Introduction to Turkey
Friday, December 10, 2010
Introduction to Turkey
The country that interest me the most currently is Turkey. Officially know as the Republic of Turkey, it is a Eurasian country which has land in two different continents – Asia and Europe, with most of its land lying in Asia. Being separated into two parts of the world does make a difference in how Turkish people spend their lives.
Before I get started, let me give you a brief write up on the statistics of Turkey. The country approximately holds home to 77 million people. Out of these people, 70-75% is Turkish, 18% are Kurdish and the other minorities make up the rest. One of the most unique aspects of Turkey is that its population is predominantly Muslims in contrast to its neighboring countries in Europe which are orthodoxies and Christians. 99.8% of the country is Muslims (mostly Sunni). I believe that with both land in Europe and Asia, the country has definitely one of the most interesting cultures in the world. With deep historical background and variations of roots, the Turkish people lives have been shaped by both their ancestors from Asia and Europe.
With much research, I can group the cultures in a certain pattern- one being modern and the other being rural. Major cities such as Istanbul are located in Mediterranean Europe. These cities are largely urbanized with large amount of tourists visiting every year. Other areas such as rural towns and villages are entirely the opposites as compared to the major cities. These two groups of people have different ways of lives and standard of living.
Settlement
Let us take a look at the settlement of the country. We will group them into Villages and City before we get started on how each go about living their daily lives.
City
In Turkey, there are very few large cities which are located in the country. The most famous metropolitan city in the country is probably Istanbul. It is also the main central where the country source of income arrives from. Other major cities include Izmir, Adana, Bursa and of course the capital, Ankara which plays a significant role in the country’s economic well-being.
In these cities, people or grouped into social classes in which individuals interact with each other based on it (but this phenomenon is not so prominent).
Many locals who reside in the city hold occupational jobs ranging from doctors all the way to bus drivers. These occupations are recognizable more so in city areas as compared to the rural side of the country.
These city people behave much like how Europeans around the Mediterranean region live.
Ankara, one of the major cities and capital of Turkey.
Villages
According to statistics in “Enjoy Turkey”, large majority of the population (54%) resides in the rural areas. In these places, agriculture is the main source of income and it has shaped the residents way of life.
Most jobs are centered on farming where locals earn their income. Therefore, we can see that city people and villagers have very different lives.
A small village in Turkey.
Brief Culture of Turkey
With rich history comes rich culture. This is the case for Turkey. The Ottoman Empire strongly shaped and influenced the country it is today.
Location and Geography
Turkey has a large proportion of its land located in Asia Minor and some located in Mediterranean Europe. Its neighboring countries are Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran on the east; and on the south by Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean.
According to the website “EveryCulture” Turkey has 4454 miles of coastline. Its terrain includes mountains, hills and valleys.
