequities in stories that effectively combine local color and universal truths.

• He is most famous for his humoristic short stories. But he excelled in all forms of literature: poetry, plays, novels, essays.

• Apart from his talent to catch the contradictions of a developing country, he is known as a honest man who stood behind his ideas.

• In the last years of his life, he devoted himself to fight against ignorance and religious fundamentalism.

• After his death, his body was buried into an unknown location in the land of Nesin Foundation without any ceremony, as suggested by his will.

SELECTED HONORS and PRIZES

• 1956. Golden Palm (Italy).• 1957. Golden Palm (Italy).• 1958. Third place at a humoristic

story contest in İtaly• 1959. Best article prize by the

Association of Journalists.• 1966. Golden Hedgehog Prize,

(Bulgaria).• 1968. First Prize at the Karacan

Play Contest.• 1969. Golden Crocodile, (Soviet

Union).• 1970. Best Play Prize of the

Academy of Turkish• 1975. Lotus Prize (The Union of

African-Asian Writers)• 1986. Selected the “Writer of the

Year” by the Turkish people (Tüyap)

• 1990. Golden Tolstoi Prize

• 1990. Vienna Theater Prize• 1991. Received the title of

Chevalier by the French government

• 1991. Democracy Prize by the School of Political Sciences (Ankara University)

• 1992. Honorary Prize and Golden Medal from the Association of Authors

• 1992. Abdi İpekçi Prize of Peace and Friendship (Turkey-Greece)

• 1992. Medal of Gratitude from the Association of Journalists

• 1993. Carl Von Ossietzky Prize• 1994. CPJ International Press

Freedom Award (USA).• 1994. Human Rights Prize.• 1995. Orhan Apaydın Democracy

and Peace Prize• 1995. Prize of the Hiroshima

Foundation

Teşekkür

Ederim!

Turkey!

Travel

o turkey

highest region o

mediterranean region

central anatolia region

o agriculture

north o

o steppes

black sea region o