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Table of Contents
See the fact file below for more information on the country of Turkey or alternatively, you can download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
General Information:
- Capital: Ankara
- Population: 70,413,958 (July 2006 est.)
- Area:
Total: 780,580 sq km, slightly larger than Texas
Land: 770,760 sq km
Water: 9,820 sq km - Government: Republican parliamentary democracy
- Money: Turkish lira (YTL); old Turkish lira (TRL) before 1 January 2005
- Climate: Temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in the interior
- Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian.Note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the European part of Turkey
Fun Facts
- The world’s oldest shipwreck was found in Kas. It is currently on display at the Submarine Archaeology Museum.
- The world’s most precious silk carpet is stored in the Mevlana Museum, which is located in Konya.
- The first ever coins known to man were discovered in Sfard during the seventh century, B.C.
- The first ever university is located in Harran.
- Istanbul was the capital of three empires for 2,000 years: the Roman, Ottoman and Byzantine Empires.
- Carpets are very important in Turkish culture. Seen as religious symbols, they are used in mosques.
- It is said that name of the country Turkey come from an Italian word “Turchia”, which was used to refer to Anatolia – Turkey’s Asian portion – as early as the 12th century. The
- Turks didn’t use the name Türkiye (Land of the Turks) officially until the republic was established in 1923.
- The father of the Turks is Gazi Mustafa Kemal, a.k.a. Atatürk. The founder of modern Turkey was born in 1881 in what was then the Ottoman city of Selanik, now Salonika, in Greece.
- The first Christian church to be built in Antioch, Turkey, was the Cave Church, or Grotto, of St. Peter that was built between 1098 and 1268 A.D.
- The oldest known human city is Çatalhöyük in Turkey, which shows signs of settlement from the 7th century B.C.
- The stones found at Göbekli Tepe in Turkey in 1994 are considered the world’s first temple and one of the most important archaeological sites ever discovered.
- Turkey is home to the world’s oldest sporting event, grease wrestling, which is also its national sport. Wrestlers cover themselves with olive oil and attempt to either pin their opponents on the ground or lift them up and walk three steps. The first grease wrestling game was hosted in 1362.
- One of the world’s earliest civilizations, the Hittites, flourished in Turkey around 1600 B.C. They were among the first people to work iron and use a system of writing.
- Turkey is the birthplace of historical figures such as Aesop; Homer; St. Paul; King Midas; Galen, a noted physician, surgeon, medical researcher and philosopher in the Roman Empire; and Herodotus, the father of history.
Establishment Of Modern Turkey:
- The aftermath of World War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire prompted the establishment of the Turkish national movement.
- It was led by Mustafa Kemal, a military commander who distinguished himself during the Battle of Gallipoli in the Turkish War of Independence.
- On November 1, 1922, the newly founded Turkish parliament formally abolished the Sultanate, thus ending 623 years of Ottoman rule.
- Turkey was a neutral country during World War II, hence, keeping relative peace within its territory.
- Turkey is a democracy. Ever since Turkey became the Republic of Turkey after WWI, the country has been a parliamentary democracy. There is a president of the republic, but he is largely a figurehead and symbolic in nature.
- True executive power lies with the prime minister, who is elected when his party holds the majority in Parliament, much like Great Britain. Voting rights begin for both sexes at the age of 18, and every citizen is free to vote.
Geography
- Turkey is a transcontinental Eurasian country. Asian Turkey, which includes 97 percent of the country, is separated from European Turkey by the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles.
- Turkey is divided into seven geographical regions: Marmara, Aegean, Black Sea, Central Anatolia, Eastern Anatolia, Southeastern Anatolia and the Mediterranean.
- Turkey’s Black Sea coastline stretches for 1,650 km. That’s the same distance as Paris to Berlin.
- Istanbul is the world’s only city spanning two continents and only 3% of Turkey is in Europe.
Turkey Worksheets
This bundle includes 10 ready-to-use Turkey worksheets that are perfect for students to learn about Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, which is a contiguous transcontinental parliamentary republic largely located in Western Asia, with the portion of Eastern Thrace in Southeastern Europe.
This download includes the following worksheets:
- Turkey Facts
- Quick Quiz – Truth of Bluff
- Of Turkish Origin – Mark the Source
- The Longest Word – Word Creator
- Turkish Symbols
- Hagia Sophia – Coloring
- Proverbs – I Translate
- The Founder – Autobiography
- Tasty Kebab – How to 101
- Touring Turkey
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Link will appear as Turkey Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 12, 2018
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.