SCC GLST 302 Global Issues Wiki:Turkey - Vanessa Moerschbacher

Turkey, officially known as the Republic of Turkey, or Turkiye Cumhuriyeti, is a state that straddles the European/Asian border and has an area of 302,535 mi², making it the 37th largest state in the world. The state is surrounded by 3 seas (Aegean, Mediterranean, and Black), but it is also covered in mountains and plateaus, producing vastly different climates depending on the region. There are currently 84,925,831 people living in Turkey, and they are seeing a slowing population growth rate of 1.09%. The population is mostly made up of Turks (75%) and Kurds (18%); however, there are a few other ethnic groups who call Turkey home, which has led to Turkish and Kurdish being the main spoken languages. The main religion practiced in Turkey is religion, with just .02% of the population not practicing.

Life in this region of the world goes back a very long time; however, more recent history can be traced to the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the birth of Turkey as a sovereign state in 1923. Turkey has had several leaders, but they’ve also had several coups. The military considers themselves the keepers of the constitution and when an official (even an elected official) fail to follow the constitution, the military takes it upon themselves to protect the law. This has led to periods of political instability in the region. Since its creation, Turkey has seen quite a growth in gender equality. For example, the male literacy rate is 98% and the female literacy rate is 92%. While not entirely equal, these numbers are much higher than in some regions in the world. One might think that this means that equality is on the rise. And yet, in recent years Turkey has actually noticed a decline. According to UNFPA, if you compare equality in all of the states in the world, Turkey will actually be 15 spots away from last place (last being the worst score for equality). Very few women participate in or are elected into office; almost half of all Turkish women experience some sort of abuse, whether physical or sexual; and many women are still killed by their husbands. While many are working to further eradicate this inequality, the state has a long way to go before men and women are treated equal.

Turkey - Oppression & Resistance Works Cited

“Country Profile: Turkey.” Library of Congress – Federal Research Division, Aug. 2008, www.loc.gov/rr/frd/cs/profiles/Turkey.pdf.

“Gender Equality.” UNFPA Turkey, 9 May 2017, turkey.unfpa.org/en/node/9689.

“Geography and Climate.” Youth For Understanding Türkiye, yfu-turkey.org/welcome-to-turkey/geography-and-climate/#:~:text=Turkey%20has%20a%20diversified%20climate,cold%20winters%20with%20limited%20rainfall.

“Turkey - Traveler View.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/turkey.

“Turkey Population 2021 (Live).” Turkey Population 2021 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs), worldpopulationreview.com/countries/turkey-population.

Yaşar, Irem. “World Heritage in Turkey: Historical Areas of Istanbul with Marvelous Masterpieces.” Daily Sabah, Daily Sabah, 17 Apr. 2020, www.dailysabah.com/life/travel/world-heritage-in-turkey-historical-areas-of-istanbul-with-marvelous-masterpieces.